History of Aberystwyth
1850-1900

Census

1020 houses in Aberystwyth.
213 ships registered in the harbour employing 900 seaman and boys.

Monument

A monument, in the shape of an upturned cannon, to the Duke of Wellington erected on Pendinas

April: University Campaign Starts

Meeting held in London between various eminent London Welshmen and dissenting Welsh ministers to debate how a non-sectarian national Welsh university could be formed. This is to eventually lead to the formation of Aberystwyth University in 1872.
(Given the rise of non-conformist religion in Wales it proved too difficult to base the proposed new national university around the Anglican St David's [theological] College in Lampeter - despite it already having a Royal Charter.) ^[9]

Town Hall #2 pulled down

The Town hall was pulled down and replaced by a Town Clock (at the top of Greatdarkgate street)

Town Hall #3

New Town Hall completed on the site of 'The Orangery' (formally the Talbot Hotel)

Town Clock

Clock

Town Clock was built for £1250 on the site of the old Town Hall. It was 63 feet high. ^[7]

Lifeboat

Aberystwyth has its first RNLI Lifeboat.^[7]

Census

Population 7,000

July Tracks

'Aberystwith and Welch Coast Railway Company' is incorporated to construct several railway lines into Aberystwyth

Final Track

Work begins on the stretch of railway between Machynlleth and Aberystwyth.

Railway

Railway opened allowing travel to Shrewsbury. This starts the decline of local trade based on shipping.
The London architect JP Seddon is summoned by the railway entrepreneur Thomas Savin (of Llwyn-y-Maen nr Oswestry) to Aberystwyth to design a luxury hotel (Castle Hotel) around an earlier small mansion (Castle House built by John Nash). ^[9]

Tracks and Trains

'Aberystwith and Welch Coast Railway Company' merges with the 'Cambrian Railway Company'

Pier

A new Pier is completed for the Aberystwyth Pier Promenade Company. It was designed by Eugenius Birch who designed many piers around Britain around this time. Storms shortened the Pier in 1866 and 1938.

Eisteddfod

National Eisteddfod at Aberystwyth

Hotel

Start of building work on a Neo-Gothic 'Castle Hotel' by the castle ruins. Building work was driven at a pace faster than architectural drawings could be made up. The building was made from a yellow sandstone not found in this area. ^[9]

Plans for 'Castle Hotel' incorporating the 1795 'Castle House' (shown in Blue)

Castle Hotel incorporating Castle House (The bit in the centre with the low domed roof)
This photo must have been taken some time between 1866 and the 1885 fire.

January: Pierless

Pier wrecked by storm

New Hotel

In anticipation of the new railway line the 'Queen's Hotel' built - with 104 rooms (83 bedrooms) it was the largest hotel on the promenade. (This building is now council offices)^[7]

Hotel for University

Following a stock market crash in 1866 liquidators offered the incomplete 'Castle Hotel' to the 'Welsh National University Committee' for £15,000 (building work had cost £80,000) Eventually they got the incomplete building for £10,000^[9]

Railway #2

Aberystwyth's 2nd railway line: from Carmarthen -via- Lampeter to Aberystwyth opened (Closed in 1964)

Town Hall #3

A Town Hall built on its current site

Town Hall #3, shown here in 1903, burnt down in 1957^[8]
_{Thanks to Will for allowing me to use the image}

North Prom

Promenade extended towards Constitution Hill

Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales^[22]

ABERYSTWITH

....The town is in the parish of Llanbadarn-Fawr; stands on both banks of the river Rheidol, ....

.... and on the Welsh coast railway system, 39 miles NE of Cardigan; and is a fashionable watering-place, a head-seaport, and a borough. The part of it on the right bank of the Rheidol sometimes bears the name of Aberrheidol; and the part on the left bank is called Trefechan. The Rheidol is crossed by a five-arched bridge, forms a sort of inner harbour, is joined there by the Ystwith, and then scours the outer harbour to the sea. ....

.... The streets are uneven and steep; but some are broad and well-edificed; and the Marine -terrace forms a fine crescent, with about 60 elegant dwellings. ....

