Old College, Aberystwyth is a building that forms part of the

University of Aberystwyth , mottoeng = A world without knowledge is no world at all , established = 1872 (as ''The University College of Wales'') , former_names = University of Wales, Aberystwyth , type = Public , endowment = ...

Aberystwyth Aberystwyth () is a university and seaside town as well as a community in Ceredigion, Wales. Located in the historic county of Cardiganshire, means "the mouth of the Ystwyth". Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location in ...

Ceredigion Ceredigion ( , , ) is a county in the west of Wales, corresponding to the historic county of Cardiganshire. During the second half of the first millennium Ceredigion was a minor kingdom. It has been administered as a county since 1282. Cere ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. It was built in 1795 by John Nash and is a Grade I listed building.

History

Before the Old College, Castle House stood in its location on Aberystwyth's seafront. In 1795, John Nash replaced Castle House with Old College. He hired George Jones as the architect to build the Old College, which he did quickly in the

Gothic style Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

. In 1864 it was purchased by

Thomas Savin Thomas Savin (1826 – 23 July 1889) was a British railway engineer who was the contractor who built many railways in Wales and the Welsh borders from 1857 to 1866. He also in some cases was an investor in such schemes. Early life Savin was born ...

who wanted to turn it into a hotel but was forced to abandon the project a year later due to financial troubles. From there it was sold in 1872 for £10,000, £70,000 below its original cost price, to the

University of Wales The University of Wales (Welsh language, Welsh: ''Prifysgol Cymru'') is a confederal university based in Cardiff, Wales. Founded by royal charter in 1893 as a federal university with three constituent colleges – Aberystwyth, Bangor and Cardiff � ...

who turned it into a college for higher education which later became the University of Aberystwyth. 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

J P Seddon John Pollard Seddon FRIBA (19 September 1827 – 1 February 1906) was a British architect, working largely on churches. His father was a cabinetmaker, and his brother Thomas Seddon (1821–1856) a landscape painter. Born in London, he was educa ...

, the architect hired to carry out the reconstitution, was sacked because the University were concerned that his plans would prove too expensive. This was because Seddon despised the original design of the building and wanted to make it more intricate but was fired before he was able to complete it. Old College Main Entrance

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 The National Library of Wales ( cy, Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru), Aberystwyth, is the national legal deposit library of Wales and is one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies. It is the biggest library in Wales, holding over 6.5 million boo ...

. Despite this, administration of Aberystwyth University remained at the Old College along with the teaching of Education and Welsh. In 2012, plans were made for the Old College to become a new

postgraduate Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree. The organization and stru ...

centre as a part of a new cultural quarter in Aberystwyth. In 2015, the University applied for £19 million of

Heritage Lottery Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...

ing to allow for the renovation of the Old College.

Listing

In 1961 the Old College was granted listed Grade I status. The reason for it being listed is because it was a "...particularly important example of that style so loved by wealthy Victorian patrons and so imaginatively created by architects of the period".

Gallery

References

{{Authority control Aberystwyth University Grade I listed buildings in Ceredigion Gothic Revival architecture in Wales