New York May 2008 51128702110_b614453d19_b
New York May 2008 51127584691_4bf8330f9d_b
Martin's Birthday (pre-RL birthyay party)
at the Flashmans stead!
(Tag yerselves!)
__
It's hard to capture just what this moment means
to him,
to me.
So I'll let Local (below) do the talking
(although I Ultra-crashed mid-way through
Snapshot-/Gyazo-documentation ... twice ... thrice ...)
P.S. Some quotes have been cut to make room for the surprise at the end! 😉
______
SCENES:-
STILLS:
1.
Parties are so hard to capture!
gyazo.com/f58fa08bbf480c823b4261a5bd426aa8
2.
View from the Ren:
gyazo.com/a43774475bfcfc611c3728d9eeac6914
3.
Making sure Bunny makes the cut:
gyazo.com/e8bd55968ee4336b3bb9bd9c15654b8f
4.
The one in which I play brand ambassador for the fizzy from the carton, and ... Randonee plays the piñata?
gyazo.com/89af4b218977bdc460ec96fab7060799
---
GIFs + PLAYLIST + QUOTES (some):
(Note: Do not ask about the numbering; I don't recall why they're sequenced as @_@ )
1.
The mister at his discretion:
gyazo.com/e822e69d6a69aed642d99462a04bf99f
3.
Mr. Proprietor flashing on stage:
gyazo.com/c16e599de7d1d863f1bf902f94899237
4.
Flashmans sass-men at the disco:
gyazo.com/b1b37b13ac8fc362d0e91ca4dbf24deb
6.
The prim-y Heart balloons I sponsored made a shout-out! (Thanks, Zion Xi :D)
gyazo.com/e8ff48d132045d57e8f0ca01976cf3b4
PLAYLIST + NOTABLE QUOTES:
[13:20:57] 🎵 Now playing: Della Reese - My World Is Empty Without You
[13:21:38] Martin Ren: Hi Phi.. Stephanie
[13:21:43] Adrian Overland: Hey Phoenix 🙂
[13:21:46] Martin Ren: great tags *blushes
[13:21:50] Randonee Noel: welcome
[13:21:56] SmacemanSpiff Grau: 😀
[13:22:00] Stephanie Yuen (stephanieyuen): Hi!!
[13:22:05] SmacemanSpiff Grau: Hello!
[13:22:37] Phoenix Li (finding.nirvana) grins, bowing at the dancing, handsome man on the stage, saying, "happy, most delightful birthday, Mr. Ren!"
[13:22:37] Dalia (da1ia): Heya Phoenix 🙂
[13:22:58] Mollie Broek: it's your birthday?
[13:23:02] Phoenix Li (finding.nirvana): Hello, every buddy!
[13:23:20] Kit Kiyori: smile - happy day
[13:23:33] Monty Jazzhands: Happy birthday Martin
[13:23:42] Mollie Broek: happy happy day to you Martin
[13:23:44] 🎵 Now playing: Dana Gilespie - No No No
[13:24:03] Adrian Overland: Happy Birthday Ren 🙂 I had nooo idea 😉
[13:24:14] Phoenix Li (finding.nirvana): It's in the group notice!
[13:24:28] Phoenix Li (finding.nirvana) huffs at the people who do not read the news!
[13:24:35] Mollie Broek: grins
[13:24:42] Randonee Noel: I didn't read it either...
[13:24:47] Randonee Noel: I just came cause he's pretty.
[13:24:50] SmacemanSpiff Grau: I try to avoid the news.
[13:24:59] SmacemanSpiff Grau: But this is far less depressing!
[13:24:59] Adrian Overland: Never got that, but I only joined a few hours ago...
[13:25:09] SmacemanSpiff Grau: lol!!
[13:25:42] Martin Ren: decent excuse
[13:26:14] Randonee Noel: I'll accept it. 😀
[13:26:28] 🎵 Now playing: Los 3 Sudamericanos - Yeh Yeh
[13:26:52] Adrian Overland: My friend gave me the LM. I had to join when I saw the creativity here ....
[13:27:29] Martin Ren: a liberal dollop of creativity
[13:28:07] Martin Ren: they are more pellets of potential
[13:28:22] Mr Vanmoer (frenchbloke.vanmoer): MArtin you have to hear Los 3 Sudamericanos version of en ultima train a clarkesville
[13:29:00] Martin Ren: Will track that down.. definitely no pun intended
[13:29:06] 🎵 Now playing: Gil and Ray - Marty, The Life of the Party
[13:30:10] Randonee Noel: ok.. super laughing at this song. LOL
SCENE 5.
Mr. Grau brought out the dino:
gyazo.com/ab63083e82983a53794c01a1c98ff1aa
[13:30:47] 🎵 Now playing: Elvis Presley - Kiss Me Quick (stereo)
[13:33:38] 🎵 Now playing: Gaston & Purcell - All Shook Up
[13:35:04] 🎵 Now playing: John Barry - Walk Don't Run
[13:37:13] 🎵 Now playing: The Everly Brothers - Don't Run and Hide
[13:39:43] 🎵 Now playing: The Animals - Boom Boom
[13:43:11] 🎵 Now playing: Shocking Blue - What You Gonna Do
[13:45:27] 🎵 Now playing: Erkut Tackin - Seni Gorünce (Nutbush City Limits)
[13:48:20] 🎵 Now playing: The Panthers - Malkaus
SCENE 2.
QUICK EVERYBUDDY SAY SOMETHING:
gyazo.com/0a7643a567da8870da8e5848df4539b6
[13:50:38] Martin Ren: Hey Butter
[13:50:44] Martin Ren: welcome
[13:50:54] 牛油面粉 (butter.roux): thx!
[13:50:56] Martin Ren: best name this evening
[13:50:58] 🎵 Now playing: Mrs Mills - Happy Birthday To You
[13:51:40] 🎵 Now playing: The Links - Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Old Oak Tree
[13:51:49] Ebenezer Pixel: Happy Birthday to yoooooou
[13:51:54] Martin Ren is proud to introduce the Links
[13:52:00] Monty Jazzhands: Happy birthday Mr R:)
[13:52:07] SmacemanSpiff Grau: Hi Links! Nice to meet you!
[13:52:09] Martin Ren: ty
[13:52:17] 🎵 Now playing: The Links - Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Old Oak Tree
[13:53:14] 🎵 Now playing: Wayne and Wanda - Trees
[13:53:56] 🎵 Now playing: Joan Baez - The Magic Wood
[13:53:58] Phoenix Li (finding.nirvana) has finally turned on Ultra, with 500m draw distance. Her SLife is complete.
[13:56:04] Martin Ren: Hi Nobody... welcome
[13:56:13] 🎵 Now playing: Henry Hall And His Orchestra With Val Rosing - The Teddy Bears' Picnic
[14:00:04] 🎵 Now playing: Agnes Obel - Riverside
[14:00:41] Dame Lilly Noel (lilly.noel) sings to Martin like Marilyn.....
SCENE 10.
Curran talks meth lab safety suit to Lilly;
Dalia, Randonee, and Kit Kiyori look #awesome; and
Mr. Pixel is still flying (as am I :D):
gyazo.com/cf4f153c59b0c56a7665af28a02e878f
[14:03:54] 🎵 Now playing: Alton Ellis - What Does It Take To Win Your Love
[14:06:45] 🎵 Now playing: Owen Gray - Shook Shimmy And Shake
[14:09:36] 🎵 Now playing: Byron Lee - Green Onions
[14:09:43] SmacemanSpiff Grau: *looks out the window to confirn*
[14:12:29] 🎵 Now playing: Ray Barretto - Mercy Mercy Baby
[14:15:06] 🎵 Now playing: Dave Baby Cortez - Tongue Kissing
[14:17:44] 🎵 Now playing: Bacao Rhythm and Steel Band - Jungle Fever
[14:19:00] Tuna (tunaberry): happy birthday martin?
[14:19:30] Tuna (tunaberry): have to find a present
[14:20:01] Amanda (aht1981): find something tuna
[14:20:05] Amanda (aht1981): add my name to the present
[14:20:27] Tuna (tunaberry): ok you're sending the ball gag I send the whip
[14:20:29] 🎵 Now playing: Stevie Wonder - Sir Duke
SCENE 8.
Randonee doing a poke at the Ren suit:
gyazo.com/7000341d31bd077774816c633496a5f5
[14:21:03] Phoenix Li (finding.nirvana): Okay, everyone say something amazing or funny about Martin in 10 seconds, I'm doing the Gyazo GIF again!
[14:21:19] Amanda (aht1981): how about a bottle of wine
[14:21:26] Tuna (tunaberry): the gacha didn't have wine
[14:21:40] Tuna (tunaberry): nfortunately
[14:21:46] SmacemanSpiff Grau: his pants are tight!
[14:21:57] Martin Ren: ty Tuna 🙂 x
[14:22:02] Randonee Noel: you can't see wine stains on his suit... also .. water resistant.
[14:22:02] Tuna (tunaberry): you can unwrap at home I like that you were going to wear it hehe
[14:23:32] Martin Ren: if the parcel wasnt full I'd don it now
SCENE 7.
Full house:
gyazo.com/8bd4e15d1b551ccea79642961e8124e8
[14:23:35] Phoenix Li (finding.nirvana): Keep talking about the birthday man! Camera be rollin'!
[14:24:26] 🎵 Now playing: The Four Tops - Walk Away Reneel ) Italia
[14:25:25] SmacemanSpiff Grau: happy birthday
[14:25:50] Kit Kiyori: wave all - happy day again Martin
[14:25:50] Martin Ren: ty Kit.. tc
[14:25:50] SmacemanSpiff Grau: His dances are groovy!
[14:25:58] SmacemanSpiff Grau: He looks great for his age!
[14:26:03] Randonee Noel: He only smells funny when the windows are closed!
[14:26:05] Martin Ren: I wear tight pants
[14:26:06] Martin Ren: thats the secret
[14:26:08] Randonee Noel: wears them well too
[14:26:56] 🎵 Now playing: Unknown Artist - Birthday Party - For Baby
[14:27:18] 🎵 Now playing: The Supremes - Baby love
[14:27:41] Mollie Broek: happy birthday Martin, have a great week everyone 🙂
[14:27:52] Phoenix Li (finding.nirvana): Man, machinima is hard in SL.
[14:27:59] Monty Jazzhands: have to go guys, thanks for a great night, and MArtin, don't stay too sober:)
SCENE 9.
Mr. Ren refusing association with the most famous supervillain on Earth:
gyazo.com/98822f72c197bc3bc394bfe56974b7e3
[14:29:02] Amanda (aht1981): oh good was making sure you didn't share your birthday with a very bad person
[14:29:08] Martin Ren: He's the day after
[14:29:10] Amanda (aht1981): haha
[14:29:11] Amanda (aht1981): bet you are relieved
[14:29:18] Martin Ren: I am
[14:29:41] Martin Ren: although I did arrive in his capital city on that day once
[14:29:48] 🎵 Now playing: Charles Bradley - The Telephone Song
SCENE 11.
Tuna jazzes on stage, Otto Jeffries makes the hooman scene,
I am still flying with DEMO wings (okay, fine I will buy them some day soon),
Randonee is ever-generous with her birthday compliments, and
Mr. Builder gets a well-deserved birthday stack of kaching (!):
gyazo.com/a8a2084f6e15c520bf05c795988e41ac
[14:40:30] 🎵 Now playing: Suzi Quatro - Glycerine Queen
[14:40:46] Otto Jeffries: did martin pay people to come celebrate? there's so many people here
[14:40:57] Tuna (tunaberry): I got 5K
[14:40:57] SmacemanSpiff Grau: Otto!! SHhhh!!
[14:40:58] 🎵 Now playing: The Rocky Horror Show - Original Norwegian Cast - En Hip Transvestitt
[14:41:01] Mr Vanmoer (frenchbloke.vanmoer): I heard there was a raffle
[14:41:02] Martin Ren: I did.. got a discount rate
[14:41:03] Otto Jeffries: who are all you deadbeats, and how come i don't know you all
[14:41:19] Otto Jeffries: dangit - sprry spiff
[14:41:32] Mr Vanmoer (frenchbloke.vanmoer): also MArtin will take out his dentures and give smoothies to everyone
SCENE 12.
I discover [more] ABBA, Mr. Jeffries discovering he makes an amazing dancer:
gyazo.com/7451c4763372123be53c4857d729aeaa
[14:43:22] Otto Jeffries: so martin, thank you for having me today - i'm here to fulfil your birthday wish still unfulfilled - tell all - give us a hint and my 3rd eye will find something suitable
[14:43:57] 🎵 Now playing: Sparks - This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us
[14:44:03] Otto Jeffries looks for boilerplate gifties . . .
[14:44:21] Martin Ren: I need one of those things that does that other thing
[14:44:27] Otto Jeffries: ok!
[14:44:33] Martin Ren: great!
[14:44:41] Otto Jeffries: now we're onto something - i have one of those!
[14:44:41] Martin Ren loves those things
[14:44:49] Nobody (random.hijinks): Man I've looking everywhere for one of those things
[14:44:59] Martin Ren: they dont make them anymore
[14:44:59] Nobody (random.hijinks): They're all sold out at the place
[14:46:57] 🎵 Now playing: Baccara - Yes Sir, I Can Boogie
[14:51:29] 🎵 Now playing: Delia Derbyshire - Happy Birthday (#)
[14:51:51] 🎵 Now playing: Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive
[14:52:16] 🎵 Now playing: Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive
[14:52:36] Nobody (random.hijinks): This whole-ass set tho
[14:52:44] Phoenix Li (finding.nirvana): Righto Nobodo
[14:57:41] Phoenix Li (finding.nirvana) does another Gyazo GIF. So, if you wanna say something about Martin, this is your last call!
[14:58:01] SmacemanSpiff Grau: His hand farts smell like roses!