.... The present church stands near the castle ruins; and is a plain, quasi-cruciform edifice, built in 1830, at a cost of nearly £4,000. There are chapels for Independents, Baptists, Calvinistic-Methodists, Wesleyans, and Roman Catholics. The court-house, built in 1860, is a handsome edifice with a tetrastyle Ionic portico. The assembly-rooms, built in 1820, have Grecian features, and contain a ball-room 45 feet by 20, card, billiard, and reading rooms. Other public buildings are the grammar school, the market houses, the infirmary, the poor-house, and the prison.

.... The port has jurisdiction northward to the Diswyning river, and southward to Llan-St. Fraid. The vessels registered at it in 1867 were 86 small ones of aggregately 2,984 tons, and 296 large ones of aggregately 37,995 tons. The vessels which entered from British colonies or foreign countries were 23, of aggregately 4,633 tons; and those which entered coastwise were 409 sailing vessels of 17,225 tons, and 71 steam vessels of 6,675 tons. The amount of customs, in that year, was £87. The exports include lead ore and other minerals, timber, bark, and corn; and the imports include all kinds of goods from Liverpool, Bristol, and London. The harbour was much obstructed by a bar, but has been greatly improved by artificial cuttings of the river, by a new pier 260 yards long, and by other works. The town has a head post office,and a station with telegraph, two banking offices, three hotels, markets on Monday and Saturday, and fairs on the Monday before 5 Jan., Palm-Monday, Whit Monday, and the Monday after 13 Nov. About two thousand temporary residents, and several thousands of casual visitors frequent the town as a watering-place in antumn. The bathing beaches are excellent; bathing machines are plentiful; hot saltwater baths are at hand: a chalybeate spring, of similar qualities to the water of Tunbridge, is on a neighbouring common; recreations in variety, are abundant; and the walks and drives in the vicinity are charming. Races are held on two days in September at Gogerddan, 3 miles distant. Cornelians, jaspers, agates, moccos, and other precious pebbles are often picked up by loungers on the beach. Public coaches used to run to distant towns, east, south, and north; railway trains have now superseded them; and steamers ply to Bristol and Liverpool.

Aberystwyth Prom from around 1870

October 16: University

University opened with 26 students and Thomas Charles Edwards as the 1st principal. For the 1st decade the university is maintained by voluntary contributions. On the day before there was a general holiday in Aberystwyth with the all the shops closed and much of the town festooned with decorations. ^[9]

On Wednesday, October 9, a University College was formally opened for the reception of students at Aberystwith, being the first "national and unsectarian" college established in the Principality. The object of tho institution si to provide for the sons of the middle classes in Wales a sound and high-class education at a moderate cost. The building about to bo used as the college was originally built for a hotel, and is known as the Castle. It is pleasantly situated at the extreme end of the parade, overlooking tho bountiful bay. Some idea may be, formed of its extent when we state, that it contains 150 bedrooms in addition to about 60 other rooms of various dimensions. It is altogether admirably adapted to tho purpose to which it is about to bo devoted. Tho cost of its erection was £80,000, and it has been purchased by the executive committee of tho college for £10,000. The institution is intended to bo a corporation of the status of the Queen's Colleges in Ireland, and University and King's Colleges in London, tho course of study being adapted for the different liberal professions, and embracing special preparation for commercial, scientific, and engineering pursuits, as well as for academic degrees. The Government is vested in a Senate, consisting of thirty governors, four of whom are elected by each of the great religious bodies of Wales Episcopalian, Calvinistic, Methodist, Congregational, Baptist, and Wesleyan, two of each being selected from North Wales, and two from South. In addition to these two are elected by Unitarians, two are nominated by the Lord President of the Privy Council, two by tho President of the College, two by the Welsh residents in London, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, and Bristol; and two by "those distinguished Alumni who shall be called, Associates of tho College." The election of principal and professors is vested in the Senate. All other colleges and schools in Wales within convenient distances, and whose course of study shall be so framed as to come up to the recognised standard, are to bo entitled to tho privilege of "affiliation" with the University. The first President is the Rev. Thomas Charles Edwards, M.A., for upwards of five years the much-esteemed pastor off the Anglo-Welsh Calvanistic Chapel, Windsor street, Liverpool. The first session commenced yesterday, when ten exhibitions of £20 each were offered, and the examination of the candidates, for tho purpose of testing their relative merits, will bo continued to-day and to-morrow, About twenty offered themselves for these examinations, but it is expected that forty students will at once enter the college.

