Four Things
7 November 2025
Despite the weather, work on the roof work goes on.
Next up are the oval roof and turrets of the former billiard room, male student common room, and more recently, the University’s Council chamber.
Soon to become the new Centre for Dialogue, early images show the original oval roof featured what appears to be a glass skylight or lantern.
Gutted in the fire of 1885 and rebuilt without the skylight, the roof has recently been stripped and new felt and batons fitted.
Repairs are also underway to the turrets’ wooden frames and it’s good to see that many of the original timbers are in a good condition.
In keeping with the Old College’s Grade 1 listed status, the main oval will be re-slated with heather blue slates from the Penrhyn Quarry in Gwynedd that would have supplied the original slates.
The green slates on the turrets, probably from Dyffryn Nantlle, are no longer available.
As with the slates on the South Seddon turrets, matching green slates from Vermont, New England in the US will be used.
The intricacy of the scaffolding, which makes all this work possible, is apparent once more.
31 October 2025
We’re inside and out this week.
With the new roof in place over the Quad, work is progressing on the restoration of the old glass roof.
The polycarbonate roof, probably installed in the 1980s or 1990s, has been removed to reveal the original glass which has certainly seen breakages over the years.
The remnants of the pulley system to open the ceiling for ventilation in the Quad on hot sunny days can still be seen, though the ropes are long gone. The original vents also remain in place and will be restored.
Looking along the roof, the dark timbers date back to 1889/90 when the ‘college corridor’ was enclosed for the first time. The white painted timber above is the frame for the polycarbonate roof. Separating the two will be quite a task.
And at both ends, work has begun on the new walkways that will provide a view from above of the Quad’s stained-glass ceiling.
Back outside, and the scaffolding has been coming down on South Seddon and the Georgian villas.
And finally, the starlings are back and making the most of our crane and scaffolding!
24 October 2025
Open that door!
Last week the University celebrated Founders Day and the opening of its doors for the first time.
It’s apt therefore that we feature a doorway this week.
The removal of the many partitions and corridors added to the Old College during the second half of the 20th century revealed architectural features from an earlier era.
On the ground floor, along the corridor that leads to the southern-most point of the building, an old doorway was found.
Similar doorways in this section feature striking stained-glass windows.
In his workshop in the Seddon Room, heritage carpenter Gary Davies has created a frame for the ‘new’ doorway which is based on the others.
It is the latest addition in the redevelopment of South Seddon as an area dedicated to student study, enterprise and innovation.
We’ll return to the stained-glass theme at a later date, but for now it’s pleasing to see work on this section of Old College nearing completion.
10 October 2025
It’s the art of scaffolding this week and another look at the work of colleagues from Rowecord Total Access Ltd.
The team is led by Rob Jenkins, a scaffolder with over 30 years’ experience in the trade.
Rob has worked on buildings of all shapes and sizes, from houses to oil refineries and heritage projects such as the Newport Transporter Bridge.
Working with Rob are (left to right) Craig Locke, Richard Newton, Matthew Davies, John Donne and Richard Cope.
One of the main challenges for the team has been assembling the scaffolding whilst protecting the decorative stonework of Old College.
Remarkably this means the scaffolding barely touches the outside of the building at all.
As the work has progressed, they have continuously adapted the structure to allow the 70,000 slates on the many roofs to be replaced and the 873 wooden and metal windows to be refurbished or replaced.
There is also the stonework and the gargoyles and grotesques that adorn the building, the repointing of the stone façade, the renovation of its 17 chimneys, the new roof over the Quad and the new seven storey atrium.
All possible thanks to Rob and his dedicated team of scaffolders.
To read more about the work of the Old College scaffolding team follow the link below: https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/oldcollege/news/news-article/title-284468-en.html
3 October 2025
We’re up on the scaffolding again this week, looking at the windows of the Old College library.
Constructed after the great fire of 1885, the library with its vaulted ceiling is most impressive.
High up and looking out over the bay are a series of stained glass windows.
On the outside, work has started to remove the protective secondary glazing and fit polycarbonate sheets to provide temporary protection.
It will then be possible to extract each stained glass window in one piece before they are packed for restoration.
The stone mullions that surround the windows reveal how the building has moved, up to 5 centimetres in places.