[14:58:20] Randonee Noel: Martin is a Superb DJ.. SU-PERB. 🙂
((Phoenix crashes again, and returns! This time to the Cod Supper Club epic bumper car showdown! ))
SCENE 13.
Battle of the Bumpers at the Ren's Cod Supper Club:
gyazo.com/3986477fac518841166395943e95593d
[15:38:54] Phoenix Li (finding.nirvana) will stop doing the damned Ultra mode now!
[15:39:09] Dalia (da1ia): Yeah, you might need to to survive this.
[15:41:25] Phoenix Li (finding.nirvana) is a terribad Asian driver!
[15:41:52] Second Life: Cannot enter parcel, you are not on the access list.
[15:42:03] Second Life: Cannot enter parcel, you are not on the access list.
[15:42:14] Second Life: Cannot enter parcel, you are not on the access list.
[15:42:29] Second Life: Teleport completed from Sponsa (17,253,128)
[15:42:37] Second Life: Cannot enter parcel, you are not on the access list.
[15:42:40] Phoenix Li (finding.nirvana): I give up.
[15:43:26] Phoenix Li (finding.nirvana) joins Team Randonee.
[15:43:42] Phoenix Li (finding.nirvana): oh wait
[15:43:53] Phoenix Li (finding.nirvana) joins Team Stephanie! #Aznunite
[15:44:00] Dalia (da1ia): So much motion sickness.
[15:44:21] Nobody (random.hijinks): No it's cool we just thelma and louised into the mainland
[15:44:48] Phoenix Li (finding.nirvana) wonders about Martin's motor vehicle insurance policy.
[15:45:04] Martin Ren: there are a couple of minor health and safety issues
[15:45:25] Stephanie Yuen (stephanieyuen): ooopps
[15:45:44] Phoenix Li (finding.nirvana) Gyazo GIFs on Low setting this time.
[15:45:45] Battle Bumper Car 13 whispers: Ride Over!
[15:45:45] Battle Bumper Car 13 whispers: Ride Over!
[15:45:46] Battle Bumper Car 15 whispers: Ride Over!
[15:45:52] Dalia (da1ia): Boom.
[15:45:57] Phoenix Li (finding.nirvana): Dang it, Stephanie!
[15:45:59] Stephanie Yuen (stephanieyuen): :3
[15:46:12] Phoenix Li (finding.nirvana): I knew I should have sat with you for Driver's Ed class!
[15:47:36] Stephanie Yuen (stephanieyuen): It was fine!
[15:47:45] Stephanie Yuen (stephanieyuen): we almost won
[15:47:54] Phoenix Li (finding.nirvana): Truth.
[15:48:02] Phoenix Li (finding.nirvana): You were just sleepy, I know.
[15:48:29] Phoenix Li (finding.nirvana): Everyone knows that for everything they're good at, there's an Asian out there better than them. Including us.
[15:48:36] Phoenix Li (finding.nirvana) sighs.
SCENE 14.
Dalia and Randonee being the sweetest pies :3
gyazo.com/888c5f4f5af06e97b9c6160c5337d454
[16:00:22] SmacemanSpiff Grau: It's official!
[16:00:22] Dalia (da1ia): It's time!
[16:00:27] SmacemanSpiff Grau: Happy Birthday!!
[16:00:30] SmacemanSpiff Grau: Yay!!!!
[16:00:38] Randonee Noel: yay
[16:00:40] Phoenix Li (finding.nirvana): LOL Dalia you look awesome!
[16:00:45] Dalia (da1ia): I just showered myself. That was a fail. Lol.
[16:00:49] Martin Ren: .. yay
[16:00:50] Phoenix Li (finding.nirvana) Gyazos Dalia.
[16:00:55] Martin Ren laughs
[16:01:02] Martin Ren: so nice you stayed 🙂
[16:01:06] Phoenix Li (finding.nirvana): Happy birthyay, Martin-san ❤
[16:01:06] Phoenix Li (finding.nirvana): ❤
[16:01:13] Randonee Noel: yay!
[16:01:16] Randonee Noel: yay
[16:01:22] Second Life: Randonee Noel gave you TBF Party Horn Red - human (Wear).
[16:01:25] Randonee Noel: ... and.........
[16:01:27] Randonee Noel: you're old. 😀
[16:01:29] Stephanie Yuen (stephanieyuen): hbd!!
[16:01:36] TBF Party Horn Red - human (Wear): Type "/1w" to whistle.
[16:01:49] Phoenix Li (finding.nirvana): Not old, just seasoned. Like classic vintage 😉
[16:01:57] Randonee Noel: Happy happy joy joy!!! !
[16:02:04] Dalia (da1ia): Thank you for brightening our virtual world. <3
[16:02:05] Randonee Noel: I need to scoot my boot. 🙂
[16:02:14] Randonee Noel: you're a gem Martin.. many many more. 🙂
[16:02:23] Martin Ren: tc Ran 🙂 ty
[16:02:33] Dalia (da1ia): And now you've drank my beauty sleep and fountain of youth, so I must crash out and curse you in the morning.
[16:02:46] Martin Ren: may it fill fast 🙂
SCENE 15.
Latecomer Mr. Haalan making his debut as an extra in this Flashmans Netflix Special:
gyazo.com/bb6c6cb581482e9176538cff046fdb12
[16:06:56] Phoenix Li (finding.nirvana): Let me Gyazo you further now for the Flashmans Netflix special
[16:06:59] Tem Haalan: o/
((A moment later... ))
SCENE 16.
Ms. Carfagno says a better-late-than-never hello to the camera:
gyazo.com/d018bf8eeff69737db0ddd4771f16548
Ellis Island New York
Lesser Redpoll, Pilling Lane Beach Road. Paul Ellis. 13-04-2021.
Siskin, Pilling Lane Beach Road. Paul Ellis. 13-04-2021.
Siskin, Pilling Lane Beach Road. Paul Ellis. 13-04-2021.
Little Egret, Conder Pool In breeding condition sporting pink lores. Paul Ellis. 14-04-2021.
7004ex Northern Shoveler pair with Killdeer visitor 1st visit to Ellis Lakes wetlands--- found a few beauties.
iNaturalist link www.inaturalist.org/photos/121974750
Jenny Pansing Photos
Storytime. “You are so good at reading us stories Posh and we all love the Pooh Bear ones.” Said Sky.
“Yes, he seems such a clever bear with his hooman, Christopher Robin.” Agreed Bertie.
“Posh, can be invent a game like Pooh did, and then we can all play it together?”
“I don’t know Sky as I’m not that good at inventing games. Can you think of anything Bertie?”
“How about we go outside and climb the trees and see who can get the highest?”
“Climb trees Bertie? I’m not that good at climbing. I don’t know about that.” Said Posh.
“Why, don’t you like climbing then, Posh?”
“It gets high up there when you climb, and I’m not that keen on the falling or landing parts.”
“Does it hurt when you fall then Posh?” Asked Sky.
“No, not really, falling is fine for us bears, but we haven’t got the landing bit worked out yet. That is very ouchie.”
“I don’t do ouchie either, Posh.” Agreed Sky. “I also can’t see why anyone would just want to climb a tree, well, that is not unless there was a buzzy thing living there who had lots of honey.”
“Anyway, we are better with our paws on the ground.” Said Posh
“We could ask Elli to take us out in the ellicopter and find a stream with a bridge over it and play “Pooh-sticks” like in the story.” Said Sky.
Posh and Bertie looked at Sky but said nothing.
“I said, we could ask Elli…”
“We heard Sky and whilst going in the ellicopter is something of a game of chance, as you can never be sure of where we are going to actually end up. It also becomes a bit extra ouchie and very confusing when she suddenly decides to fly downside up and backwards without warning.” Said Posh. “That reverse gear in the ellicopter was a bad idea.”
“Watch out everyone, the man is about with his picture taking thingy on legs again.”
“Oh no, not again Bertie. He must have managed to take at least one nice picture by now.” Said Posh.
“It doesn’t look like it Posh, he is going to have another go. I wonder if he likes to climb trees?” Said Sky smiling.
“If we had tried my suggestion of climbing trees, we wouldn’t have to sit and watch him trying to get this picture. What is the more painful Posh, landing from a tree or sitting through any session with the man?” Said Bertie.
“I take your point Bertie, smile everyone and get this over with and then up the trees we go.” Said Posh.
Pantages Theatre program October 11, 1911
Broadway, Los Angeles
Pantages Theatre program October 23, 1911
Broadway, Los Angeles
Ellis-Fife 51127351710_6a2cf87d36_b
Ellis Fife 51126034802_232846bf7e_b
ellis smith 51126010697_039cab335b_b
Ellis Fife 51127319770_f845913b66_b
mary ellis 51127345010_97206552a1_b
Say good by to an old bridge. Where Ellis Street joins State Street over Whatcom Creek.
South bound State Street crosses Whatcom Creek. This may be the last time I cross this old bridge as they plan to remove it and put in a new bridge. It's on wooden pilings. Traffic will be rerouted via Ohio and Cornwall for several months.
Architecture, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales. Aberystwyth University (Welsh: Prifysgol Aberystwyth) is a public research university in Aberystwyth, Wales. Aberystwyth was a founding member institution of the former federal University of Wales. The university has over 8,000 students studying across 3 academic faculties and 17 departments.
Founded in 1872 as University College Wales, Aberystwyth, it became a founder member of the University of Wales in 1894, and changed its name to the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth. In the mid-1990s, the university again changed its name to become the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. On 1 September 2007, the University of Wales ceased to be a federal university and Aberystwyth University became independent again.[3]
In 2019, it became the first university to be named "University of the year for teaching quality" by The Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide for two consecutive years.[4] It is the first university in the world to be awarded Plastic Free University status (for single-use plastic items).[5]
History
Old College
The University for Wales, Aberystwyth, c.1870
Old College Building from the Castle
In the middle of the 19th century, eminent Welsh people were advocating the establishment of a university in the Principality, one of these, Thomas Nicholas, whose book Middle and High Class Schools, and University Education for Wales (1863) is said to have "exerted great influence on educated Welshmen".[6]
Funded through public and private subscriptions, and with five regional committees (London, Manchester, Liverpool, North and South Wales) guaranteeing funds for the first three years' running costs, the university opened in October 1872 with 26 students. Thomas Charles Edwards was the Principal. In October 1875, chapels in Wales raised the next tranche of funds from over 70,000 contributors.[7] Until 1893, when the college joined the University of Wales as a founder member, students applying to Aberystwyth sat the University of London's entrance exams.[8] Women were admitted in 1884.
In 1885, a fire damaged what is now known as the Old College, Aberystwyth, and in 1897 the first 14 acres of what would become the main Penglais campus were purchased.[9] Incorporated by Royal Charter in 1893, the university installed the Prince of Wales as Chancellor in 1896, the same year it awarded an honorary degree to the British Prime Minister William Gladstone.
The university's coat of arms dates from the 1880s. The shield features two red dragons to symbolise Wales, and an open book to symbolise learning. The crest, an eagle or phoenix above a flaming tower, may signify the College's rebirth after the 1885 fire.[10] The motto is Nid Byd, Byd Heb Wybodaeth (a world without knowledge is no world at all).
In the early 1900s the university added courses that included Law, Applied Mathematics, Pure Mathematics, and Botany. The Department for International Politics, which Aberystwyth says is the oldest such department in the world, was founded in 1919.[11] By 1977, the university's staff included eight Fellows of the Royal Society, such as Gwendolen Rees, the first Welsh woman to be elected an FRS.
The Department of Sports and Exercise Science was established in 2000. Joint honours Psychology degrees were introduced in September 2007, and single honours Psychology in 2009.
The chancellor of the university is The Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, who took up the position in January 2018. The visitor of the university is an appointment made by the Privy Council, under the Royal Charter of the university. Since July 2014, the holder of this office is Mr Justice Sir Roderick Evans QC.
In 2011 the university appointed a new vice chancellor[12] under whom the academic departments were restructured as larger subject-themed institutes.
Organisation and administration
Departments and Faculties
The University's academic departments, as well as the Arts Centre, International English Centre, and Music Centre are organised in three faculties:
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
School of Art
Arts Centre
School of Education
Department of English and Creative Writing
Department of History and Welsh History
International English Centre
Department of International Politics
Department of Law and Criminology
Department of Modern Languages
Music Centre
Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies
Department of Welsh and Celtic Studies
Faculty of Business and Physical Sciences
Aberystwyth Business School
Department of Computer Science
Department of Information Studies
Department of Mathematics
Department of Physics
Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences
Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences
Department of Geography and Earth Sciences
Department of Psychology
Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences
The Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) is a research and teaching centre which brings together staff from the Institutes of Rural Sciences and Biological Sciences and the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research (IGER). Around 360 research, teaching and support staff conduct basic, strategic and applied research in biology.[13]
The Institute is located in two areas; one at the main teaching Penglais campus and another rural research hub at the Gogerddan campus.[14]
Aberystwyth Business School
In 1998. the Department of Economics (founded in 1912), the Department of Accounting and Finance (founded in 1979) and the Centre for Business Studies merged to create the School of Management and Business. In 2013, the School joined the Department of Information Studies and the Department of Law and Criminology at a new campus at Llanbadarn Fawr. The School was shortlisted for ‘Business School of the Year Times Higher Education Awards (2014).[15] In 2016 the Institute, minus the Department of Information Studies, was renamed the Institute of Business and Law, the remaining departments being renamed Aberystwyth Business School and Aberystwyth Law School.
Cledwyn Building, former home of the School of Economics
Department of Computer Science
The Llandinam Building
The Department of Computer Science (founded in 1970), conducts research in automated reasoning, computational biology, vision graphics and visualisation, and intelligent robotics.
