Old College, Aberystwyth

University building in Aberystwyth, Wales

This article is about the Old College, Aberystwyth. For other uses, see Old College.

Old College, Aberystwyth

Old College

General information
Architectural style| Gothic Revival
Town or city| Aberystwyth
Country| United Kingdom
Coordinates| 52°24′53″N 4°5′18″W﻿ / ﻿52.41472°N 4.08833°W﻿ / 52.41472; -4.08833
Construction started| c.1795
Completed| 1865
Design and construction
Architect(s)| John Nash; John Pollard Seddon
Designations|

Listed Building – Grade I

Official name| University College of Wales Old College Building
Designated| 21 July 1961
Reference no.| 10251

Old College, Aberystwyth, is a building that forms part of the University of Aberystwyth in Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales. The first building on the site, of which nothing remains, was a villa constructed c. 1795 by John Nash for Sir Uvedale Price. This building was converted into the Castle Hotel in the 1860s by John Pollard Seddon. The hotel was a failure and the building was then sold to University College Wales, Aberystwyth, later a constituent member of the University of Wales. Pollard was retained to redevelop the building as an education institute, and to undertake complete reconstruction after a disastrous fire in 1885. During his tenure, Seddon engaged Charles Vosey to design a mosaic triptych to decorate the building's exterior.

Old College continued to accommodate teaching departments of the university throughout the 20th century, but was progressively turned over to administrative uses as the university developed its Penglais Hill campus overlooking the town. In 2014 the last of the teaching departments moved out, at which point the university began planning, and fundraising, for a redevelopment of the whole Old College site and its transformation into a heritage/cultural and learning centre. As of 2024, completion of the project is planned for 2027.

Old College is a Grade I listed building.

## History

[edit]

The first building on the Old College site was Castle House, a villa designed in 1795 by John Nash for Uvedale Price.[1] In 1864 the building was purchased by Thomas Savin who intended to convert the building to a hotel. Savin hired John Pollard Seddon to undertake the reconstruction and work progressed at speed, with the Castle Hotel opening in 1865. However Savin soon ran into financial difficulties and was forced to sell the building only two years after opening.[2][3] The purchaser was University College Wales, Aberystwyth, which intended to convert it to a higher education institute. The college paid £10,000, £70,000 below the amount paid by Savin. In 1893 University College became a constituent part of the University of Wales.[2] Seddon was retained to undertaken reconfiguration.

In 1885, the building was damaged by fire and only survived through the University's board paying for repairs as public funds were not available. During the renovation, Seddon was re-engaged to lead the project. During Seddon's tenure, he commissioned a former pupil, Charles Vosey, to design the three mosaic murals now located at the top of the tower, although Cadw suggests they were originally intended for another location.[1] The mosaics were controversial; Vosey's original conception included religious imagery which he intended to symbolise "Science tearing down Sacerdotalism".[4] Some of the university staff were enraged, one don suggesting; "the only blot to spoil the picture being the unfortunate mosaic" and Seddon, who had personally paid for it, was obliged to pressure Vosey to amend the design.[5] Before work on the building was completed, Seddon was dismissed, as the university became concerned at the scale and cost of his plans.[3] Further work on the college was undertaken by Charles Ferguson after Seddon's dismissal.[1]

The Old College remained the main campus in Aberystwyth until the 1960s when the majority of teaching was moved to the Penglais campus near the National Library of Wales. Despite this, administration of Aberystwyth University remained at the Old College along with the teaching of Education and Welsh.[3] In 2012, plans were made for the Old College to become a new postgraduate centre as a part of a new cultural quarter in Aberystwyth.[6] In 2014 the transfer of the last teaching departments to the Penglais site allowed the university to consider redevelopment and in 2015 it applied for £19 million of Heritage Lottery Funding to allow for the renovation of the Old College.[7] Plans for the site will see the Old College repurposed as a heritage/cultural learning and knowledge centre, with the intended completion date being 2027.[citation needed]

## Architecture

[edit]

In 1961 the Old College was given Grade I listed status. Cadw's listing record notes it as a "...particularly important example of that style so loved by wealthy Victorian patrons and so imaginatively created by architects of the period".[1]

## Gallery

[edit]

* Interior

* Exterior and Seafront

* Old College main entrance

* East Entrance

* Triptych of mosaics by C. F. A. Voysey

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d Cadw. "University College of Wales Old College Building (Grade I) (10251)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
2. ^ a b Morgan, Sion (2015-07-15). "Aberystwyth University's iconic Old College set for revamp in time for 150th birthday celebrations". Wales Online. Retrieved 2016-04-01.
3. ^ a b c Written by EverythingAberystwyth.co.uk on 23 September 2010 (2010-09-23). "History Of Aberystwyth Old College". Everything Aberystwyth. Retrieved 2016-04-01.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
4. ^ "Voysey's external mosaic for the Old College building at Aberystwyth University". C. F. A. Vosey Society. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
5. ^ "The Old College mosaic". Aberystwyth University. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
6. ^ "Aberystwyth University: Old College cultural quarter plan". BBC News. Retrieved 2016-04-01.
7. ^ "Final push for £19m Aberystwyth Old College renovation bid". BBC News. Retrieved 2016-04-01.

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Aberystwyth University

Leadership|

* Chancellor: John, Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd
* Pro-Chancellor: Elan Closs Stephens
* Vice-Chancellor: Elizabeth Treasure

Campuses|

* Penglais
* Llanbadarn
* Gogerddan
* School of Art

Buildings|

| Current|

* Aberystwyth Arts Centre
* Edward Davies Building
* National Library of Wales
* Old College

* Hugh Owen Library

|

Former|

* College of Librarianship, Wales
* Thomas Parry Library
* United Theological College
* Welsh Agricultural College

Faculties and Departments|

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* School of Art
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|

Business and Physical Sciences|

* Aberystwyth Business School
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Earth and Life Sciences|

* Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences
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Halls of Residence|

* Penglais
* Pentre Jane Morgan
* Fferm Penglais

Student life|

* Aberystwyth University Students' Union
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Related|

* Academics
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* Aberystwyth Old Students' Association
* Ceramics Collection and Archive
* Elizabethan Madrigal Singers

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