New Life for Old College

The Old College is a grade 1 listed architectural landmark on the Aberystwyth seafront and the home of Wales' first University College.

The 'New Life for the Old College' project is transforming this iconic building into a hub for culture, heritage and enterprise, and a catalyst for social change. 

Construction works are now underway to restore Old College to its former glory and revive it to benefit the whole community: students and staff, alumni and local residents, young people and families, and visitors from all over the world. We are expecting 200,000 visitors a year, and thousands more through digital engagement.

The support for the Old College project has been incredible. We are immensely proud of what has been achieved so far thanks to the generosity of our community of alumni and friends. But with rising costs and the ongoing impact of inflation, there is still a way to go before we can bring this magnificent building back to life. 

As part of the development of activities for the Old College project, we have commissioned branding company Elfen to look at the values our project represents as well as ideas for the name and brand. Elfen have held introductory workshops with staff and would now like to invite you to contribute to the next stage of this work by completing the questionnaire below and, if you are able to do so, by donating today. Thank you.

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SECTION 1
The development

As you can see from the plan below, the project involves three buildings: the Old College building itself, the two Georgian Villas and The Cambria, which used to be the Theological College. This adds up to over 100 rooms across 7 floors and, once complete, will include a wide range of facilities and activities for people to enjoy. 

A glorious focal point will the Library, restored and open to the public, and several galleries showcasing touring exhibitions as well as the university’s art and science collections. One gallery will tell the story of the University against the backdrop of education in Wales. We’re also planning a Science Centre with cinema, a dedicated youth zone run by young people and spaces dedicated to students, a Law room with a mock court and enterprise units. 

The building will host a restaurant and cafes, conference facilities and over 50 hotel bedrooms. It is estimated that the project will create 60 new jobs on site and a further 70 in other local businesses, and hundreds of training and volunteering opportunities. 

Enterprise and creativity are at the heart of the Old College, with spaces for artists and makers to develop their work and a creative enterprise hub for students, staff and local communities to support them in taking their ideas from concept to market.

The Old College project is supported by the generosity of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Welsh Government and the European Regional Development Fund, the Coastal Communities Fund, the National Lottery Community Fund, donations from our alumni and friends and from charitable trusts and foundations, whose contributions, both large and small, will be celebrated in Old College. 

The Plan
SECTION 2
About you
Your connection to the Old College
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About you
Location
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About you
Age
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SECTION 3
Help us to shape the identity of Old College 

Add your feedback and comments to those collected regarding the values of the Old College project and help us to inspire ideas for a name for the development as a whole, or specific areas within the centre. This is your chance to add your views and ideas.

What will the centre do?

During the workshop we asked the question “What will the centre do?” The participants considered the day to day activities as well as the wider-reaching effect on visitors and the local community. The responses are listed below:

Welcoming, Collaboration, Communicate our heritage, Spend, Opportunity, Visit and re-visit, Unique, Proud welsh image, Start up - set up - scale up, Entertain, Attraction, Connect people, Hospitality, Events, Prestige, Bilingual landmark, Civic, Stay, Belonging, Learn, Instruct and inspire, Drink, Defines Aberystwyth, Bridging the past and the future, 360o Experience, Heritage, Experience, New skills, Fun, Town and gown, Broadening horizons, Inspire, Sing - Play - Listen, Bridges old and new, Cultural, Creativity, Informs, Pride, Start-up, Sunset, Hiraeth, Unique but accessible, Confident, Social mobility, Broadens horizons, Develop, Immersive culture, Inclusive, Empowering, Public convenience, Memorable, Educate, New experience, Eat, National heritage, Citizen science, Employ / create jobs, Bring people to Aberystwyth, Magical, Celebrate, Croeso, Experience culture, Discover, Tourist attraction, Eat, sleep, celebrate, Quality, Unique.

If you have any comments or anything to add to this list, please do so below:

Brand Values

We asked the participants to discuss and agree on eight brand values that represented the new development.

They were:

Welcoming

Distinctive

Pioneering

Inspiring

Learn

Global

Open

Fun

If you could add one value to the list, what would it be?

We would like you to consider the importance of each value in the context of the visual brand and to score them on a scale of 1 to 10. Add your scores below:

Brand values and the visual brand
Welcoming
Distinctive

Pioneering

Inspiring

Learn

Global

Open

Fun

Vocabulary

We asked the participants to generate words associated with the site (current and future). These were to be in three categories, “Descriptive”, “Historical” and “Location”.

The answers from the workshop and from additional research are listed below:

Descriptive

Gothic, Stunning, Grand, Centre, Wow, Engage, Unbelievable, Historic, Awesome, Cultural, Atmospheric, Imposing, Museum, Esoteric, Brave, Luxury, Educational, Nostalgic, Vibrant, Memorable, Enrich, The College, College, Colaber, Haber, Hub, Hubaber, Exchange, The Landing, Expanse, Open, Opportunity, Sanctuary, Period, Investigate, Brine (sea water), The Front, Front, Progressive, Street, The Block, The Estate, Collection, Link, Chain, Aberaber, Aber Aber, Change, Anchor.

If you have any comments or anything to add to this list, please do so below:

Historical

1867 (bought), 1872 (opened), Fire, Meson, Castle House, T.C.E., Joseph Parry, Iris De Freitas, Darlith, Pebble, Seaside, Padarn, Ceredigion, Seddon, Firsts, Hugh Owen, Next, Ist Welsh Institution, Cambria Hotel, Railway Hotel, Royal, Debate, West Coast, Beach, Middle, Giants, Savin, Snape, Rudler, Exchange, Tower, College, Principled, Chateau, Promenade, Making Waves, Supple, Starling, Branwen, Mosaic, Graffiti on Tower, Archemedes, Non-conformist, Quad, Flags, Our World, Rheidol (river), Stone, Circular, 1860, Door, Dôr (latin)?, Georgian

If you have any comments or anything to add to this list, please do so below:

Location

Sunset, Horizon, Ceredigion Bay, Sun - sand - scenery, Prom, Countryside, Coast, Climate, Home of Higher Education in Wales, Panoramic, Sea, Numerations, Dramatic, Wind, Choir, Circle, Round, Starlings, Cambrian Coast, Kick the bar, End of the line or start of the line, A world of information, Picturesque, Coastal, Light from darkness, Knowledge from Ignorance, Sea front, Wave, Waves, Aber, Unaber, Storm, Horizon, Sand, Shell, Rock, Row, The Row, Caber, Place, Centre, The Centre.

If you have any comments or anything to add to this list, please do so below:

If the new development was to have a new name do you have any thought and ideas about the main development name and/or the individual buildings?
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