AberMUD, the first popular internet-based MUD, was written in the department by then-student Alan Cox. Jan Pinkava, another graduate, won an Oscar for his short animated film Geri's Game. Students in the department were also involved in the creation of the award-winning service robot librarian named Hugh (robot)[16] and Kar-go, the autonomous delivery vehicle.[17]
Department of Geography and Earth Sciences
The Department of Geography and Earth Sciences (IGES) was formed, in 1989, from the former Departments of Geography (established in 1918) and Geology. houses the E. G. Bowen map library, containing 80,000 maps and 500 atlases.[18]
Department of Information Studies
CLW Library, Llanbadarn - later named the Thomas Parry Library
The College of Librarianship Wales (CLW) was established at Llanbadarn Fawr in 1964, in response to a recommendation for the training of bilingual librarians that was made in the Bourdillon Report on Standards of public library service in England (HMSO, 1962). The College grew rapidly, developing close links to the Welsh speaking and professional communities, acquiring an international reputation and pioneering flexible and distance learning courses. It claimed to be Europe's largest institution for training librarians.[19] The independent college merged with the university (in August 1989) and the department moved to the Penglais campus a quarter of a century later. Following the merger, the new department took over responsibility for existing offerings in archives administration and modern records management.
Department of International Politics
International Politics building
The Department of International Politics was founded, shortly after World War I (in 1919), with the stated purpose of furthering political understanding of the world in the hope of avoiding such conflicts in the future. This goal led to the creation of the Woodrow Wilson Chair of International Politics.[20] The department has over 700 students from 40 countries studying at undergraduate, masters and PhD levels. It achieved a 95% score for student satisfaction in the 2016 National Student Survey, placing it as the highest-ranking politics department in Wales and within the UK's top ten.[21]
The department has hosted various notable academic staff in the field including E. H. Carr, Leopold Kohr, Andrew Linklater, Ken Booth, Steve Smith, Michael Cox, Michael MccGwire, Jenny Edkins and Colin J. McInnes.
Department of Law and Criminology
The Department of Law and Criminology (founded in 1901) is housed in the Hugh Owen Building on the Penglais campus, and includes the Centre for Welsh Legal Affairs, a specialist research centre. All academic staff are engaged in research, and the International Journal of Biosciences and the Law and the Cambrian Law Review are edited in the department. In 2013, the department joined the Department of Information Studies and the School of Management and Business at a new campus at Llanbadarn Fawr, as part of a newly created Institute of Management, Law and Information Studies. As of September 2018, the department has since relocated back to the Hugh Owen Building, based in the Penglais campus, and its name changed from Aberystwyth Law School to the Department of Law and Criminology.[22]
The Guardian University Guide 2018 currently ranks Law Department at 69th in the UK,[23] and "The Times" Higher Education Guide ranks it as 300th globally.[24]
Department of Modern Languages
Aberystwyth has taught modern languages since 1874. French, German, Italian and Spanish courses are taught at both beginners' and advanced levels, in a research-active academic environment. One of its research projects is the Anglo-Norman Dictionary,[25] based in Aberystwyth since 2001 and available online since 2005.
Department of Physics
Physics was first taught at Aberystwyth as part of Natural Philosophy, Astronomy, and Mathematics under N. R. Grimley, soon after the foundation of the University College.[26] It became a department in 1877, under the leadership of F. W. Rudler.[26] The department was located in the south wing of what is now the Old College,[26] but later relocated to the Physics Building on the Penglais Campus. The first Chair in Physics was offered to D. E. Jones in 1885.[26] Prior to World War I, much of the early research in the department was undertaken in Germany. Early research in the 1900s was concerned with electrical conductivity and quantum theory, later moving into thermal conductivity and acoustics.[26] In 1931, the department hosted the Faraday Centenary Exhibition.[26] E. J. Williams was appointed Chair of Physics in 1938 where he continued his research into sub-atomic particles using a cloud chamber.[27] Following World War II, research was concerned with mechanical and nuclear physics, later moving into the fields of air density, experimental rocket launching equipment, and radar.[26]
Arts Studio
Department of Psychology
In 2007, Aberystwyth established the subject as a 'Centre for Applied Psychology' within the Department of International Politics. By 2011, Psychology had moved into their current premises in Penbryn 5 on the Penglais Campus. The department is home to over 300 undergraduate students - with degrees accredited by the British Psychological Society.
Campuses
Old College east entrance
Penglais
The main campus of the University is situated on Penglais Hill, overlooking the town of Aberystwyth and Cardigan Bay, and comprises most of the University buildings, Arts Centre, Students’ Union, and many of the student residences. Just below Penglais Campus is the National Library of Wales, one of Britain's five legal deposit libraries. The landscaping of the Penglais Campus is historically significant and is listed.[9] The CADW listing states,
"The landscaping of the University of Wales, Aberystwyth campuses, particularly the earlier Penglais campus, is of exceptional historic interest as one of the most important modern landscaping schemes in Wales...One section of the Penglais campus was designed by the well known landscape architect Brenda Colvin and is one of the very few of her schemes to have survived. A number of women have played a key role in the development and planting of the whole site."
Llanbadarn
The Llanbadarn Centre is located approximately one mile to the east of the Penglais Campus, near Llanbadarn Fawr, overlooking the town and Cardigan Bay to the west, with the backdrop of the Cambrian Mountains to the east. Llanbadarn Centre hosted Aberystwyth Law School and Aberystwyth Business School, which together formed the Institute of Business and Law. The Department of Information Studies is also based there. Additionally, the Llanbadarn Campus is the site of the Aberystwyth branch of Coleg Ceredigion (a further education college, and not part of the University).
Goggerddan
At Gogerddan, on the outskirts of town is located the University's major centre for research in land based sciences and the main centre for the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Science.
School of Art, Edward Davies Building
Edward Davies Building
The School of Art is located between the Penglais Campus and the centre of Aberystwyth, in what was originally the Edward Davies Chemical Laboratory. A listed building, the Edward Davies Building is one of the finest examples of architecture in Aberystwyth.
Old College
The site of the original university is the 'Old College', currently the subject of the 'New Life for Old College' project which aims to transform it into an integrated centre of heritage, culture, learning and knowledge exchange. The university opened an international campus in Mauritius in 2016 operating as Aberystwyth University (Mauritian Branch Campus) and registered with the Tertiary Education Commission of Mauritius, but closed it to new enrolments two years later due to low enrolment numbers.[28]
Student residences
Most of the student residences are on campus, with the rest in walking distance of the campus and Aberystwyth town centre. Accommodation ranges from 'traditional' catered residences to en-suite self-catered accommodation, and from budget rooms to more luxurious studio apartments. All have wired access to the University's computer network and a support network of residential tutors.
Penglais Campus
Cwrt Mawr (self-catered flats, single rooms, capacity 503)[29]
Neuadd Pantycelyn [cy] (Welsh speaking traditional catered hall, refurbished in 2020, capacity 200)[30]
Penbryn (Welsh-speaking traditional catered hall, capacity 350)[31]
Rosser (self-catered en-suite flats, capacity 336),
Rosser G (postgraduate flats following 2011 expansion to Rosser, capacity 60)[32]
Trefloyne (self-catered flats, capacity 147)[33]
Pentre Jane Morgan (Student Village)
Almost 200 individual houses arranged in closes and cul-de-sacs. Each house typically accommodate 5 or 6 students. (total capacity 1003)[34]
Fferm Penglais Student Residence
Purpose-built student accommodation with studio apartments and en-suite bedrooms (total capacity 1000). An area of accommodation within the Fferm Penglais Student Residence is set aside for students who are Welsh learners or fluent Welsh speakers, and wish to live in a Welsh speaking environment.
Town accommodation
Seafront Residences (self-catered flats located on the seafront and Queen's Road, overall capacity 361). The original Seafront residences, Plyn' and Caerleon, were destroyed by fire in 1998.[35][36]
Seafront residences include Aberglasney, Balmoral, Blaenwern, Caerleon, Carpenter, Pumlumon, Ty Glyndwr, and Ty Gwerin Halls.[37]
The University also owns several houses, such as Penglais Farmhouse (Adjacent to Pentre Jane Morgan) and flats in Waun Fawr, which are let on an Assured Shorthold Tenure to students with families. Disabled access rooms are available within the existing student village.
Reputation and academic profile
Rankings
National rankings
Complete (2021)[38]58
Guardian (2021)[39]49
Times / Sunday Times (2021)[40]42
Global rankings
QS (2021)[41]
432=
THE (2021)[42]401-500
British Government assessment
Teaching Excellence Framework[43]Gold
Aberystwyth University is placed in the UK’s top 50 universities in the main national rankings. It is ranked 48th for 132 UK university rankings in The Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide for 2019 [44] and the first university to be given the prestigious award "University of the year for teaching quality" for two consecutive years (2018 and 2019).[4]
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings placed it in the 301—350 group for 800 university rankings, compared with 351—400 the previous year,[45] and the QS World University Rankings placed it at the 432th position for 2019, compared with 481—490 of the previous year.[46] In 2015, UK employers from “predominantly business, IT and engineering sectors” listed Aberystwyth equal 49th in their 62-place employability rankings for UK graduates, according to a Times Higher Education report.[47]
Aberystwyth University was rated in the top ten of UK higher education institutions for overall student satisfaction in the 2016 National Student Survey (NSS).[48]
Aberystwyth University was shortlisted in four categories in the Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Awards (THELMAs) (2015).[49]
Aberystwyth University has been awarded the Silver Award under the Corporate Health Standard (CHS), the quality mark for workplace health promotion run by Welsh Government.[50]
The University has been awarded an Athena SWAN Charter Award, recognising commitment to advancing women's careers in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) in higher education and research.[51]
In 2007 the University came under criticism for its record on sustainability, ranking 97th out of 106 UK higher education institutions in that year's Green League table.[52] In 2012 the university was listed in the table's "Failed, no award" section, ranking equal 132nd out of 145.[53] In 2013 it ranked equal 135th out of 143, and was listed again as "Failed, no award".[54]
Following the University's initiatives to address sustainability,[55] it received an EcoCampus[56] Silver Phase award in October 2014.
In October 2015, the University’s Penglais Campus became the first University campus in Wales to achieve the Green Flag Award.[57] The Green Flag Award is a UK-wide partnership, delivered in Wales by Keep Wales Tidy with support from Natural Resources Wales, and is the mark of a high quality park or green space.
In 2013, the University and College Union alleged bullying behaviour by Aberystwyth University managers, and said staff were fearful for their jobs. University president Sir Emyr Jones Parry said in a BBC radio interview, "I don't believe the views set out are representative and I don't recognise the picture." He also said, "Due process is rigorously applied in Aberystwyth." Economist John Cable resigned his emeritus professorship, describing the university's management as "disproportionate, aggressive and confrontational". The singer Peter Karrie resigned his honorary fellowship in protest, he said, at the apparent determination to "ruin one of the finest arts centres in the country", and because he was "unable to support any regime that can treat their staff in such a cruel and appalling manner."[58]
Officers and Academics
Presidents and Chancellors
1872–95 Henry Austin Bruce, 1st Lord Aberdare[citation needed]
1895–1913 Stuart, Lord Rendel
1913–26 Sir John Williams, 1st Bt
1926–44 Edmund Davies, Lord Edmund-Davies
1944–54 Thomas Jones (T. J.)
