BBC Homepage Wales Home UWA Old Photosdownloads.bbc.co.uk/wales/archive/bbc-mid-wales... ·...

BBC HomepageWales Home

BBC Local

Mid Wales

Things to do

People & Places

Nature & Outdoors

History

Religion & Ethics

Arts & Culture

Music

TV & Radio

Local BBC SitesNews

Sport

Weather

Travel

Neighbouring SitesNorth East Wales

North West Wales

South East Wales

South West Wales

Related BBC SitesWales

Cymru

Canolbarth

UWA Old PhotosLast updated: 07 April 2006

Click through a selection of old photos charting the history ofthe University Of Wales Aberystwyth. The research for thecaptions was carried out by Rachel Dean in March 2006when she was a second year Drama and History student.Photographs courtesy of the UWA.

The Old College 1872

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

"In 1854, leading members of public life in Wales - includingHugh Owen (head of the Poor Law Commission), Samuel

Roberts and Dr Lewis Edwards - held a meeting to discussthe possibility of establishing a University in the seaside

town of Aberystwyth. Money was raised for the building of aUniversity by locals and miners from across Wales who saw

the potential future in a University and the need for aneducation system for their children."

Rachel Dean

your comments

Nick Groves, NorwichFascinating stuff! I was an undergraduate at UCW, Aber1974-77, when Old Coll was still an important part of life.The Penglais bell tower was always known as the 'StanleyKnife'. I am not sure that picture 3 is a graduation picture,as none of them are wearing hoods. The men are wearingundegrad gowns, and I think this may well be simply agroup picture of students and teaching staff. (I have seen itsomewhere else, but cannot recall where!) Mon Jan 4 09:43:44 2010

Michael Belham from FromeIn 1887 my great grandfather's company - S. Belham & Co.was given the contract to rebuild the College after the fire. Sun Jun 7 20:21:41 2009

sally payneMy great great grandfather was one of the three men who

more from this section

Aber NowClubs and SocietiesFood and DrinkIn PicturesMusicPeopleSport and LeisureStudent LifeWhat's onYour Say

Aber ThenAber ConnectionsA shop's centuryA stroll around the harbourAber PromCeredigion MuseumGhosts on the promGreat Storm of 1938Holiday MemoriesHouse DetectiveJackie 'The Monster' JenkinsKing's Hall MemoriesMartin's MemoriesNorth Parade 1905-1926PendinasPlas Tan y BwlchProm DaysRAF at The Belle VueSalford Lads and Girls' clubSea StoriesThe Dinner SchemeUniversity photosUkraine's Unsung HeroWW2 storiesWhat's in a name

related www linksUniversity Of Wales Aberystwyth

23 April 2012Accessibility helpText only

This document is a snapshot of content from a discontinued BBC website, originally published between 2002-2011. It has been made available for archival & research purposes only. Please see the foot of this document for Archive Terms of Use.

died in the fire. His name was Samuel Morgan Jones.Sun Aug 31 13:50:47 2008

This site is now closed and cannot accept newcomments.

BBC Local

Mid Wales

Things to do

People & Places

Nature & Outdoors

History

Religion & Ethics

Arts & Culture

Music

TV & Radio

Local BBC SitesNews

Sport

Weather

Travel


North West Wales

South East Wales

South West Wales


Cymru

Canolbarth



The entrance to the Old College 1872

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

"In 1867, with the money raised and from donations thathad been made, Hugh Owen and his collaborators purchased

a half-finished hotel in Aberystwyth overlooking the seafront. Designed by J P Seddon, the building which had begunlife as a hotel was transformed into the University of Wales

Aberystwyth.

On the 15th October 1872, the day before the collegeopened, a public holiday was declared so that people couldjoin in the celebrations. Businesses within the town shut

down for the day and the next day, people enjoyed a publicbreakfast as the University opened, followed by a day of

public meetings and lectures.

This building is known today as 'the Old College'." Rachel Dean

BBC Local

Mid Wales

Things to do

People & Places

Nature & Outdoors

History

Religion & Ethics

Arts & Culture

Music

TV & Radio

Local BBC SitesNews

Sport

Weather

Travel


North West Wales

South East Wales

South West Wales


Cymru

Canolbarth



Graduation photo taken in the 1890s

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

"In 1884, Aberystwyth began to enrol female students.Cardiff and Bangor already took in female students and itwas felt that Aberystwyth needed to follow suit in order to

keep up with the changing times. Graduation, also known as'capping day' involved a large ceremony where students

received their degrees. Many of the students were known tosing songs and chants as people went onto the stage to

receive their degrees and often caused much disruption!" Rachel Dean

BBC Local

Mid Wales

Things to do

People & Places

Nature & Outdoors

History

Religion & Ethics

Arts & Culture

Music

TV & Radio

Local BBC SitesNews

Sport

Weather

Travel


North West Wales

South East Wales

South West Wales


Cymru

Canolbarth



College Fire 1885

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

"On the night of 8th/9th July 1885, a fire broke out in oneof the chemistry laboratories in the college building. Locals

came to see if they could help, rescuing books from thelibrary and artefacts from the museum."