This was countered by fitting an oak beam and steel rods inserted through the window frames.
Over time, the beam has rotted away and the rods have corroded, damaging the windows.
With the beam removed, stainless steel rods will be inserted in the stonework to stabilise the building before the windows are fitted once more.
Finally, the view over the ‘tower’ envisaged by the architect J P Seddon but never completed.
26 September 2025
It’s a bit cooler up on the roof these days with autumn rolling in.
High above King Street the seven gable dormers on North Seddon are being renovated by colleagues from Stoneguard Northern.
Crowning each one is a three-leafed pinnacle.
All seven have long succumbed to the effects of the wind, rain and sea salt, and are being replaced.
However, not all the old stone is discarded. Some of the original pinnacles are recut so the stone can be used once more.
The effect of the wind up here is not what one might have expected.
A look at other stones on these gable dormers shows how those facing away from the predominantly south-westerly winds have often suffered more as the wind twists and turns its way over and around the complex roofline of Old College.
Finally, even the steel reinforcements embedded in the original stonework had perished.
Over time, the new stone will weather to match the old, preserving the aesthetics of this fascinating Grade 1 listed building.
19 September 2025
We’re back in the Georgian villas this week.
Master plasterer Gary Jones has been painstakingly restoring the rose on the ceiling of the staircase in villa 2.
Since we last posted about the villas, it appears that they may have been constructed earlier than 1811, as we have mentioned previously.
In his book ‘Born on a Perilous Rock – Aberystwyth past and present’, published by the Cambrian News in 1980, W J Lewis refers to “two large houses called ‘Mount Pleasant’ which housed visitors” on the site in 1807.
Well over 200 years later, Gary from G.J.Plastermouldings and the team from Lime Plastering Wales are restoring the intricate plaster work using time-honoured techniques.
After removing and cleaning what was left of the original rose, moulds were made of what was salvaged to create new features that are identical to the originals.
Their only concession to modern techniques is the way the moulds are made. Where wax or gelatine would have been used in years gone by, silicone is used today.
And so, a new old rose is born.
12 September 2025
As the scaffolding is lowered around South Seddon, some of the finished work is being revealed.
First is the new flat roof which has been crafted by the team from Anglesey-based Greenough & Sons Roofing Contractors.
As we have mentioned in earlier posts, this roof was reinstated when this part of the Old College was redeveloped as a science block in 1886/7.
The next feature to appear will be the mosaic installed in 1887.
Commissioned and paid for personally by architect J P Seddon, the mosaic was designed by the artist Charles F. A. Voysey.
Made from recycled glass fused with sand and pigment, it was manufactured by the Jesse Rust Mosaic Company from Battersea.
Believed to represent the Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer and astronomer Archimedes, the work wasn’t without controversy.
The original version featured symbols of sacerdotalism including a papal tiara, which were later removed.
And in 1897, the College’s Building Committee decided to remove the whole mosaic, but the cost was prohibitive.
5 September 2025
We’re on strike duty.
This week was our final opportunity to climb up to the South Seddon turrets and marvel at the craftsmanship before the scaffolding is lowered.
“Striking”, the process of dismantling scaffolding, is underway and will continue over the coming weeks after the finishing touches to the South Seddon flat roof have been completed.
It’s worth taking a moment to consider the sheer scale of the scaffolding on the Old College.
The project’s scaffolders, Rowecord Total Access, have delivered over 400 tonnes of steel tubing onto the site.
Laid end to end, that is 93 kilometres of tubing and enough to reach from Aberystwyth to the head office of our principal contractor Andrew Scott in Swansea.
There are also 17,600 boards and 138,000 scaffolding fittings.
That is one mighty Meccano set!
It is also a far cry from what was used in the mid-1860s when the Castle Hotel was being built by Thomas Savin.
29 August 2025
Take a closer look…
Can you see a curlew…and a frog? Or is it a toad?
And there are more…
We’ve been cleaning some of the exterior walls of the Old College this week.
The great curved front of the Seddon Room is described as “one of the most original designs in Victorian architecture” and a “a piece of sculpture” by J Roger Webster in his book Old College Aberystwyth, The evolution of a High Victorian Building.