1955–64 Sir David Hughes Parry
1964–76 Sir Ben Bowen Thomas
1977–85 Cledwyn Hughes, Lord Cledwyn of Penrhos
1985–97 Melvyn Rosser
1997–2007 Elystan Morgan, Lord Elystan-Morgan
2007–17 Sir Emyr Jones Parry
2018–present John, Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd
Principals and Vice-Chancellors
See also: Category: Vice-Chancellors of Aberystwyth University
1872–91 Thomas Charles Edwards
1891–1919 Thomas Francis Roberts
1919–26 John Humphreys Davies
1927–34 Sir Henry Stuart-Jones
1934–52 Ifor Leslie Evans
1953–57 Goronwy Rees
1958–69 Sir Thomas Parry
1969–79 Sir Goronwy Daniel
1979–89 Gareth Owen
1989–94 Kenneth, Lord Morgan
1994–2004 Derec Llwyd Morgan
2004–11 Noel Lloyd
2011–16 April McMahon
2016–17 John Grattan (acting)
2016–present Elizabeth Treasure[59]
Academics
See also: Category:Academics of Aberystwyth University
Henry Bird, Lecturer in Art History (1936–41)
Ken Booth, Professor of International Politics
Edward Carr, Historian, Woodrow Wilson Professor of International Politics
Sir Henry Walford Davies, Master of the King's Music
John Davies, Welsh historian
Hannah Dee, Lecturer in Computer Science
R. Geraint Gruffydd, Chair of Welsh Language and Literature (1970–79)
David Russell Hulme, Director of Music (1992–), conductor, musicologist
Robert Maynard Jones, Chair of Welsh Language (1980)
D. Gwenallt Jones, poet, Welsh Lecturer
Leopold Kohr, Economist, Political Scientist
Dennis Lindley, Professor of Statistics (1960–67)
David John de Lloyd, Gregynog Professor of Music, composer
Alec Muffett, Systems Programmer (1988–92)
Lily Newton, Professor of Botany
Ian Parrott, Gregynog Professor of Music (1950–83), composer, musicologist
Joseph Parry, Professor of Music, composer, conductor
Sir Thomas Herbert Parry-Williams, poet, Professor of Welsh (1920–52)
F. Gwendolen Rees FRS Professor of Zoology
Huw Rees FRS (1923–2009), Geneticist [60]
William Rubinstein, Professor of History
Marie Breen Smyth, Reader in Political Violence, International Politics
Richard Marggraf Turley, Professor of Engagement with the Public Imagination
Dame Marjorie Williamson, Principal, Royal Holloway, London (1962–73)
Richard Henry Yapp, botanist
Alumni
See also: Category:Alumni of Aberystwyth University
Royalty
Charles, Prince of Wales
Tunku Muhriz Ibni Almarhum Tunku Munawir, 11th Yang Di Pertuan Besar (Grand Ruler) of Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia (2008–present)
Tunku Naquiyuddin, Tunku Laxamana (Regent) of Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia (1994–99)
Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, 3rd President of Sierra Leone (1996–7)
Academia
E. G. Bowen, Geographer
Sir Edward Collingwood, mathematician, scientist
Alan Cox, Programmer (major contributor to the Linux kernel, 1980s)
D. J. Davies, economist, socialist, Plaid Cymru activist
Natasha Devon, writer, mental health activist
Andrew Gordon naval historian
Sir Deian Hopkin, historian
David Russell Hulme, Director of Music (from 1992), conductor
David Gwilym James Vice-Chancellor, University of Southampton 1952–65
Emrys Jones, Professor of Geography, London School of Economics
T. Harri Jones, poet
Roy Kift, dramatist, writer
Mary King, political scientist
Michael MccGwire, international relations specialist, Naval Commander
Twm Morys, poet
Tavi Murray, glaciologist, Polar Medallist
Ernest Charles Nelson, botanist
David Hughes Parry, Vice-Chancellor, University of London (1945–48)
T. H. Parry-Williams, poet, author, academic
Frederick Soddy, Nobel Prize Winner in Chemistry (1921)
Sir John Meurig Thomas FRS, chemist, professor, author
Paul Thomas, founding Vice-Chancellor, University of the Sunshine Coast
Sir Nigel Thrift, Geographer, Vice Chancellor, University of Warwick
David John Williams, writer
Sir Glanmor Williams, historian
Rev. John Tudno Williams, theologian
Waldo Williams, poet
Rev. William Richard Williams, theologian
Christine James, first female Archdruid of Wales
Gethin Glyn, Zoologist
Aron Dafydd, UMCA Leader
Law
Tun Salleh Abas, Lord President of the Federal Court, Malaysia (1984–88)
Belinda Ang, Judge, Supreme Court of Singapore (2003–)
Sir Alun Talfan Davies, judge, publisher
Sir Ellis Ellis-Griffith, 1st Bt, barrister, Liberal politician
Iris de Freitas Brazao, first female prosecuting lawyer in the Caribbean
Sir Samuel Thomas Evans, barrister, judge, Liberal politician
Elwyn, Lord Elwyn-Jones, Lord Chancellor (1974–79)
John, Lord Morris of Aberavon, Attorney General (1997–99)
Civil Servants
Timothy Brain, Chief Constable for Gloucestershire (2001–10)
Sir Goronwy Daniel, civil servant, academic
Politics
Joe Borg, European Union Oceans and Fisheries Commissioner (2004–10)[61]
Captain Roderic Bowen, Liberal MP, Deputy Commons Speaker
Nicholas, Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth, Welsh Conservative Leader (1999–2011)
Rehman Chishti, Conservative MP (2010–), Special Envoy (2019–20)
Dr Stephen Clackson Independent Councillor, Orkney Islands Council [62]
David, 1st Lord Davies, Liberal politician, philanthropist [63]
Glyn Davies, Conservative MP
Gwilym Prys Davies, Lord Prys-Davies, Labour peer (1982–2015)
Gwynfor Evans, first Plaid Cymru MP
Steve Gilbert, Liberal Democrat MP (2010–15)
Siân Gwenllian, Plaid Cymru AM
Neil Hamilton, Conservative MP and AM, barrister
Sylvia, Lady Hermon, Ulster Unionist politician
Emlyn, Lord Hooson, Liberal politician
Cledwyn Hughes, Lord Cledwyn of Penrhos, Labour politician
Dato' Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, Foreign Minister, Malaysia, (2020–)
Dan Jarvis, Labour MP
Bethan Jenkins, Plaid Cymru AM for South Wales West
Carwyn Jones, First Minister of Wales (2009–18), AM for Bridgend
Gerry MacLochlainn Sinn Féin politician
John Morris, Lord Morris of Aberavon, Labour politician
Elystan Morgan, Lord Elystan-Morgan, Labour MP
Roland Moyle, Labour MP, Parliamentary Private Secretary to Clement Attlee
Will Quince, Conservative MP
Dan Rogerson, Liberal Democrat MP
Liz Saville Roberts, Plaid Cymru MP, Plaid Cymru Leader (2017–)
Molly Scott Cato, Green Party MEP
Ahmed Shaheed, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Maldives
Virginijus Sinkevičius, European Union Environment Commissioner (2019–)[64]
Bob Stewart, Conservative MP
Gareth Thomas, Labour MP
Gareth Thomas, Labour MP
Mark Williams, Liberal Democrat MP, Welsh LD Leader (2016–17)
Mike Wood, Conservative MP
Steven Woolfe, UK Independence Party MEP
Business
Lance Batchelor, CEO, Domino's Pizza and Saga
Geoff Drabble, CEO, Ashtead
Belinda Earl, CEO, Debenhams and Jaeger
David Prosser, CEO, Legal & General[65]
Tom Singh, owner and CEO, New Look
Sports
Cath Bishop, professional rower, civil servant
John Dawes, Rugby player, Captain of Wales and British Lions
Carwyn James, Wales and British and Irish Lions Rugby Coach (1949?–51)
Leigh Richmond Roose, International footballer
Berwyn Price, Gold Medal Commonwealth Games (1978)
Angela Tooby, Silver Medal, World Cross-Country Championships (1988)
Arts and Entertainment
Dorothy Bonarjee, Indian poet, artist
Neil Brand, writer, composer, silent film accompanist
Seth Clabough, American novelist, academic
Shân Cothi, operatic singer, actress
Jane Green, author
Sarah Hall, writer, poet
David Russell Hulme, conductor, musicologist
Aneirin Hughes, actor
Emrys James, actor
Eveline Annie Jenkins (1893–1976), botanical artist
Alex Jones, Presenter, BBC One TV Programme, The One Show (2010–)
Melih Kibar, Turkish composer
Alun Lewis, Second World War writer, poet
Caryl Lewis, novelist
Rick Lloyd, musician (Y Blew, Flying Pickets)
Hayley Long, fiction writer
Sharon Maguire, film director, Bridget Jones's Diary
Matt McCooey, actor
Alan Mehdizadeh, actor, Billy Elliot the Musical
Robert Minhinnick, poet, essayist, novelist, translator
Amy Parry-Williams (1910–1988), singer, writer
Esther Pilkington, performance artist
Jan Pinkava, Oscar-winning animated film director
Rachel Roberts, actress
Lisa Surihani, Malaysian actress
Richard Roberts, theologian, pacifist
Aberystwyth (Welsh: [abɛˈrəstʊɨθ] (About this soundlisten)) is a university town and community in Ceredigion, Wales. Historically in the historic county of Cardiganshire, the literal meaning of the Welsh: Aberystwyth is the mouth of the Ystwyth. In one form or another, Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location in Wales since the establishment of University College Wales in 1872.
The town is situated on Cardigan Bay on the west coast of Wales, near the confluence of the River Ystwyth and Afon Rheidol. Following the reconstruction of the harbour, the Ystwyth skirts the town. The Rheidol passes through the town.
The seafront, with a pier, stretches from Constitution Hill at the north end of the Promenade to the harbour at the south. The beach is divided by the castle. The town is divided into five areas: Aberystwyth Town; Llanbadarn Fawr; Waunfawr; Llanbadarn; Trefechan; and the most populous, Penparcau.
At the 2001 census, the population of the town was 15,935.[2] This reduced to 13,040 at the 2011 Census. During nine months of the year, there is an influx of students.[3][citation needed]
Including the suburbs of Llanbadarn Fawr, the population is 16,420, the built-up area having a population of 18,749.[4]
Aberystwyth Bay from a 1748 survey by Lewis Morris (1701–1765)
The distance to Swansea is 55 miles (89 km); to Shrewsbury 60 miles (97 km); to Wrexham 63 miles (101 km); to Cardiff 76 miles (122 km); and to London 180 miles (290 km).
Main features of the town
Aberystwyth is a university town and tourist destination, and forms a cultural link between North Wales and South Wales. Constitution Hill, scaled by the Aberystwyth Cliff Railway, gives access to panoramic views and to other attractions at the summit, including a camera obscura. Scenic Mid Wales landscape within easy reach of the town includes the wilderness of the Cambrian Mountains, whose valleys contain forests and meadows which have changed little in centuries. A convenient way to access the interior is by the preserved narrow-gauge Vale of Rheidol Railway.
Although the town is relatively modern, there are a number of historic buildings, including the remains of the castle and the Old College of Aberystwyth University nearby. The Old College was originally built and opened in 1865 as a hotel, but after the owner's bankruptcy the shell of the building was sold to the university in 1867.[5]
The new university campus overlooks Aberystwyth from Penglais Hill to the east of the town centre. The station, a terminus of the main railway, was built in 1924 in the typical style of the period, mainly in a mix of Gothic, Classical Revival, and Victorian architecture.
The town is the unofficial capital of Mid Wales, and several institutions have regional or national offices there. Public bodies located in the town include the National Library of Wales, which incorporates the National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales, one of six British regional film archives. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales maintains and curates the National Monuments Record of Wales (NMRW), providing the public with information about the built heritage of Wales. Aberystwyth is also the home to the national offices of UCAC and Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (Welsh Language Society), and the site of the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, the Welsh Books Council and the offices of the standard historical dictionary of Welsh, Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru. A purpose built Welsh Government office and an adjoining office of Ceredigion County Council are also located in the town.
Climate
Aberystwyth experiences an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb) similar to almost all of the United Kingdom. This is particularly pronounced due to its west coast location facing the Irish Sea. Air undergoes little land moderation and so temperatures closely reflect the sea temperature when winds are coming from the predominant onshore (westerly) direction. The nearest Met Office weather station is Gogerddan, 3 miles to the northeast, and at a similar elevation.
The absolute maximum temperature is 34.6 °C (94.3 °F),[6] set during July 2006. This is also the July record maximum for all of Wales, suggesting that the area's low lying situation, aided by a possible föhn effect when winds are offshore can act to achieve high temperatures on occasion. Typically the warmest day will average 28.0 °C (82.4 °F)[7] and 5.6 days[8] will achieve a maximum of 25.1 °C (77.2 °F) or above.
The absolute minimum temperature is −13.5 °C (7.7 °F),[9] set in January 2010. Typically 39.8 days will register an air frost.
Rainfall averages 1,112 mm (44 in) a year,[10] with over 1mm recorded on 161 days.[11] All averages refer to the 1981–2010 period.
Climate data for Gogerddan, elevation 31m, 1981–2010, extremes 1960–
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Record high °C (°F)16.1
(61.0)17.8
(64.0)22.8
(73.0)26.2
(79.2)27.5
(81.5)31.7
(89.1)34.6
(94.3)32.8
(91.0)31.1
(88.0)23.9
(75.0)18.1
(64.6)15.5
(59.9)34.6
(94.3)
Average high °C (°F)8.1
(46.6)8.2
(46.8)10.0
(50.0)12.4
(54.3)15.5
(59.9)17.6
(63.7)19.4
(66.9)19.2
(66.6)17.4
(63.3)14.2
(57.6)10.9
(51.6)8.6
(47.5)13.5
(56.2)
Average low °C (°F)2.5
(36.5)2.1
(35.8)3.7
(38.7)4.7
(40.5)7.3
(45.1)10.1
(50.2)12.4
(54.3)12.2
(54.0)10.2
(50.4)7.9
(46.2)4.9
(40.8)2.4
(36.3)6.7
(44.1)
Record low °C (°F)−13.5
(7.7)−11.1
(12.0)−9.4
(15.1)−5.1
(22.8)−2.6
(27.3)0.6
(33.1)2.8
(37.0)2.8
(37.0)0.0
(32.0)−4.3
(24.3)−11.9
(10.6)−12.4
(9.7)−13.5
(7.7)
Average precipitation mm (inches)94.6
(3.72)71.4
(2.81)84.1
(3.31)60.6
(2.39)59.7
(2.35)73.6
(2.90)81.8
(3.22)86.6
(3.41)92.4
(3.64)130.5
(5.14)122.5
(4.82)116.9
(4.60)1,074.7
(42.31)
Mean monthly sunshine hours51.173.7101.8166.1206.0183.1183.7169.4131.098.657.245.91,467.4
Source 1: KNMI[12]
Source 2: Met Office[13]
History
Mesolithic
There is evidence that during the Mesolithic Age the area of Tan-y-Bwlch at the foot of Pen Dinas (Penparcau) was used as a flint knapping floor for hunter-gatherers making weapons from flint that was deposited as the ice retreated.[14]
Bronze and Iron Ages
The remains of a Celtic fortress on Pen Dinas (or more correctly 'Dinas Maelor'), a hill in Penparcau overlooking Aberystwyth, indicates that the site was inhabited before 700 BC.[15][16] On a hill south of the present town, across the River Ystwyth, are the remains of a medieval ringfort believed to be the castle from which Princess Nest was abducted. This rare survival is now on private land and can only be accessed by arrangement.[17]
Middle Ages
Site of original Aberystwyth Castle at Tan y Castell
The recorded history of Aberystwyth may be said to date from the building of a fortress in 1109 by Gilbert Fitz Richard (grandfather of Richard de Clare, known as Strongbow, the Cambro-Norman lord notable for his leading role in the Norman invasion of Ireland). Gilbert Fitz Richard was granted lands and the lordship of Cardigan by Henry I, including Cardigan Castle. The fortress built in Aberystwyth was located about a mile and a half south of today's town, on a hill over the south bank of the Ystwyth River, thus giving the settlement of Aberystwyth its name. The location is now known as Tan-Y-Castell.[18]
Aberystwyth was usually under the control of the princes of Deheubarth, but its position close to the border with Gwynedd and Powys left it vulnerable to attacks from the leaders of those polities. The town was attacked by Gwenwynwyn ab Owain in 1197, an assault in which Maelgwn ap Rhys was captured. Llywelyn the Great attacked and seized the town in late 1208, building a castle there before withdrawing.