View of Aber' Prom from about 1872

Prom

Promenade in front of Marine Terrace completed - started in 1822^[19]

Queen's Hotel, Prom with Railings but no buildings on Victoria Terrace

View of Aber' from Consti' in 1874

Motto

University adopted the motto 'A world without knowledge is no world' ('Nid Byd, Byd Heb Wybodaeth').^[17]

Boathouse

A new boathouse was built for the RNLI Lifeboat on Queens Road.

Jenkinson's Smaller Practical Guide to North Wales

ABERYSTWITH

Aberystwyth is a fashionable sea-side resort, containing a population of 6664, and capable of accommodating 7000 visitors.

....Pure water us obtained from Llyn Llygad Rheidol, a like situated 17m distant on the Plinlimmon mountain.

....South of the parade a light iron pier extends into the sea for 300 feet. It is a favourite resort, and is enlivened during the summer by a band of music, and a promenade concert every evening. The charges for admission to the pier are 2d. in the morning and 6d. to the concert.

....The castle ground is a pleasant spot on which to loiter; the ruins are picturesque, and command a good view of the Crescent, .... ....Portions of the moat remain; heaps of debris are strewn in every direction, and part of two high, round towers, and other stripe of walls are standing.

....The castle was surrendered to the parliamentary forces in 1646, and was then dismantled.

Till the year 1861 Aberystwyth was in the parish of Llanbadarn Fawr, the church and village of which are situated on the N.E. side of the valley, 1¼m. from the town, but now it is a legally assigned parish.

The hill is named Pen Dinas ..... The column which stands on the hill, like a tall factory chimney, is in commemoration of the battle of Waterloo.

August 3: Tabernacle #4

To cope with the increasing Calvinistic Methodist congregation the rebuilt Tabernacle chapel is opened with a seating capacity of 1200. (A fire destroyed the building in 2008)

The 4th Tabernacle Chapel

Mines

Mines begin to close

Water

As the town grows the water supply from the dingle under constitution hill becomes inadequate and work begins on a new water reservoir at Plynlimon (Pumlumon Fawr)

Bath

The men's baths opened in Newfoundland Street which was then renamed 'Bath Street'. (Later converted to a cinema, known variously as the Imperial, Forum and Celtic. The Commodore replaced the building in 1975.)^[7]

Aberystwyth College c1880

Marine Terrace in 1880

Water

Plynlimon (Pumlumon Fawr) water now supplies town.

Walls

Part of the old town walls still visible on the shore

Guide

Black's Guide To England and Wales

“ It was once fortified with walls, a portion of which still remains on the shore
The town contains two churches and several meeting houses, assembly rooms, a chalybeate spring, a library, baths, a theatre, &c. Aberystwith has considerable coasting trade in corn, lead, oak, bark and butter. It is much frequented for sea-bathing. There are several lead miones in this neighbourhood, so rich in silver that the district is called by the Welch Potosi ”

Girls

University now has 132 students, which includes full time female students for the 1st time.

Camera Obscura (in the castle grounds where the war memorial now stands) and the pier end.
Photo from around 1884

July 9: Fire

Fire this morning destroyed the northern wing, the library, the laboratory and the museum of the University College of Wales, in Aberystwith. The college building was originally intended for a hotel, and after £80,000 was spent on it it was bought by the University Committee for £10,000. The damage is £40,000. During the fire a floor fell with seven men on it. Five of them were rescued, fearfully burned, one of them fatally, and two perished. The contents of the library and museum were saved.