But take a closer look at some of the finer details and you will find wonderfully intricate stonework on the pillars and arches that frame the windows of what was once the University’s museum.
Battered by the weather for 160 years, they are overdue a clean.
Paul Marron from Stoneguard Northern has over 40 years’ experience of cleaning historic buildings across the UK.
Paul is using TORC, a cleaning process developed for historical buildings, and DOFF which uses super-heated water at 140ºC to remove layers of dirt whilst protecting the fabric of the building.
They are also removing a coating of ‘slurry’ which has been added to the stonework and which includes iron oxide, causing it to become dark brown in some places.
22 August 2025
We’ve been raising the roof!
Panel by panel, the new glass roof over the Quad has been installed thanks to colleagues from Whitesales and Davies Crane Hire.
Despite some blustery conditions, 34 panes of glass have been carefully lifted over North Seddon from the promenade side and lowered into position since Monday.
It took just a few minutes for each pane to be lifted into place thanks to the skill and great teamwork of Randeep Sidhu and Dan Bradley from Whitesales and Dan Roberts from Davies Crane Hire (pictured).
A shoutout also to crane operator James Williams from Davies Crane Hire for his precision as the glass was lowered into place.
This paves the way for the next phase of the work that will see the removal of the old polycarbonate roof that protected the Quad’s stained-glass barrel-vaulted ceiling from the elements.
Each step takes us closer to letting the sun back into the Quad.
15 August 2025
Our second update for this week (there’s a lot going on) and we’re all set for the glass to arrive for the new Quad roof.
Described as “a place to see and be seen”, the Quad “made every bit as important a contribution to the education of Aberystwyth students as any lecture-room or laboratory” according to historian Dr E L Ellis.
Previously known as the “College corridor”, the original roof was added in 1889-1890 thanks to generosity of Aberystwyth born financier W T Jones.
The new roof will sit above the Quad’s stained-glass barrel-vaulted ceiling and the original glass roof which was later covered by polycarbonate sheets.
Measuring 25 meters in length and six metres across, it will feature 34 double glazed glass panels set in an anodised aluminium frame.
When the work is finished, visitors will be able to enjoy dramatic views of the Quad’s vaulted ceiling from above.
12 August 2025
The ‘flat roof’ on South Seddon.
When walking along the promenade, it isn’t obvious that there’s a ‘flat roof’ on this section of Old College.
Originally installed during the building of the Castle Hotel, it was removed when the architect J P Seddon was instructed to create a ‘vast apartment’ for student study and recreation.
Later, when the University commissioned a new science block on the site, Seddon reinstated a flat roof.
Over the past few weeks colleagues from Greenough & Sons Roofing Contractors have been stripping away the old roof which had been covered with asphalt.
Removing the old and installing the new has required careful choreography.
The roofers and colleagues from Rowecord Total Access have been working around each other as the scaffolding is continually adapted to allow the new roof to be installed.
Each panel is individually cut and beaten into shape before being placed on the new timber framework.
Pictured is Dale Canning fitting a newly cut panel in place.
And, in the event of a lightning strike, a new lightning conductor will run from the tip of the South Seddon turrets and along the length of the new roof. It will be held in place by a series of ‘straps’ that are being soldered into place.
8 August 2025
We’re up in the Council Chamber this week.
Originally designed by the architect J P Seddon as a billiard room, this large oval space could accommodate three full-size tables, players and spectators.
It would later become a student common room.
With the gradual move of the University onto the Penglais campus during the 1960s and 1970s, it was adapted for use by the University Council.
As noted by J Roger Webster in his book Old College Aberystwyth – The evolution of a High Victorian building, this was ‘at the expense of many of its original features’.
The space is now being transformed into a ‘prestigious and unique’ home for the University’s Centre for Dialogue.
As part this process the plaster work on its columns has been meticulously restored by the Stoneguard Northern team.
25 July 2025
We’ve reached the highest point!
Preparations are underway for the renovation of the Old College tower and the contrast with the scaffolding used back in the 1860s is clear.
Thankfully, the team from Rowecord Total Access have built a canopy to protect the tower and those working on it from the weather.
In the meantime, the new atrium is coming along nicely.
Last week the concrete for the third level above ground was poured and the pillars are already going in as we work our way up to the next level.