Edward I replaced Strongbow's castle in 1277,[19] after its destruction by the Welsh.[20] His castle was, however, built in a different location, at the current Castle Hill, the high point of the town. Between the years 1404 and 1408 Aberystwyth Castle was in the hands of Owain Glyndŵr but finally surrendered to Prince Harry (the future King Henry V of England). Shortly after this, the town was incorporated under the title of Ville de Lampadarn (the ancient name of the place being Llanbadarn Gaerog or the fortified Llanbadarn, to distinguish it from Llanbadarn Fawr, the village one mile (1.6 km) inland. It is thus styled in a Royal charter granted by Henry VIII but, by Elizabeth I's time, the town was invariably named Aberystwyth in all documents.[21]
Early modern era
Aberystwyth at around 1840. Crane, W., fl. ca. 1835–1850, lithographer.
From 1639 to 1642, silver coins were minted at Aberystwyth Castle on behalf of the Royal Mint, using silver from local mines. £10,500 in currency was produced, equivalent to 2.5 million silver pennies.[22]
In 1649, Parliamentarian troops razed the castle,[23] although portions of three towers still exist. In 1988, an excavation within the castle area revealed a complete male skeleton, deliberately buried. Though skeletons rarely survive in Wales' acidic soil, this skeleton was probably preserved by the addition of lime from the collapsed building. Affectionately known as "Charlie" and now housed in the Ceredigion Museum in the town, he probably dates from the English Civil War period, and is likely to have died during the Parliamentarian siege. His image is featured in one of nine mosaics created to adorn the castle's walls.[24]
Rural industries and craftsmen were an important part of life in a country town. The local trade directory for 1830 shows that there were in Aberystwyth: Twenty boot makers, eight bakers, two corn millers, eleven carpenters and joiners, one cooper, seven tailors, two dressmakers, two straw hat makers, two hat makers, three curriers, four saddlers, two tinsmiths, six maltsters, two skinners, four tanners, eight stonemasons, one brewer, four lime burners, three shipwrights, three wheelwrights, five cabinet makers, one nail maker, one rope maker and one sail maker.[25]
Victorian era
The Queen's Hotel, Aberystwith
The first Pier at Aberystwyth c.1865
The Cambrian Railways line from Machynlleth reached Aberystwyth in 1864, closely followed by rail links to Carmarthen, which resulted in the construction of the town's impressive station. The Cambrian line opened on Good Friday 1869, the same day that the new 292 metres (958 ft) Royal Pier (designed by Eugenius Birch) opened, attracting 7,000 visitors.[26]
The railway's arrival gave rise to something of a Victorian tourist boom; the town was once even billed as the "Biarritz of Wales".[27] During this time, a number of hotels and fine townhouses were built including the Queens Hotel, later renamed Swyddfa'r Sir (County Office) when used as offices by the town council, and most recently used as the external scenes of the police station in the television show Hinterland. One of the largest of these hotels, "The Castle Hotel", was never completed as a hotel but, following bankruptcy, was sold cheaply to the Welsh National University Committee, a group of people dedicated to the creation of a Welsh University. The University College of Wales (later to become Aberystwyth University) was founded in 1872 in this building.
Aberystwyth was a contributory parliamentary borough until the Third Reform Act, which merged its representation into that of the county in 1885.
In 1895, various businessmen who had been behind the Aberystwyth New Harbour Company formed the Aberystwyth Improvement Company (AIC) to take over the works of the defunct Bourne Engineering & Electrical. In 1896, the AIC completed three projects: the new landside pavilion for the Royal Pier;[28] built the Cambria Hotel (later the United Theological College) and formed Constitution Hill Ltd, to develop a Victorian theme park. Chief engineer George Croydon Marks designed all the AIC developments, including the United Kingdom's second longest funicular railway,[29] which takes passengers up a 50% gradient to a park and camera obscura.
Modern history
Aberystwyth Harbour
Aberystwyth hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1865, 1916, 1952 and 1992.[30]
On the night of Friday, 14 January 1938, a storm with estimated wind speeds of up to 90 mph (140 km/h) struck the town. Most of the promenade was destroyed, along with 200 feet (60 m) of the pier. Many properties on the seafront were damaged, with every property from the King's Hall north affected; those on Victoria Terrace suffered the greatest damage. Work commenced on a protective coffer dam which continued into 1940, with total costs of construction coming to £70,000 (equivalent to £2.5 million today).[31]
Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (Welsh language Society) held their historic first protest on Trefechan Bridge in Aberystwyth, on 2 February 1963.[32] The first independent Welsh Evangelical Church was established in Aberystwyth (see Evangelical Movement of Wales).
On 1 March 2005, Aberystwyth was granted Fairtrade Town status.[33]
In March 2009 mayor Sue Jones-Davies, who had played the role of Judith Iscariot in the film Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979), organised a charity screening of the film. Principal actors Terry Jones and Michael Palin also attended. There is a popular, but incorrect, urban myth that the town had banned the film (as some authorities did) when it was first released.[34]
During the aftermath storms from Cyclone Dirk on Friday 3 January 2014, the town was one of the worst hit in Wales, with enormous swells uprooting boulders from the sea walls, leaving roads and pavements along the promenade buried under a mass of paving stones, bricks, shale and twisted metal.[35][36] Properties on the adjoining promenade were then evacuated for the next five days, including 250 students from the University.[37] Ceredigion Council appealed to the Welsh Assembly Government for funds, whilst Natural Resources Wales undertook surveys and emergency preventative measures.[38]
North Parade, Aberystwyth was reported to be the most expensive street in Wales in 2018, based on property prices.[39]
Governance
Aberystwyth's local government administration has a two-tier structure consisting of two separate councils. As local government is a devolved matter in Wales, the legislation for both Councils is a responsibility of the Senedd.
Town Council
Aberystwyth Town Council is the first tier of local government, which is the closest to the general public; there are 19 elected town councillors from five wards. The last elections were held on the 4 May 2017. The council is responsible for cycle paths, public footpaths, CCTV, public Wi-Fi, bus shelters, parks, gardens (including the castle grounds and the skateboard park) and allotments. The council is a statutory body which is consulted regarding planning decisions in the town area and makes recommendations to the planning authority, Ceredigion County Council. The Town Council is also involved in leisure, tourism, business[40] (through providing more than half of Menter Aberystwyth's funding in grants), licence applications, wellbeing [41] and environmental health, recycling and refuse collection.
A borough council existed in Aberystwyth from 1832 and the Aberystwyth School Board was established in 1870.
County Council
Ceredigion County Council is another statutory body incorporated by Act of Parliament. It is the second tier of local government in the area and is a unitary authority with a wide range of powers and responsibility. The Council deals with roads (except trunk roads), street lighting, some highways, social services, children and family care, schools and public libraries. Aberystwyth elects six of the 42 councillors in five separate wards (Bronglais, Central, North and Rheidol wards elect one councillor each while Penparcau ward elects two).
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament
Aberystwyth has five Senedd members, one of whom (Elin Jones) was elected as a constituency MS for Ceredigion, and four who are elected on the regional list for Mid and West Wales.
UK Parliament
The town is in the Ceredigion constituency for elections to the House of Commons. Since June 2017, Aberystwyth's MP has been Plaid Cymru's Ben Lake.
Culture
Town library
The first ever public library in Aberystwyth was opened in Compton House, Pier Street on 13 October 1874. In 1882 the library was moved to the Assembly Rooms which were leased to the council for 21 years. The lease expired in 1903 and the library returned to Pier Street, this time to the Old Banking Library at the corner with Eastgate Street, although this was short lived.[42]
A Carnegie library was built in Aberystwyth in 1905, with a grant of £3,000. Located in Corporation Street, it was designed by the architect Walter Payton of Birmingham, who was one of 48 who entered the competition to design the building. It was formally opened on 20 April 1906 by Mrs Vaughan Davies, wife of the local MP.[42]
The Town Library moved to the old Town Hall, now known as Canolfan Alun R. Edwards, Queen's Square, in 2012, following the building's refurbishment. The County Council vacated the Town Hall in a move to their purpose built offices on Boulevard de Saint-Brieuc in 2009.[citation needed]
National Library of Wales
National Library of Wales
Main article: National Library of Wales
The National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth, is the national legal deposit library of Wales. Established in 1907, it is a Welsh Government sponsored body. According to Cyril Evans, the library's centenary events co-ordinator, "The library is considered to be one of the world's greatest libraries, and its international reputation is certainly something that all Welsh men and women are intensely ... proud of".[43] Welsh is the main medium of communication within the organisation; it aims to deliver all public services in Welsh and English.[44]
Arts
The Arts Centre
Main article: Aberystwyth Arts Centre
Aberystwyth Arts Centre is one of the largest and busiest arts centres in Wales.[45] It encompasses a 312-seat theatre, 900-seat concert hall, 125-seat cinema, and has accompanied studio, galleries, plus public spaces which include cafes and a bar.[46]
Arad Goch is an Arts Council funded community theatre and art gallery based in the town. The premises holds a theatre, gallery, several art studios and meeting rooms, and a darkroom.
Music
Aberystwyth has a live music scene which has produced bands and artists such as:
The Crocketts
The Hot Puppies
Murry the Hump
The Lowland Hundred
The University Music Centre promotes a varied programme for instrumentalists, singers and listeners from the university and the wider community.
The University chamber choir, The Elizabethan Madrigal Singers, have been singing in the town since 1950 and continue to hold a number of concerts throughout the year.
Aberystwyth gives its name to a well known hymn tune composed by Joseph Parry.[citation needed]
Sport
Aberystwyth RFC is the local rugby union club and acts as a feeder club to professional side Scarlets. It was formed in 1947 and for the 2017/18 season played in the WRU Division One West.[47]
Aberystwyth Town F.C. is a semi-professional football club that was formed in 1884. The team currently compete in the Cymru Premier, Wales' top division.[48]
The town also has a cricket club which plays in local leagues,[49] an athletics club (founded 1955),[50] and boxing club in Penparcau.[51] The town's golf course opened in 1911.[52]
Welsh language
Ceredigion, the county in which Aberystwyth is located, is one of the four most Welsh-speaking counties in Wales and remained majority Welsh speaking until the 2011 census.[53][54]
However, since the town's growth as a seaside resort in the Victorian era, it has been more anglicised than its hinterland and the rest of the county in general. The university has also attracted many English-speaking students from England, non-Welsh speaking parts of Wales and elsewhere. The 1891 census recorded that, of the 6635 inhabitants who completed the language section, 3482 (52.5%) were bilingual, 1751 (26.4%) were Welsh monoglots, and 1402 people (21.1%) were returned as English monoglots. Ceredigion (then named Cardiganshire) as a whole was 95.2% Welsh-speaking and 74.5% monoglot Welsh.[55] Although the town remained majority Welsh-speaking for many more decades, English had already replaced Welsh in certain domains, such as entertainment and tourism.
By 1961, only 50.0% of the town's population could speak Welsh, compared to 79.5% for Cardiganshire as a whole;[56] by 1971, these numbers had fallen to 44.9% and 67.6% respectively.[57]
The 2001 census reported that, in the seven wards of Aberystwyth, 39% of the residents self-identified as able to speak or read or write Welsh. This is lower than Ceredigion as a whole (54%) but higher than Wales overall (19%).[58]
Education
Schools
Aberystwyth has two comprehensive schools serving the town and a wide rural area: Ysgol Gyfun Gymunedol Penweddig and Ysgol Penglais School. Ysgol Gyfun Gymunedol Penweddig uses Welsh as the primary language of tuition; Ysgol Penglais School teaches in English and in Welsh as a subject.
Aberystwyth University
Main article: Aberystwyth University
Aberystwyth is home to Aberystwyth University (Welsh: Prifysgol Aberystwyth) whose predecessor, University College Wales, was founded in 1872[19] and renamed the 'University of Wales, Aberystwyth' in the mid-1990s. Prior to the college's establishment, Wales had very limited academic-degree capability through St David's College, Lampeter (founded in 1822, now the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David).
Tourism and local economy
View of Aberystwyth and Cardigan Bay from the National Library of Wales
As well as having two cinemas and a golf course, the town's attractions include:
The Aberystwyth Cliff Railway, a funicular railway
A Victorian camera obscura at the top of Constitution Hill.
The Vale of Rheidol steam railway (Aberystwyth to Devil's Bridge)
Aberystwyth Arts Centre.
The Parc Penglais nature reserve
The Ystwyth Trail cycle path
National Library of Wales
Park Avenue. Football stadium home to Aberystwyth Town F.C.
The all organic dairy unit of Rachel's Organic is based in Glan yr Afon, and is the largest private sector employer in Aberystwyth.[59][60]
The Cambrian News newspaper came to Aberystwyth from Bala in 1870, after it was purchased by Sir John Gibson. Printed in Oswestry, in May 1880 the paper integrated operations in a former Malthouse in Mill Street. Owned by the Read family from 1926, in 1993 printing was contracted out, enabling the move of editorial staff to the current open-plan offices on Llanbadarn Fawr Science Park. On the death of Henry Read, the paper was purchased in 1999 by Sir Ray Tindle, whose company owns more than 200 weekly newspapers in Britain. Now printed in tabloid format, Cambrian News is the second-largest weekly-print circulation newspaper in Wales, with 24,000 copies in six regional editorial versions, read by 60,000 weekly readers. The circulation area of mid, west and north Wales covers 3,000 square miles (7,800 km2).[61]
Since the TV series Hinterland has been filmed in and around Aberystwyth, the area is being promoted as an opportunity for tourists to visit filming locations; many are well publicised.[62][63]
Transport
Rail
An Arriva Trains Wales service awaiting departure from Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth railway station is situated in the town centre and is the terminus of the scenic Cambrian Line. Transport for Wales Rail operate a mostly hourly service (with some two-hour intervals) to Shrewsbury via Machynlleth and Mid Wales, with nearly all trains continuing to Birmingham International. Connecting services from Dovey Junction provide a link to Gwynedd's west coast as far as Pwllheli, along the Cambrian Coast Line. There is no longer a southbound connection: the Carmarthen–Aberystwyth line was closed in 1965 as part of the Beeching cuts.