Rachel Dean

BBC Local

Mid Wales

Things to do

People & Places

Nature & Outdoors

History

Religion & Ethics

Arts & Culture

Music

TV & Radio

Local BBC SitesNews

Sport

Weather

Travel


North West Wales

South East Wales

South West Wales


Cymru

Canolbarth



College Fire 1885

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

"Much of the building was destroyed by the fire but thesouth wing and the Principal's house were saved by a

change in the direction of the wind." Rachel Dean

BBC Local

Mid Wales

Things to do

People & Places

Nature & Outdoors

History

Religion & Ethics

Arts & Culture

Music

TV & Radio

Local BBC SitesNews

Sport

Weather

Travel


North West Wales

South East Wales

South West Wales


Cymru

Canolbarth



The Old College building after the fire

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

"The college building suffered extensive smoke damage fromthe fire, many of the local volunteers were injured and three

local men sadly died in the blaze." Rachel Dean

BBC Local

Mid Wales

Things to do

People & Places

Nature & Outdoors

History

Religion & Ethics

Arts & Culture

Music

TV & Radio

Local BBC SitesNews

Sport

Weather

Travel


North West Wales

South East Wales

South West Wales


Cymru

Canolbarth



Old College Corridor, 1889-1890

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

"From 1889-1890, the college underwent major buildingwork. An ornamental inner roof was constructed in the

college's main corridor with money donated by W.T. Jonesfrom Melbourne Australia."

Rachel Dean

BBC Local

Mid Wales

Things to do

People & Places

Nature & Outdoors

History

Religion & Ethics

Arts & Culture

Music

TV & Radio

Local BBC SitesNews

Sport

Weather

Travel


North West Wales

South East Wales

South West Wales


Cymru

Canolbarth



The 'Quad'

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

"The main foyer in the Old Colleg became known as 'TheQuad'. Male and female students - who had separate

lectures and living spaces - were separated in the communalarea of the quad by a row of museum cases."

Rachel Dean

BBC Local

Mid Wales

Things to do

People & Places

Nature & Outdoors

History

Religion & Ethics

Arts & Culture

Music

TV & Radio

Local BBC SitesNews

Sport

Weather

Travel


North West Wales

South East Wales

South West Wales


Cymru

Canolbarth



HRH The Prince Of Wales becomes University Chancellor

1896

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

"On the 28th June 1896, the Prince of Wales arrived inAberystwyth by Royal train to receive the title of Chancellorof the University. The ceremony was carried out outside thetown hall, where a colourfully decorated pavilion had been

erected especially for the occasion.

The Prince - dressed in a black satin robe, which had goldembroidery and the Welsh dragon on it - received the keyof the University, the seal and the charter of statues fromthe Senior Deputy Chancellor, Isambard Owen. The Princethen addressed the crowd in Welsh before participating in

the day's ceremony and celebrations." Rachel Dean

BBC Local

Mid Wales

Things to do

People & Places

Nature & Outdoors

History

Religion & Ethics

Arts & Culture

Music

TV & Radio

Local BBC SitesNews

Sport

Weather

Travel


North West Wales

South East Wales

South West Wales


Cymru

Canolbarth



The Old College library decorated for a soireé

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

"As the University began to flourish, so too did itsprogramme of social activities and societies for students.Concerts, fancy dress parties, balls and soirees were all

organised. Soirees included recitations, the performing ofplays and the singing of solos or duets, these events could

last up to six hours!" Rachel Dean

BBC Local

Mid Wales

Things to do

People & Places

Nature & Outdoors

History

Religion & Ethics

Arts & Culture

Music

TV & Radio

Local BBC SitesNews

Sport

Weather

Travel


North West Wales

South East Wales

South West Wales


Cymru

Canolbarth



The Christian Union during the 1880s

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

"Clubs also began to spring up within the Universitydepartments. Societies established included the Music

Society, Drama Society, Debating Society, Celtic Society andThe Christian Union.

Today, the University has an eclectic mix of societies,ranging from the Darts Society to Juggling and Circus Skills

as well as various sports and other societies." Rachel Dean

BBC Local

Mid Wales

Things to do

People & Places

Nature & Outdoors

History

Religion & Ethics

Arts & Culture

Music

TV & Radio

Local BBC SitesNews

Sport

Weather

Travel


North West Wales

South East Wales

South West Wales


Cymru

Canolbarth



The Old College library

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

"In 1873, just a year after the university had opened, a newcampaign began for the establishment of a National Welsh

Library in Aberystwyth. Large numbers of books wereaccumulated; many were also pledged to the University.However, an appropriate building needed to be found to

house these books. This came with the original purchase ofland on Penglais hill with views overlooking the sea. The

National Library Of Wales serves as a useful research toolfor locals and students alike."