Including basement and ground levels, that’s five levels completed with two to go.
Making all this possible is a new crane provided by Carmarthen based Davies Crane Hire.
Featuring two passenger lifts, the new atrium will provide easy access to all levels of Old College and the Cambria.
18 July 2025
A look at the chimneys of Old College this week. There are 17 stacks, some with as many as 12 flues.
Built from sandstone and limestone, they bear the scars of the harsh marine environment.
Over 160 years salt has penetrated the porous stone, crystalising, expanding and gradually eating away at their fabric.
High above King Street three chimneys stand four metres tall, having survived the great fire of 1885.
Weighing in at over 10 tonnes, each one is being dismantled and rebuilt.
Where possible the original stones have been retained, with new stones used where degradation has been too great.
The work by Stoneguard Northern requires great skill as individual stones weigh up to 280 kilograms.
The days of open coal fires in Old College are long gone - it’s likely there would have been more than 140 back in the day!
Some of the newly renovated chimneys will provide natural passive ventilation, whilst others will vent for their long-term protection.
4 July 2025
We’re painting the Georgian villas this week.
Ben Sturgeon from Swansea Decorating Services is pictured working on Villa 1.
The paint being used is mineral based, enabling the building to ‘breathe’ whilst protecting it from the harsh marine climate of the promenade.
Built in 1811 and originally known as Mount Pleasant, the Georgian villas became part of the University estate in the early 1920s. However, Villa 1, the closest to Old College, had been leased by the University since 1901 as a hall of residence.
According to Old College project conservation architect Matthew Dyer the original buildings would have been simpler, with square openings for the windows and slate sills.
Changes made during the second half of the 19th century saw rendered mouldings added to the windows of Villa 1 and bay windows to Villa 2.
These changes, analyses of the layers of paint removed during restoration work and historic colourised photographs informed the decision to adopt the colour scheme at the point when the buildings were acquired by the University.
As seen in the drawing, these are classic earthy tones such as chocolate brown, soft taupes and cream.
The contrast between the two houses can be seen in the black and white image from the period.
29 June 2025
Some of the latest developments on site.
It’s been another hot week. As the tide was out, we thought you would appreciate the view from the beach next to the pier.
Opened in 1865, the pier was the first in Wales and was originally 242 metres long. A severe storm in February 1938 destroyed much of promenade and 61 metres of the pier was swept away by the sea.
Inside South Seddon, colleagues from Lime Plastering Wales are focusing on the ‘plinths’, or what many think of as ‘skirting boards’.
Rather than wood, these are made in situ out of lime plaster.
Where possible, the original plinths are retained, but inevitably some new sections are needed. Up to four layers of lime plaster are added, including a finishing coat.
Back above the Quad roof and the scaffolding is coming down as the timber frame is installed for the new glass roof.
And finally, onwards and upwards! The concrete for the second level of the new atrium was poured this week as we work our way up to the stunning new function room that will sit above the Georgian villas.
17 June 2025
Some of the latest developments on site.
Some stonework for you this week. Colleagues from Stoneguard Northern are working on the outside of main the tower. One of the stone masons, Ren, has been pointing the stonework with traditional sand and lime mortar.
There has also been some excellent work done on the window arches overlooking King Street.
Work on rebuilding one of the chimney stacks above King Street is also coming along.
Stoneguard Northern’s Lou Brandrett is pictured working on chimney 15 that stands nearly four metres high and weighs over 10 tonnes.
Some of the cut stones that make up these stacks can weigh over a quarter of a tonne.
Back on South Seddon and the scaffolding has been lowered in preparation for replacing the flat roof, now that work on the turrets has been finished.
Oh, and here are some seagulls that provide constant companionship for those working high above Old College.
12 June 2025
Meet the apprentices
The Old College is providing a rich learning environment for a new generation of construction professionals.
Ellis Evans, 22, is a Civil Engineering Technical Apprentice and studying for a Higher National Certificate qualification at Afan College, Port Talbot, part of the NPCT group.
Tomi Williams, 19, Quantity Surveyor Technical Apprentice, joined the project through the Cyfle Building Skills Shared Apprentice Scheme and is studying for a BTEC Level 3 in Construction at Neath College.