The Vale of Rheidol Railway runs through the spectacular Rheidol Valley
Aberystwyth station is also the terminus of the Vale of Rheidol Railway, a steam-operated narrow gauge heritage railway. Constructed between 1901 and 1902, it was intended to ship mineral cargo, primarily lead, from Devil's Bridge down to Aberystwyth for trans-shipment. By the time it was finished, lead mining was in a deep downturn and—thanks to the Aberystwyth Improvement Company—the railway came to rely largely on the tourist industry, opening for passengers in December 1902. It still remains open for the summer season, with a journey of 12 miles (19 km).
In 1896, the Aberystwyth Improvement Company formed Constitution Hill Ltd which, under the direction of chief engineer George Croydon Marks, developed the United Kingdom's second longest funicular railway, the Aberystwyth Cliff Railway, which takes passengers up a 50% gradient.[28][29]
Bus
A TrawsCymru T1 service on the A4120 in Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth is a hub for the TrawsCymru bus network, with four routes serving the town:
T1 - hourly service to Carmarthen (connects with T1S to Swansea, Monday-Saturday) via Aberaeron and Lampeter - with one service a day (Monday-Saturday) extended to Cardiff [64]
T1C - daily express coach service to Cardiff, via Aberaeron, Camarthen (connects with T1S to Swansea, Monday-Saturday), Swansea (Sunday & Bank Holidays only), Port Talbot Parkway and Bridgend [65]
T2 - every 1–2 hours to Bangor via Machynlleth, Dolgellau (connects with T3 to Barmouth and Wrexham), Porthmadog and Caernarfon [66]
T5 - hourly service to Haverfordwest via Aberaeron, New Quay, Cardigan and Fishguard [67]
(TrawsCymru services run less-frequently on Sundays.)
There is a daily National Express coach, service 409 to London via Birmingham, along with local bus services within the town and into the surrounding area.[68]
Road
The A44 and A487 meet with much traffic between North Wales and South West Wales passing through the town. The A4120 links the A44 and A487 between Llanbadarn Fawr and Penparcau, allowing through traffic to bypass the town centre.
The B4574 mountain road linking the town to Rhayader is described by the AA as one of the ten most scenic drives in the world.[69][70]
Port
The port of Aberystwyth, although it is small and relatively inconsequential today, used to be an important Atlantic Ocean entryway. It was used to ship locally, to Ireland and as a transatlantic departure point. Commercially, the once important Cardiganshire lead mines exported from this location.[19]
The importance of maritime trade in the 19th century is reflected in the fact that a lifeboat has been based at Aberystwyth since 1843, when a 27 ft (8.2 m) boat powered by six oars was funded by public subscription and placed under the control of the harbourmaster. The RNLI took over the service in 1861 and established Aberystwyth Lifeboat Station which celebrated 150 years in 2011. The station uses the Atlantic 85-class inshore lifeboat Spirit of Friendship.
Notable people
Main category: People from Aberystwyth
In fiction
Literature
Aberystwyth (albeit an alternative universe version) is the setting for the cult Louie Knight series by Malcolm Pryce, which transfers Chandleresque "noir" stories and dialogue to this small seaside town.[71] This alternative reality features many landmarks of Aberystwyth, such as the University and the National Library of Wales, but the social situation is radically altered to more closely resemble the pulp/noir stereotypical "Dirty Town" that the narrative plays off. Most of the humour in the books is derived from the almost seamless juxtaposition of the real Aberystwyth and the fictional, noir Aberystwyth. Various aspects of Welsh culture are reflections of what you might expect to see in reality, but with a pulp twist – for example, prostitutes wear Welsh stovepipe hats.[72]
Stripping Penguins Bare, the book 2 of Michael Carson's Benson Trilogy of comic novels, is set in the town and university in the 1960s.
The local writer Niall Griffiths has set many of his novels here and reflects local slang, settings, and even individuals. Grits and Sheepshagger are set wholly in Aberystwyth, which also features prominently in his other novels such as Kelly and Victor and Stump. He portrays a more gritty side of Aberystwyth.
Y Llyfrgell (2009) is Welsh language novel by Fflur Dafydd. It was the winner of the 2009 Daniel Owen Memorial Prize presented at the National Eisteddfod. The book is set in the National Library of Wales and in Aberystwyth town. This was made into a film of the same name in Welsh, and in English as The Library Suicides.[73][74]
Television
Y Gwyll (2013–2016), a Welsh television programme, known as Hinterland in English, broadcast on S4C, BBC One Wales, BBC Four and Netflix in North America, is set in Aberystwyth. It is filmed in and around the town, often in rural locations.[63][75]
Freedom of the Town
The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Town of Aberystwyth.[76]
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.
Individuals
1912 – Sir John Williams
1912 – David Davies
1912 – Stuart Rendel
1922 – David Lloyd George
1923 – Lewis Pugh Evans
1923 – Matthew Vaughan-Davies
1923 – Sir Herbert Lewis
1928 – Stanley Baldwin
1934 – Sir David Charles Roberts
1936 – Ernest Vaughan
1951 – Winston Churchill
1956 – Sir David James
2011 – Fritz Pratschke
2015 – Jean Guezennec
Military Units
1955 – The Welsh Guards
Twinning
Arklow in Wicklow, Republic of Ireland Ireland[77]
Kronberg im Taunus in Hesse Hesse, Germany Germany
Saint-Brieuc in Brittany Brittany, France France[78]
Esquel in Patagonia, Argentina Argentina[79]
Architecture, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales. Aberystwyth University (Welsh: Prifysgol Aberystwyth) is a public research university in Aberystwyth, Wales. Aberystwyth was a founding member institution of the former federal University of Wales. The university has over 8,000 students studying across 3 academic faculties and 17 departments.
Founded in 1872 as University College Wales, Aberystwyth, it became a founder member of the University of Wales in 1894, and changed its name to the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth. In the mid-1990s, the university again changed its name to become the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. On 1 September 2007, the University of Wales ceased to be a federal university and Aberystwyth University became independent again.[3]
In 2019, it became the first university to be named "University of the year for teaching quality" by The Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide for two consecutive years.[4] It is the first university in the world to be awarded Plastic Free University status (for single-use plastic items).[5]
History
Old College
The University for Wales, Aberystwyth, c.1870
Old College Building from the Castle
In the middle of the 19th century, eminent Welsh people were advocating the establishment of a university in the Principality, one of these, Thomas Nicholas, whose book Middle and High Class Schools, and University Education for Wales (1863) is said to have "exerted great influence on educated Welshmen".[6]
Funded through public and private subscriptions, and with five regional committees (London, Manchester, Liverpool, North and South Wales) guaranteeing funds for the first three years' running costs, the university opened in October 1872 with 26 students. Thomas Charles Edwards was the Principal. In October 1875, chapels in Wales raised the next tranche of funds from over 70,000 contributors.[7] Until 1893, when the college joined the University of Wales as a founder member, students applying to Aberystwyth sat the University of London's entrance exams.[8] Women were admitted in 1884.
In 1885, a fire damaged what is now known as the Old College, Aberystwyth, and in 1897 the first 14 acres of what would become the main Penglais campus were purchased.[9] Incorporated by Royal Charter in 1893, the university installed the Prince of Wales as Chancellor in 1896, the same year it awarded an honorary degree to the British Prime Minister William Gladstone.
The university's coat of arms dates from the 1880s. The shield features two red dragons to symbolise Wales, and an open book to symbolise learning. The crest, an eagle or phoenix above a flaming tower, may signify the College's rebirth after the 1885 fire.[10] The motto is Nid Byd, Byd Heb Wybodaeth (a world without knowledge is no world at all).
In the early 1900s the university added courses that included Law, Applied Mathematics, Pure Mathematics, and Botany. The Department for International Politics, which Aberystwyth says is the oldest such department in the world, was founded in 1919.[11] By 1977, the university's staff included eight Fellows of the Royal Society, such as Gwendolen Rees, the first Welsh woman to be elected an FRS.
The Department of Sports and Exercise Science was established in 2000. Joint honours Psychology degrees were introduced in September 2007, and single honours Psychology in 2009.
The chancellor of the university is The Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, who took up the position in January 2018. The visitor of the university is an appointment made by the Privy Council, under the Royal Charter of the university. Since July 2014, the holder of this office is Mr Justice Sir Roderick Evans QC.
In 2011 the university appointed a new vice chancellor[12] under whom the academic departments were restructured as larger subject-themed institutes.
Organisation and administration
Departments and Faculties
The University's academic departments, as well as the Arts Centre, International English Centre, and Music Centre are organised in three faculties:
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
School of Art
Arts Centre
School of Education
Department of English and Creative Writing
Department of History and Welsh History
International English Centre
Department of International Politics
Department of Law and Criminology
Department of Modern Languages
Music Centre
Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies
Department of Welsh and Celtic Studies
Faculty of Business and Physical Sciences
Aberystwyth Business School
Department of Computer Science
Department of Information Studies
Department of Mathematics
Department of Physics
Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences
Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences
Department of Geography and Earth Sciences
Department of Psychology
Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences
The Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) is a research and teaching centre which brings together staff from the Institutes of Rural Sciences and Biological Sciences and the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research (IGER). Around 360 research, teaching and support staff conduct basic, strategic and applied research in biology.[13]
The Institute is located in two areas; one at the main teaching Penglais campus and another rural research hub at the Gogerddan campus.[14]
Aberystwyth Business School
In 1998. the Department of Economics (founded in 1912), the Department of Accounting and Finance (founded in 1979) and the Centre for Business Studies merged to create the School of Management and Business. In 2013, the School joined the Department of Information Studies and the Department of Law and Criminology at a new campus at Llanbadarn Fawr. The School was shortlisted for ‘Business School of the Year Times Higher Education Awards (2014).[15] In 2016 the Institute, minus the Department of Information Studies, was renamed the Institute of Business and Law, the remaining departments being renamed Aberystwyth Business School and Aberystwyth Law School.
Cledwyn Building, former home of the School of Economics
Department of Computer Science
The Llandinam Building
The Department of Computer Science (founded in 1970), conducts research in automated reasoning, computational biology, vision graphics and visualisation, and intelligent robotics.
AberMUD, the first popular internet-based MUD, was written in the department by then-student Alan Cox. Jan Pinkava, another graduate, won an Oscar for his short animated film Geri's Game. Students in the department were also involved in the creation of the award-winning service robot librarian named Hugh (robot)[16] and Kar-go, the autonomous delivery vehicle.[17]
Department of Geography and Earth Sciences
The Department of Geography and Earth Sciences (IGES) was formed, in 1989, from the former Departments of Geography (established in 1918) and Geology. houses the E. G. Bowen map library, containing 80,000 maps and 500 atlases.[18]
Department of Information Studies
CLW Library, Llanbadarn - later named the Thomas Parry Library
The College of Librarianship Wales (CLW) was established at Llanbadarn Fawr in 1964, in response to a recommendation for the training of bilingual librarians that was made in the Bourdillon Report on Standards of public library service in England (HMSO, 1962). The College grew rapidly, developing close links to the Welsh speaking and professional communities, acquiring an international reputation and pioneering flexible and distance learning courses. It claimed to be Europe's largest institution for training librarians.[19] The independent college merged with the university (in August 1989) and the department moved to the Penglais campus a quarter of a century later. Following the merger, the new department took over responsibility for existing offerings in archives administration and modern records management.
Department of International Politics
International Politics building
The Department of International Politics was founded, shortly after World War I (in 1919), with the stated purpose of furthering political understanding of the world in the hope of avoiding such conflicts in the future. This goal led to the creation of the Woodrow Wilson Chair of International Politics.[20] The department has over 700 students from 40 countries studying at undergraduate, masters and PhD levels. It achieved a 95% score for student satisfaction in the 2016 National Student Survey, placing it as the highest-ranking politics department in Wales and within the UK's top ten.[21]
The department has hosted various notable academic staff in the field including E. H. Carr, Leopold Kohr, Andrew Linklater, Ken Booth, Steve Smith, Michael Cox, Michael MccGwire, Jenny Edkins and Colin J. McInnes.
Department of Law and Criminology
The Department of Law and Criminology (founded in 1901) is housed in the Hugh Owen Building on the Penglais campus, and includes the Centre for Welsh Legal Affairs, a specialist research centre. All academic staff are engaged in research, and the International Journal of Biosciences and the Law and the Cambrian Law Review are edited in the department. In 2013, the department joined the Department of Information Studies and the School of Management and Business at a new campus at Llanbadarn Fawr, as part of a newly created Institute of Management, Law and Information Studies. As of September 2018, the department has since relocated back to the Hugh Owen Building, based in the Penglais campus, and its name changed from Aberystwyth Law School to the Department of Law and Criminology.[22]
The Guardian University Guide 2018 currently ranks Law Department at 69th in the UK,[23] and "The Times" Higher Education Guide ranks it as 300th globally.[24]
Department of Modern Languages
Aberystwyth has taught modern languages since 1874. French, German, Italian and Spanish courses are taught at both beginners' and advanced levels, in a research-active academic environment. One of its research projects is the Anglo-Norman Dictionary,[25] based in Aberystwyth since 2001 and available online since 2005.
Department of Physics
Physics was first taught at Aberystwyth as part of Natural Philosophy, Astronomy, and Mathematics under N. R. Grimley, soon after the foundation of the University College.[26] It became a department in 1877, under the leadership of F. W. Rudler.[26] The department was located in the south wing of what is now the Old College,[26] but later relocated to the Physics Building on the Penglais Campus. The first Chair in Physics was offered to D. E. Jones in 1885.[26] Prior to World War I, much of the early research in the department was undertaken in Germany. Early research in the 1900s was concerned with electrical conductivity and quantum theory, later moving into thermal conductivity and acoustics.[26] In 1931, the department hosted the Faraday Centenary Exhibition.[26] E. J. Williams was appointed Chair of Physics in 1938 where he continued his research into sub-atomic particles using a cloud chamber.[27] Following World War II, research was concerned with mechanical and nuclear physics, later moving into the fields of air density, experimental rocket launching equipment, and radar.[26]
Arts Studio
Department of Psychology
In 2007, Aberystwyth established the subject as a 'Centre for Applied Psychology' within the Department of International Politics. By 2011, Psychology had moved into their current premises in Penbryn 5 on the Penglais Campus. The department is home to over 300 undergraduate students - with degrees accredited by the British Psychological Society.
