Old College, Aberystwyth: The Evolution of a High Victorian Building

Old College, Aberystwyth, is one of Britain's most significant nineteenth century buildings, its development reflecting the evolution of architectural styles from the Picturesque Gothic of the 1790s to the Queen Anne Revival of the 1890s. The present building has its origins in Castle House, John Nash's first excursion into Gothic, designed to the specifications of Sir Uvadale Price, the leader of the late-18th-century Picturesque movement. In the 1860s, wings were added to the north and south of the house, with the intention of creating one of the most opulent hotels of the Railway Age. The bankruptcy of Thomas Savin, the Hotel's owner, in 1866 resulted in the Hotel being abandoned. The uncompleted building was then bought by the founders of the University College of Wales, and John Pollard Seddon was invited to adapt it for its new purposes.