Rachel Dean

BBC Local

Mid Wales

Things to do

People & Places

Nature & Outdoors

History

Religion & Ethics

Arts & Culture

Music

TV & Radio

Local BBC SitesNews

Sport

Weather

Travel


North West Wales

South East Wales

South West Wales


Cymru

Canolbarth



The women's rowing team

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

"With the fresh sea air as a bonus, the Universityencouraged sport and physical exercise to introduce their

students to a healthy standard of living. Teams wereestablished in all areas of sport and would compete with the

teams from the other Welsh Universities. Women alsoenjoyed participating in sport, particularly rowing and

hockey. However, the restrictions on women's dress at thetime often meant that they looked ridiculously over dressed

for their sport and the clothes often hindered theirparticipation."

Rachel Dean

BBC Local

Mid Wales

Things to do

People & Places

Nature & Outdoors

History

Religion & Ethics

Arts & Culture

Music

TV & Radio

Local BBC SitesNews

Sport

Weather

Travel


North West Wales

South East Wales

South West Wales


Cymru

Canolbarth



Building work on the Penglais campus during the 1960s

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

"The ever expanding University rapidly began to outgrow itsseafront site and more room was needed to accommodate

the large number of students enrolling each year. ThePenglais site, part of which had been purchased during the19th century, was allocated as the new University campus.

D. Alban Davies, a milk merchant from London donatedland to the university, as did Joseph Davies Bryan, a former

student of the University." Rachel Dean

BBC Local

Mid Wales

Things to do

People & Places

Nature & Outdoors

History

Religion & Ethics

Arts & Culture

Music

TV & Radio

Local BBC SitesNews

Sport

Weather

Travel


North West Wales

South East Wales

South West Wales


Cymru

Canolbarth



Building work on the Penglais campus during the 1960s

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

"Architects Percy Thomas & Son were enlisted to prepare anextensive and detailed survey of the land and to draw upbuilding plans for the new campus. These plans were laid

out but building work was delayed as a result of the SecondWorld War and subsequently did not begin to take place

until the 1960s.

The new Penglais site housed various buildings including,the Biology, Physical Sciences, Cwrt Mawr Hall of Residence

and an Arts Block, with these departments: EuropeanLanguages, English Literature, History and Welsh Historyand Law. This building was aptly named after Sir Hugh

Owen, one of the founders of the University.

In 2006, building work was still taking place on the PenglaisCampus with a new International Politics building."

Rachel Dean


BBC Local

Mid Wales

Things to do

People & Places

Nature & Outdoors

History

Religion & Ethics

Arts & Culture

Music

TV & Radio

Local BBC SitesNews

Sport

Weather

Travel


North West Wales

South East Wales

South West Wales


Cymru

Canolbarth



The Bell Tower

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

"The bell tower on the University Campus is certainly alandmark, the closer it looks the less distance you have to

walk up the hill! David Henderson from the EstatesDepartment of The University Of Wales Aberystwyth, gaveme the following information on the bell tower which forms

part of the Aberystwyth Arts Centre complex on the Penglaissite.

"The tower was designed by Sir Percy Thomas and Sons,Architects, of Cardiff and built in 1970. It was designed toserve two purposes. Firstly, as a boiler flue chimney stackfor the boilers located in the Students Union boiler house,

which provide heating for the Students Union, the ArtsCentre and the Hugh Owen Building and secondly, as a belltower. Until recent times, the bell was rung on GraduationDays tosignal the end of each Graduation Ceremony. For

technical reasons this has not happened recently."

This slideshow was compiled by Rachel Dean in March2006 when she was a second year History & Drama

student at UWA.






goodes01

Typewritten Text

Archive Terms of Use This document is made available for archival or reference purposes and should only be used for private (non-commercial) purposes. These pages may contain materials or content which do not belong to the BBC and in particular materials or content which belong to members of the public whose identities may or may not be known. Whilst the BBC had the necessary rights, permissions and clearances to include and publish them as part of the former 'Where I Live' BBC website, the BBC may not have the right to allow users to use, copy or exploit them or to distribute them to others. No such usage is permitted and the BBC cannot process requests for permission to do so. For more information about deleted or discontinued web pages on the BBC, go to: http://www.bbc.co.uk/help/web/mothballing/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/help/web/mothballing/

BBC Homepage Wales Home UWA Old Photosdownloads.bbc.co.uk/wales/archive/bbc-mid-wales... ·...

Documents

Transcript of BBC Homepage Wales Home UWA Old Photosdownloads.bbc.co.uk/wales/archive/bbc-mid-wales... ·...