Campuses
Old College east entrance
Penglais
The main campus of the University is situated on Penglais Hill, overlooking the town of Aberystwyth and Cardigan Bay, and comprises most of the University buildings, Arts Centre, Students’ Union, and many of the student residences. Just below Penglais Campus is the National Library of Wales, one of Britain's five legal deposit libraries. The landscaping of the Penglais Campus is historically significant and is listed.[9] The CADW listing states,
"The landscaping of the University of Wales, Aberystwyth campuses, particularly the earlier Penglais campus, is of exceptional historic interest as one of the most important modern landscaping schemes in Wales...One section of the Penglais campus was designed by the well known landscape architect Brenda Colvin and is one of the very few of her schemes to have survived. A number of women have played a key role in the development and planting of the whole site."
Llanbadarn
The Llanbadarn Centre is located approximately one mile to the east of the Penglais Campus, near Llanbadarn Fawr, overlooking the town and Cardigan Bay to the west, with the backdrop of the Cambrian Mountains to the east. Llanbadarn Centre hosted Aberystwyth Law School and Aberystwyth Business School, which together formed the Institute of Business and Law. The Department of Information Studies is also based there. Additionally, the Llanbadarn Campus is the site of the Aberystwyth branch of Coleg Ceredigion (a further education college, and not part of the University).
Goggerddan
At Gogerddan, on the outskirts of town is located the University's major centre for research in land based sciences and the main centre for the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Science.
School of Art, Edward Davies Building
Edward Davies Building
The School of Art is located between the Penglais Campus and the centre of Aberystwyth, in what was originally the Edward Davies Chemical Laboratory. A listed building, the Edward Davies Building is one of the finest examples of architecture in Aberystwyth.
Old College
The site of the original university is the 'Old College', currently the subject of the 'New Life for Old College' project which aims to transform it into an integrated centre of heritage, culture, learning and knowledge exchange. The university opened an international campus in Mauritius in 2016 operating as Aberystwyth University (Mauritian Branch Campus) and registered with the Tertiary Education Commission of Mauritius, but closed it to new enrolments two years later due to low enrolment numbers.[28]
Student residences
Most of the student residences are on campus, with the rest in walking distance of the campus and Aberystwyth town centre. Accommodation ranges from 'traditional' catered residences to en-suite self-catered accommodation, and from budget rooms to more luxurious studio apartments. All have wired access to the University's computer network and a support network of residential tutors.
Penglais Campus
Cwrt Mawr (self-catered flats, single rooms, capacity 503)[29]
Neuadd Pantycelyn [cy] (Welsh speaking traditional catered hall, refurbished in 2020, capacity 200)[30]
Penbryn (Welsh-speaking traditional catered hall, capacity 350)[31]
Rosser (self-catered en-suite flats, capacity 336),
Rosser G (postgraduate flats following 2011 expansion to Rosser, capacity 60)[32]
Trefloyne (self-catered flats, capacity 147)[33]
Pentre Jane Morgan (Student Village)
Almost 200 individual houses arranged in closes and cul-de-sacs. Each house typically accommodate 5 or 6 students. (total capacity 1003)[34]
Fferm Penglais Student Residence
Purpose-built student accommodation with studio apartments and en-suite bedrooms (total capacity 1000). An area of accommodation within the Fferm Penglais Student Residence is set aside for students who are Welsh learners or fluent Welsh speakers, and wish to live in a Welsh speaking environment.
Town accommodation
Seafront Residences (self-catered flats located on the seafront and Queen's Road, overall capacity 361). The original Seafront residences, Plyn' and Caerleon, were destroyed by fire in 1998.[35][36]
Seafront residences include Aberglasney, Balmoral, Blaenwern, Caerleon, Carpenter, Pumlumon, Ty Glyndwr, and Ty Gwerin Halls.[37]
The University also owns several houses, such as Penglais Farmhouse (Adjacent to Pentre Jane Morgan) and flats in Waun Fawr, which are let on an Assured Shorthold Tenure to students with families. Disabled access rooms are available within the existing student village.
Reputation and academic profile
Rankings
National rankings
Complete (2021)[38]58
Guardian (2021)[39]49
Times / Sunday Times (2021)[40]42
Global rankings
QS (2021)[41]
432=
THE (2021)[42]401-500
British Government assessment
Teaching Excellence Framework[43]Gold
Aberystwyth University is placed in the UK’s top 50 universities in the main national rankings. It is ranked 48th for 132 UK university rankings in The Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide for 2019 [44] and the first university to be given the prestigious award "University of the year for teaching quality" for two consecutive years (2018 and 2019).[4]
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings placed it in the 301—350 group for 800 university rankings, compared with 351—400 the previous year,[45] and the QS World University Rankings placed it at the 432th position for 2019, compared with 481—490 of the previous year.[46] In 2015, UK employers from “predominantly business, IT and engineering sectors” listed Aberystwyth equal 49th in their 62-place employability rankings for UK graduates, according to a Times Higher Education report.[47]
Aberystwyth University was rated in the top ten of UK higher education institutions for overall student satisfaction in the 2016 National Student Survey (NSS).[48]
Aberystwyth University was shortlisted in four categories in the Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Awards (THELMAs) (2015).[49]
Aberystwyth University has been awarded the Silver Award under the Corporate Health Standard (CHS), the quality mark for workplace health promotion run by Welsh Government.[50]
The University has been awarded an Athena SWAN Charter Award, recognising commitment to advancing women's careers in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) in higher education and research.[51]
In 2007 the University came under criticism for its record on sustainability, ranking 97th out of 106 UK higher education institutions in that year's Green League table.[52] In 2012 the university was listed in the table's "Failed, no award" section, ranking equal 132nd out of 145.[53] In 2013 it ranked equal 135th out of 143, and was listed again as "Failed, no award".[54]
Following the University's initiatives to address sustainability,[55] it received an EcoCampus[56] Silver Phase award in October 2014.
In October 2015, the University’s Penglais Campus became the first University campus in Wales to achieve the Green Flag Award.[57] The Green Flag Award is a UK-wide partnership, delivered in Wales by Keep Wales Tidy with support from Natural Resources Wales, and is the mark of a high quality park or green space.
In 2013, the University and College Union alleged bullying behaviour by Aberystwyth University managers, and said staff were fearful for their jobs. University president Sir Emyr Jones Parry said in a BBC radio interview, "I don't believe the views set out are representative and I don't recognise the picture." He also said, "Due process is rigorously applied in Aberystwyth." Economist John Cable resigned his emeritus professorship, describing the university's management as "disproportionate, aggressive and confrontational". The singer Peter Karrie resigned his honorary fellowship in protest, he said, at the apparent determination to "ruin one of the finest arts centres in the country", and because he was "unable to support any regime that can treat their staff in such a cruel and appalling manner."[58]
Officers and Academics
Presidents and Chancellors
1872–95 Henry Austin Bruce, 1st Lord Aberdare[citation needed]
1895–1913 Stuart, Lord Rendel
1913–26 Sir John Williams, 1st Bt
1926–44 Edmund Davies, Lord Edmund-Davies
1944–54 Thomas Jones (T. J.)
1955–64 Sir David Hughes Parry
1964–76 Sir Ben Bowen Thomas
1977–85 Cledwyn Hughes, Lord Cledwyn of Penrhos
1985–97 Melvyn Rosser
1997–2007 Elystan Morgan, Lord Elystan-Morgan
2007–17 Sir Emyr Jones Parry
2018–present John, Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd
Principals and Vice-Chancellors
See also: Category: Vice-Chancellors of Aberystwyth University
1872–91 Thomas Charles Edwards
1891–1919 Thomas Francis Roberts
1919–26 John Humphreys Davies
1927–34 Sir Henry Stuart-Jones
1934–52 Ifor Leslie Evans
1953–57 Goronwy Rees
1958–69 Sir Thomas Parry
1969–79 Sir Goronwy Daniel
1979–89 Gareth Owen
1989–94 Kenneth, Lord Morgan
1994–2004 Derec Llwyd Morgan
2004–11 Noel Lloyd
2011–16 April McMahon
2016–17 John Grattan (acting)
2016–present Elizabeth Treasure[59]
Academics
See also: Category:Academics of Aberystwyth University
Henry Bird, Lecturer in Art History (1936–41)
Ken Booth, Professor of International Politics
Edward Carr, Historian, Woodrow Wilson Professor of International Politics
Sir Henry Walford Davies, Master of the King's Music
John Davies, Welsh historian
Hannah Dee, Lecturer in Computer Science
R. Geraint Gruffydd, Chair of Welsh Language and Literature (1970–79)
David Russell Hulme, Director of Music (1992–), conductor, musicologist
Robert Maynard Jones, Chair of Welsh Language (1980)
D. Gwenallt Jones, poet, Welsh Lecturer
Leopold Kohr, Economist, Political Scientist
Dennis Lindley, Professor of Statistics (1960–67)
David John de Lloyd, Gregynog Professor of Music, composer
Alec Muffett, Systems Programmer (1988–92)
Lily Newton, Professor of Botany
Ian Parrott, Gregynog Professor of Music (1950–83), composer, musicologist
Joseph Parry, Professor of Music, composer, conductor
Sir Thomas Herbert Parry-Williams, poet, Professor of Welsh (1920–52)
F. Gwendolen Rees FRS Professor of Zoology
Huw Rees FRS (1923–2009), Geneticist [60]
William Rubinstein, Professor of History
Marie Breen Smyth, Reader in Political Violence, International Politics
Richard Marggraf Turley, Professor of Engagement with the Public Imagination
Dame Marjorie Williamson, Principal, Royal Holloway, London (1962–73)
Richard Henry Yapp, botanist
Alumni
See also: Category:Alumni of Aberystwyth University
Royalty
Charles, Prince of Wales
Tunku Muhriz Ibni Almarhum Tunku Munawir, 11th Yang Di Pertuan Besar (Grand Ruler) of Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia (2008–present)
Tunku Naquiyuddin, Tunku Laxamana (Regent) of Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia (1994–99)
Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, 3rd President of Sierra Leone (1996–7)
Academia
E. G. Bowen, Geographer
Sir Edward Collingwood, mathematician, scientist
Alan Cox, Programmer (major contributor to the Linux kernel, 1980s)
D. J. Davies, economist, socialist, Plaid Cymru activist
Natasha Devon, writer, mental health activist
Andrew Gordon naval historian
Sir Deian Hopkin, historian
David Russell Hulme, Director of Music (from 1992), conductor
David Gwilym James Vice-Chancellor, University of Southampton 1952–65
Emrys Jones, Professor of Geography, London School of Economics
T. Harri Jones, poet
Roy Kift, dramatist, writer
Mary King, political scientist
Michael MccGwire, international relations specialist, Naval Commander
Twm Morys, poet
Tavi Murray, glaciologist, Polar Medallist
Ernest Charles Nelson, botanist
David Hughes Parry, Vice-Chancellor, University of London (1945–48)
T. H. Parry-Williams, poet, author, academic
Frederick Soddy, Nobel Prize Winner in Chemistry (1921)
Sir John Meurig Thomas FRS, chemist, professor, author
Paul Thomas, founding Vice-Chancellor, University of the Sunshine Coast
Sir Nigel Thrift, Geographer, Vice Chancellor, University of Warwick
David John Williams, writer
Sir Glanmor Williams, historian
Rev. John Tudno Williams, theologian
Waldo Williams, poet
Rev. William Richard Williams, theologian
Christine James, first female Archdruid of Wales
Gethin Glyn, Zoologist
Aron Dafydd, UMCA Leader
Law
Tun Salleh Abas, Lord President of the Federal Court, Malaysia (1984–88)
Belinda Ang, Judge, Supreme Court of Singapore (2003–)
Sir Alun Talfan Davies, judge, publisher
Sir Ellis Ellis-Griffith, 1st Bt, barrister, Liberal politician
Iris de Freitas Brazao, first female prosecuting lawyer in the Caribbean
Sir Samuel Thomas Evans, barrister, judge, Liberal politician
Elwyn, Lord Elwyn-Jones, Lord Chancellor (1974–79)
John, Lord Morris of Aberavon, Attorney General (1997–99)
Civil Servants
Timothy Brain, Chief Constable for Gloucestershire (2001–10)
Sir Goronwy Daniel, civil servant, academic
Politics
Joe Borg, European Union Oceans and Fisheries Commissioner (2004–10)[61]
Captain Roderic Bowen, Liberal MP, Deputy Commons Speaker
Nicholas, Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth, Welsh Conservative Leader (1999–2011)
Rehman Chishti, Conservative MP (2010–), Special Envoy (2019–20)
Dr Stephen Clackson Independent Councillor, Orkney Islands Council [62]
David, 1st Lord Davies, Liberal politician, philanthropist [63]
Glyn Davies, Conservative MP
Gwilym Prys Davies, Lord Prys-Davies, Labour peer (1982–2015)
Gwynfor Evans, first Plaid Cymru MP
Steve Gilbert, Liberal Democrat MP (2010–15)
Siân Gwenllian, Plaid Cymru AM
Neil Hamilton, Conservative MP and AM, barrister
Sylvia, Lady Hermon, Ulster Unionist politician
Emlyn, Lord Hooson, Liberal politician
Cledwyn Hughes, Lord Cledwyn of Penrhos, Labour politician
Dato' Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, Foreign Minister, Malaysia, (2020–)
Dan Jarvis, Labour MP
Bethan Jenkins, Plaid Cymru AM for South Wales West
Carwyn Jones, First Minister of Wales (2009–18), AM for Bridgend
Gerry MacLochlainn Sinn Féin politician
John Morris, Lord Morris of Aberavon, Labour politician
Elystan Morgan, Lord Elystan-Morgan, Labour MP
Roland Moyle, Labour MP, Parliamentary Private Secretary to Clement Attlee
Will Quince, Conservative MP
Dan Rogerson, Liberal Democrat MP
Liz Saville Roberts, Plaid Cymru MP, Plaid Cymru Leader (2017–)
Molly Scott Cato, Green Party MEP
Ahmed Shaheed, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Maldives
Virginijus Sinkevičius, European Union Environment Commissioner (2019–)[64]
Bob Stewart, Conservative MP
Gareth Thomas, Labour MP
Gareth Thomas, Labour MP
Mark Williams, Liberal Democrat MP, Welsh LD Leader (2016–17)
Mike Wood, Conservative MP
Steven Woolfe, UK Independence Party MEP
Business
Lance Batchelor, CEO, Domino's Pizza and Saga
Geoff Drabble, CEO, Ashtead
Belinda Earl, CEO, Debenhams and Jaeger
David Prosser, CEO, Legal & General[65]
Tom Singh, owner and CEO, New Look
Sports
Cath Bishop, professional rower, civil servant
John Dawes, Rugby player, Captain of Wales and British Lions
Carwyn James, Wales and British and Irish Lions Rugby Coach (1949?–51)
Leigh Richmond Roose, International footballer
Berwyn Price, Gold Medal Commonwealth Games (1978)
Angela Tooby, Silver Medal, World Cross-Country Championships (1988)
Arts and Entertainment
Dorothy Bonarjee, Indian poet, artist
Neil Brand, writer, composer, silent film accompanist
Seth Clabough, American novelist, academic
Shân Cothi, operatic singer, actress
Jane Green, author
Sarah Hall, writer, poet
David Russell Hulme, conductor, musicologist
Aneirin Hughes, actor
Emrys James, actor
Eveline Annie Jenkins (1893–1976), botanical artist
Alex Jones, Presenter, BBC One TV Programme, The One Show (2010–)
Melih Kibar, Turkish composer
Alun Lewis, Second World War writer, poet
Caryl Lewis, novelist
Rick Lloyd, musician (Y Blew, Flying Pickets)
Hayley Long, fiction writer
Sharon Maguire, film director, Bridget Jones's Diary
Matt McCooey, actor
Alan Mehdizadeh, actor, Billy Elliot the Musical
Robert Minhinnick, poet, essayist, novelist, translator
Amy Parry-Williams (1910–1988), singer, writer
Esther Pilkington, performance artist
Jan Pinkava, Oscar-winning animated film director
Rachel Roberts, actress
Lisa Surihani, Malaysian actress
Richard Roberts, theologian, pacifist
Aberystwyth (Welsh: [abɛˈrəstʊɨθ] (About this soundlisten)) is a university town and community in Ceredigion, Wales. Historically in the historic county of Cardiganshire, the literal meaning of the Welsh: Aberystwyth is the mouth of the Ystwyth. In one form or another, Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location in Wales since the establishment of University College Wales in 1872.
