Old College

This account is not currently being updated while the project is paused

24/08/2026

Update: An update on the Old College project is now available on our website- https://loom.ly/GdvkalY

11/08/2026

South Seddon

Following on from last week’s popular post about the excellent external work done on South Seddon, this week we have images for you of the inside.

As you will see the floors are in, the walls have been painted and the spaces look great.

These will provide study spaces for students, spaces for societies and activities, and fully equipped facilities for start-up businesses in the creative, digital and allied industries.

Cronfa Treftadaeth y Loteri Gen / National Lottery Heritage Fund - Cymru

04/08/2026

Spot the skull

With the scaffolding down on South Seddon, it’s worth stepping back and taking a moment to appreciate the work.

The turrets have been re-slated, there is a new lead flat roof, new cast iron gutters and down pipes, restored windows and stonework, all reflecting the Grade 1 status of this historic building.

And, looking out over the castle is C F Voysey’s controversial mosaic.

Believed to feature the Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer and astronomer Archimedes, the mosaic is as striking today as it would have been when it was installed.

However, it’s worth taking a closer look.

How many of you have noticed the human skull, which is said to depict the study of ‘man’?

Over on King Street there are two grotesques that feature the words ‘Error’ and ‘Darkness’.

Set above the side door, they appear to be two contorted lizard-like creatures held in a strangle hold by the hands of ‘Science’ and ‘Light’.

Not unsurprising, perhaps, for a building that was designed by the architect J P Seddon for the departments of Physics and Chemistry.

However, considering the controversy surrounding the mosaic, one wonders whether the University had agreed to these grotesques.

Or were they added by Seddon on the sly?

And what did he really mean by them?

Answers on a postcard please, as it’s holiday season.

Cronfa Treftadaeth y Loteri Gen / National Lottery Heritage Fund - Cymru

28/07/2026

Hole in the wall

New rainwater drains are being laid on the promenade side of Old College.

The roofs of the Old College, the new atrium and the Georgian Villas cover an area of just over 5200 square metres.

An hour of moderate rain, around 5mm per hour, would see approximately 26,000 litres of water pour off these roofs.

Difficult as it may be to image on a hot summer’s day, but an hour of intense rain could see over 100,000 litres drain.

That’s more than enough to fill a 25-metre swimming pool on a really rainy day.

Back on the promenade, and a new pipe has been laid under the road and a new hole cut in the sea wall that will allow the rainwater to drain away.

Reinforced on the inside, it took the best part of three working days to cut through the 1.6 metres of concrete and the stone using a diamond tipped drill.

Capping it on the seaside is a non-return valve that will prevent seawater from running back into the pipe.

The new drains will replace some of the older drains and soakaways that collected rainwater from Old College and the Georgian Villas.

They will also help to alleviate some of the pressure on other stormwater drains in and around Old College when it next rains.

And it will rain, eventually.

Cronfa Treftadaeth y Loteri Gen / National Lottery Heritage Fund - Cymru

24/07/2026

We've been working with one of our talented students, Susannah Francis, who graduated last week, to create a postcard for this year's alumni events season.

Susannah's winning design has now been finalised, and we're delighted to see it heading to print!

Keep an eye out for us at our upcoming events, where you'll have the opportunity to share your favourite Old College / Aberystwyth memories on a postcard.

Selected stories may even feature in one of our interactive exhibitions in the World of Knowledge Zone at Old College.

We can't wait to read your stories and celebrate the memories that make our alumni community, and the Old College so special.

21/07/2026

New roof

South Seddon has a new lead roof.

Its completion represents another major milestone for the Old College project.

And the work by Anglesey-based roofers Greenough & Sons is quite remarkable in its attention to detail.

South Seddon started life in 1865 as a public restaurant and coffee room.

Castle Hotel developer, Thomas Savin, wanted a flat roof that could be used as a promenade.

This roof walk was short-lived as the University added a third floor to South Seddon after acquiring the building in 1867.

Somehow, students, roof walks and parapets don’t mix.

Though not directly affected by the great fire of 1885, South Seddon was totally rebuilt and opened in time for the summer term of 1888.

The flat roof was reinstated, but without the promenade.

Working inside and around the complex lattice of the scaffolding, the old bitumen roof was removed section by section and the supporting timbers restored and repaired.

Each section of the new roof has been hand crafted on site by the lead working team, including Dale Canning who is pictured fitting a newly bossed panel.

Keeping the rain out has also been a priority.

It’s just a shame that the finished work isn’t visible from the promenade.

Cronfa Treftadaeth y Loteri Gen / National Lottery Heritage Fund - Cymru
Greenough & Sons Roofing Contractors Ltd

14/07/2026

Milky way

Apparently, Wales and Liverpool star striker Ian Rush said, if you didn’t drink lots of milk when you were growing up, you’d only be good enough to play for Accrington Stanley…

Milk also happens to be one of the key ingredients for conserving stone carvings.

And it seems entirely appropriate for Old College, a building that for many years hosted dairy and cheese making courses.

Skillington Conservator Abigail Bestwick has been working on the University’s crest on the porch on King Street.

Featuring the mottos Goreu Arf, Arf Dysg (Learning is the Best Weapon) and Nid Byd, Byd Heb Wybodaeth (A World Without Knowledge is no World at All), the intricately carved shield hasn’t weathered well.

As with many of the gargoyles and grotesques on Old College, the approach adopted here is one of conservation rather than restoration or replacing with new.

The surface of the carving is pitted and prone to rainwater collecting in the many nooks and crannies.

In the cold of winter the water freezes, damaging the stone as it expands.

To prevent this, colour matched lime putty has been added to ease the water away.

With the holes capped, the shield has been painted with a shelter coat for protection.

The coating is a stone dust enriched limewash mixed with semi skimmed milk.

Casein, the milk protein essential for cheese-making, acts like a glue, sticking the limewash to the carved stone.

A blend of three fine sand dusts ensures the shelter coat will match the colour of the original stone.

The lime putty and limewash will need time to cure, and the hot weather hasn’t helped.

Covered in hessian to slow the drying process, the shield, gargoyles and grotesques are regularly sprayed with water.

It’s the milky way of conserving a grade 1 listed building, and it takes time to do it properly.

As for Accrington Stanley, who are they?

Exactly…

Cronfa Treftadaeth y Loteri Gen / National Lottery Heritage Fund - Cymru
Skillington Workshop

13/07/2026

🎓 Graduation Week has arrived! 🎓

Did you celebrate your graduation in the Old College?

We'd love to hear your memories of this historic building and the role it played in your Aberystwyth journey.

✨ Here's to the graduates of today, and the generations before them.

11/07/2026

Dewch i mewn!
Ymunwch gyda Rheolwr Prosiect yr Hen Goleg Jim O’Rourke am daith gyflym drwy’r atriwm newydd.

10/07/2026

Come in!
Join Old College Project Manager Jim O’Rourke for a
quick tour of the new atrium.

Address

Old College, King Street
Aberystwyth
SY232AU

Website

https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/oldcollege/

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