Part of the Queen's Hotel is used to hold lectures until the old College is re-built

Halls

Abergeldie becomes the universities 1st hall of residence for women^[17]

Church

Architectural plans of Holy Trinity Church (1886)

Official Chaperon

On the appointment of Miss AE Carpenter as the 'Lady Principal' of the university women's halls of residence:

“ the influence [as chaperon] of our Lady Principal will be of more value to her students than even the professors' lectures ”

October 15/16: Flooding

Daily rain at Aberystwyth of 3.83 in^[web] Great Flood - Trefechan bridge (designed by John Nash and opened in 1800) was destroyed and North Parade under 6 feet of water. (The present bridge was completed two years later.) ^[7]

January 5: Storm

CARDIGAN BAY IN THE STORM

From Galignani's Messenger of Paris

The towns and villages on Cardigan Bay have suffered severely from the late storm. The scene at Aberystwith is described as one of remarkable grandeur. The sea came in over the beach, dashed furiously against the walls in Victoria Terrace, and sent the spray flying right over the houses. The work of destruction then began in earnest. Abergeldie and Balmoral houses, which are semi-detached and situated at the very end of the parade, suffered the most. Nearly all the front windows were completely smashed; the basement windows and doors were firmly secured, and even barricaded, but the sea dashed them all to matchwood. In front of these houses was n ornamental solid brick wall two or three feet high. The sea attacked the wall, demolishing it, and then hurled the heavy stones through the windows into the houses.

Police

'House of Correction' at the bottom of Great Darkgate Street turned into Police Station (demolished in 1977)^[18]

Hospital

Aberystwyth Infirmary and Cardiganshire General Hospital opened.^[7] (North Road Hospital and now Flats)

Chruch

Architectural plans of Holy Trinity Church (1887-1889)

Charter

Aberystwyth University incorporated by Royal Charter, previously Aberystwyth candidates had to apply to the University of London for examination

Quad Topped

Roof built over old college quad^[9]

September 30: St Mike's #3

Consecration of St Mikes #3
Architectural plans of St. Michael & All Angels (1890)
Between 1791 and 1890 over 4000 bodies had been buried in the burial ground around St Mike's

Bright

Electric light introduced in Aberystwyth.^[7]

Baths

Built in 1810 the bath house on the prom demolished

November 30th - Federation

The university colleges at Aberystwyth, Bangor and Cardiff were formed into a federation called The University of Wales. The new university was given a Royal Charter which allowed it to grant its own degrees. Although Lampeter had already been grated it's charter in 1822, its request to join the federation was turned down by the 3 colleges. (Aberystwyth seceded from the University of Wales and became an independent university on the 1st of September 2007)

View of Aber' from Consti' in 1893

Bright

Gas lighting gives way to electric street lighting in Aberystwyth

Church

St Michael's #2 Church demolished. ^[7]

Alex

Alexandra Hall built at the north end of the promenade. (One of the 1st hostels in Britain built especially for female students.)

Pavilion

Pavilion on pier completed ^[7]

Aberystwyth Pier Pavilion (here shown about 1900)
Note the rail tacks in front. Horse drawn carts were used to move stone quarried above Queens Road to back-fill the prom as it was extended south of the pier

June 26: Chancellor, Gladstone, Degree

The Prince of Wales (Albert Edward of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha - later to become King Edward VII) installed as the chancellor of the university.
The university issues its 1st degree - a Doctorate in Music to the Princess of Wales (Queen Alexandra) who also formally opened Alexandra Hall of residence and the pier pavilion on this day.
Prime Minister Gladstone receives honorary (Doctor of Letters) degree. ^[7]

August 1: Cliff Railway

Cliff Railway (costing £60,000) was opened. After 25 years it was converted to run by electricity but until then the 2 cars counterbalanced each other and had large water barrels which were filled or emptied to drive the cars in opposite directions by gravity.

October 6: School

Aberystwyth County School was opened. When it was closed in 1973 it had become Ardwyn Grammar School.

October 8: Gale

Powerful Gale causes much damage on the Welsh coast raising the tide by 21 feet in Aberystwyth and ruining many cottages in Borth. Between Aberystwyth and Machynlleth a mile of railway track was entirely destroyed and it was estimates that it would take 'fully a week' to get the line in running order.

September 5: Flooding

“Considerable floods at Aberystwith, Tregaron, Lampeter, Towyn, Dolgelly and Corwen”^[web]

Castle House

'Castle House' (built in 1795 and in incorporated in the main Old College building), is demolished as part of the expansion of the college.

Church

Architectural plans of Holy Trinity Chruch (1897)
more Architectural plans of Holy Trinity Chruch (1897)

Slipway

A new Slipway was built for the RNLI Lifeboat.