Window restorer Kitty Gooch, 27, had no previous experience of working on a construction site, but the Old College project has given her “an appetite for gaining a formal qualification in heritage work”.
Heritage Carpenter Richard Blinston, 35, qualified with an NVQ level 3 in Heritage Construction Skills in December 2024 after studying at the Tywi Centre in Llandeilo.
Apprentice slater Mark Knight, 19, joined the project in December 2023 and attends the Simian Roof Training Centre in Warrington and is the 2025 Simian Pitch Roofing Apprentice of the Year.
Daniel Knight, 18, became an apprentice slater in 2023. He also attends the Simian Roof Training Centre in Warrington and was runner up in the 2025 Simian Pitch Roofing Apprentice of the Year.
To read more, click on the link below: Apprentices learn their craft in the Old College
6 June 2025
Old College – some of the latest developments on site.
This week we’re painting! The first coat has been going onto the walls of South Seddon where the new Business Enterprise Hub will be based.
The lime and clay paint will allow the newly lime-plastered walls to breathe.
In the meantime, plastering continues on the ground floor of South Seddon. Gary Smith from Lime Plaster Wales has been preparing the walls for the final coat.
Lime plaster needs to dry out gradually and a fine water spray is applied at regular intervals as part of this process.
Back on the roof and there has been progress on the top of the Professors’ Lift with new stone and lime mortar pointing in place.
And finally, work on the new atrium is coming along nicely. We’re now up to the first floor, which happens to be the second level above ground.
Just to confuse matters, the floor levels in the atrium reflect those in the Old College where the first level on the King Street side is the mezzanine, and the second is actually the first floor.
1 June 2025
Old College – some of the latest developments on site.
The scaffolding on Old College offers stunning views of Aberystwyth, in this case Laura Place, the old Students’ Union, with Pen Dinas in the distance.
And the complexity of the scaffolding is something to behold. This small section is on the King Street side of the Ferguson building, the science block built in the 1890s.
Once completed, the Ferguson building will become home to World of Knowledge, featuring study spaces, a centre for science, an exhibition of the history of Aberystwyth University and a youth space.
Back in the Georgian villas, and the old slate fireplace surrounds are going back in after work to remove the layers of paint added over the decades.
And deep underground, in the basement, with the new Quad floor in place, some of the key services are being installed.
23 May 2025
Old College – some of the latest developments on site.
The big reveal! Scaffolding on the newly completed South Seddon turrets is coming down and revealing the fine slating and lead work by Greenough & Sons Roofing Contractors Ltd.
The Old College Library will provide a dramatic new venue for concerts, weddings and events, and scaffolding is now in place for work on the stained-glass windows.
Dating from 1811, the Georgian villas became part of the University in the 1920s and were home to the medical centre for many years. They will become the main entrance to Old College from the promenade.
The bay windows have been renovated along with much of the plaster work, and one of the porches has a beautifully crafted new roof.
And finally, still in their wrapping, we’ve just taken delivery of new stone for rebuilding some of the Old College’s dramatic chimneys.
2 May 2025
Old College this week – some of the latest developments on site.
As the fine weather continues, the hoist is now in place in preparation for work to start on renovating the Old College tower.
Inside the tower, generations of students have written themselves into the history of this remarkable building.
And the view from above, looking down over South Seddon and the castle. Right of centre is the top of the Professors’ Lift, part of the new science block built by C J Ferguson in the 1890s.
Looking north and the slating work above the Quad is progressing well. The complex cantilever scaffolding over the original Quad roof is continuously being adapted as work progresses.
26 April 2025
Old College this week – some of the latest developments on site.
Excellent progress is being made on the new Creative Business Enterprise Hub in South Seddon with the brickwork being cleaned.
Back on the balcony above the main King Street entrance and the newly cut Cadeby limestone is now in place and looking great.
Traditional lath and plaster work is being renovated across the Old College. Pictured in the new art galleries, next to the Quad, sections of new laths ready for plastering.
Over in the Georgian villas, detailed work on the lime coving is progressing well. Gary Jones, who is working with Lime Plastering Wales, brings over 40 years’ experience to the Old College project.
And finally, we thought you would appreciate a nice image of the Old College site on a fine April day.