The town is situated on Cardigan Bay on the west coast of Wales, near the confluence of the River Ystwyth and Afon Rheidol. Following the reconstruction of the harbour, the Ystwyth skirts the town. The Rheidol passes through the town.
The seafront, with a pier, stretches from Constitution Hill at the north end of the Promenade to the harbour at the south. The beach is divided by the castle. The town is divided into five areas: Aberystwyth Town; Llanbadarn Fawr; Waunfawr; Llanbadarn; Trefechan; and the most populous, Penparcau.
At the 2001 census, the population of the town was 15,935.[2] This reduced to 13,040 at the 2011 Census. During nine months of the year, there is an influx of students.[3][citation needed]
Including the suburbs of Llanbadarn Fawr, the population is 16,420, the built-up area having a population of 18,749.[4]
Aberystwyth Bay from a 1748 survey by Lewis Morris (1701–1765)
The distance to Swansea is 55 miles (89 km); to Shrewsbury 60 miles (97 km); to Wrexham 63 miles (101 km); to Cardiff 76 miles (122 km); and to London 180 miles (290 km).
Main features of the town
Aberystwyth is a university town and tourist destination, and forms a cultural link between North Wales and South Wales. Constitution Hill, scaled by the Aberystwyth Cliff Railway, gives access to panoramic views and to other attractions at the summit, including a camera obscura. Scenic Mid Wales landscape within easy reach of the town includes the wilderness of the Cambrian Mountains, whose valleys contain forests and meadows which have changed little in centuries. A convenient way to access the interior is by the preserved narrow-gauge Vale of Rheidol Railway.
Although the town is relatively modern, there are a number of historic buildings, including the remains of the castle and the Old College of Aberystwyth University nearby. The Old College was originally built and opened in 1865 as a hotel, but after the owner's bankruptcy the shell of the building was sold to the university in 1867.[5]
The new university campus overlooks Aberystwyth from Penglais Hill to the east of the town centre. The station, a terminus of the main railway, was built in 1924 in the typical style of the period, mainly in a mix of Gothic, Classical Revival, and Victorian architecture.
The town is the unofficial capital of Mid Wales, and several institutions have regional or national offices there. Public bodies located in the town include the National Library of Wales, which incorporates the National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales, one of six British regional film archives. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales maintains and curates the National Monuments Record of Wales (NMRW), providing the public with information about the built heritage of Wales. Aberystwyth is also the home to the national offices of UCAC and Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (Welsh Language Society), and the site of the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, the Welsh Books Council and the offices of the standard historical dictionary of Welsh, Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru. A purpose built Welsh Government office and an adjoining office of Ceredigion County Council are also located in the town.
Climate
Aberystwyth experiences an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb) similar to almost all of the United Kingdom. This is particularly pronounced due to its west coast location facing the Irish Sea. Air undergoes little land moderation and so temperatures closely reflect the sea temperature when winds are coming from the predominant onshore (westerly) direction. The nearest Met Office weather station is Gogerddan, 3 miles to the northeast, and at a similar elevation.
The absolute maximum temperature is 34.6 °C (94.3 °F),[6] set during July 2006. This is also the July record maximum for all of Wales, suggesting that the area's low lying situation, aided by a possible föhn effect when winds are offshore can act to achieve high temperatures on occasion. Typically the warmest day will average 28.0 °C (82.4 °F)[7] and 5.6 days[8] will achieve a maximum of 25.1 °C (77.2 °F) or above.
The absolute minimum temperature is −13.5 °C (7.7 °F),[9] set in January 2010. Typically 39.8 days will register an air frost.
Rainfall averages 1,112 mm (44 in) a year,[10] with over 1mm recorded on 161 days.[11] All averages refer to the 1981–2010 period.
Climate data for Gogerddan, elevation 31m, 1981–2010, extremes 1960–
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Record high °C (°F)16.1
(61.0)17.8
(64.0)22.8
(73.0)26.2
(79.2)27.5
(81.5)31.7
(89.1)34.6
(94.3)32.8
(91.0)31.1
(88.0)23.9
(75.0)18.1
(64.6)15.5
(59.9)34.6
(94.3)
Average high °C (°F)8.1
(46.6)8.2
(46.8)10.0
(50.0)12.4
(54.3)15.5
(59.9)17.6
(63.7)19.4
(66.9)19.2
(66.6)17.4
(63.3)14.2
(57.6)10.9
(51.6)8.6
(47.5)13.5
(56.2)
Average low °C (°F)2.5
(36.5)2.1
(35.8)3.7
(38.7)4.7
(40.5)7.3
(45.1)10.1
(50.2)12.4
(54.3)12.2
(54.0)10.2
(50.4)7.9
(46.2)4.9
(40.8)2.4
(36.3)6.7
(44.1)
Record low °C (°F)−13.5
(7.7)−11.1
(12.0)−9.4
(15.1)−5.1
(22.8)−2.6
(27.3)0.6
(33.1)2.8
(37.0)2.8
(37.0)0.0
(32.0)−4.3
(24.3)−11.9
(10.6)−12.4
(9.7)−13.5
(7.7)
Average precipitation mm (inches)94.6
(3.72)71.4
(2.81)84.1
(3.31)60.6
(2.39)59.7
(2.35)73.6
(2.90)81.8
(3.22)86.6
(3.41)92.4
(3.64)130.5
(5.14)122.5
(4.82)116.9
(4.60)1,074.7
(42.31)
Mean monthly sunshine hours51.173.7101.8166.1206.0183.1183.7169.4131.098.657.245.91,467.4
Source 1: KNMI[12]
Source 2: Met Office[13]
History
Mesolithic
There is evidence that during the Mesolithic Age the area of Tan-y-Bwlch at the foot of Pen Dinas (Penparcau) was used as a flint knapping floor for hunter-gatherers making weapons from flint that was deposited as the ice retreated.[14]
Bronze and Iron Ages
The remains of a Celtic fortress on Pen Dinas (or more correctly 'Dinas Maelor'), a hill in Penparcau overlooking Aberystwyth, indicates that the site was inhabited before 700 BC.[15][16] On a hill south of the present town, across the River Ystwyth, are the remains of a medieval ringfort believed to be the castle from which Princess Nest was abducted. This rare survival is now on private land and can only be accessed by arrangement.[17]
Middle Ages
Site of original Aberystwyth Castle at Tan y Castell
The recorded history of Aberystwyth may be said to date from the building of a fortress in 1109 by Gilbert Fitz Richard (grandfather of Richard de Clare, known as Strongbow, the Cambro-Norman lord notable for his leading role in the Norman invasion of Ireland). Gilbert Fitz Richard was granted lands and the lordship of Cardigan by Henry I, including Cardigan Castle. The fortress built in Aberystwyth was located about a mile and a half south of today's town, on a hill over the south bank of the Ystwyth River, thus giving the settlement of Aberystwyth its name. The location is now known as Tan-Y-Castell.[18]
Aberystwyth was usually under the control of the princes of Deheubarth, but its position close to the border with Gwynedd and Powys left it vulnerable to attacks from the leaders of those polities. The town was attacked by Gwenwynwyn ab Owain in 1197, an assault in which Maelgwn ap Rhys was captured. Llywelyn the Great attacked and seized the town in late 1208, building a castle there before withdrawing.
Edward I replaced Strongbow's castle in 1277,[19] after its destruction by the Welsh.[20] His castle was, however, built in a different location, at the current Castle Hill, the high point of the town. Between the years 1404 and 1408 Aberystwyth Castle was in the hands of Owain Glyndŵr but finally surrendered to Prince Harry (the future King Henry V of England). Shortly after this, the town was incorporated under the title of Ville de Lampadarn (the ancient name of the place being Llanbadarn Gaerog or the fortified Llanbadarn, to distinguish it from Llanbadarn Fawr, the village one mile (1.6 km) inland. It is thus styled in a Royal charter granted by Henry VIII but, by Elizabeth I's time, the town was invariably named Aberystwyth in all documents.[21]
Early modern era
Aberystwyth at around 1840. Crane, W., fl. ca. 1835–1850, lithographer.
From 1639 to 1642, silver coins were minted at Aberystwyth Castle on behalf of the Royal Mint, using silver from local mines. £10,500 in currency was produced, equivalent to 2.5 million silver pennies.[22]
In 1649, Parliamentarian troops razed the castle,[23] although portions of three towers still exist. In 1988, an excavation within the castle area revealed a complete male skeleton, deliberately buried. Though skeletons rarely survive in Wales' acidic soil, this skeleton was probably preserved by the addition of lime from the collapsed building. Affectionately known as "Charlie" and now housed in the Ceredigion Museum in the town, he probably dates from the English Civil War period, and is likely to have died during the Parliamentarian siege. His image is featured in one of nine mosaics created to adorn the castle's walls.[24]
Rural industries and craftsmen were an important part of life in a country town. The local trade directory for 1830 shows that there were in Aberystwyth: Twenty boot makers, eight bakers, two corn millers, eleven carpenters and joiners, one cooper, seven tailors, two dressmakers, two straw hat makers, two hat makers, three curriers, four saddlers, two tinsmiths, six maltsters, two skinners, four tanners, eight stonemasons, one brewer, four lime burners, three shipwrights, three wheelwrights, five cabinet makers, one nail maker, one rope maker and one sail maker.[25]
Victorian era
The Queen's Hotel, Aberystwith
The first Pier at Aberystwyth c.1865
The Cambrian Railways line from Machynlleth reached Aberystwyth in 1864, closely followed by rail links to Carmarthen, which resulted in the construction of the town's impressive station. The Cambrian line opened on Good Friday 1869, the same day that the new 292 metres (958 ft) Royal Pier (designed by Eugenius Birch) opened, attracting 7,000 visitors.[26]
The railway's arrival gave rise to something of a Victorian tourist boom; the town was once even billed as the "Biarritz of Wales".[27] During this time, a number of hotels and fine townhouses were built including the Queens Hotel, later renamed Swyddfa'r Sir (County Office) when used as offices by the town council, and most recently used as the external scenes of the police station in the television show Hinterland. One of the largest of these hotels, "The Castle Hotel", was never completed as a hotel but, following bankruptcy, was sold cheaply to the Welsh National University Committee, a group of people dedicated to the creation of a Welsh University. The University College of Wales (later to become Aberystwyth University) was founded in 1872 in this building.
Aberystwyth was a contributory parliamentary borough until the Third Reform Act, which merged its representation into that of the county in 1885.
In 1895, various businessmen who had been behind the Aberystwyth New Harbour Company formed the Aberystwyth Improvement Company (AIC) to take over the works of the defunct Bourne Engineering & Electrical. In 1896, the AIC completed three projects: the new landside pavilion for the Royal Pier;[28] built the Cambria Hotel (later the United Theological College) and formed Constitution Hill Ltd, to develop a Victorian theme park. Chief engineer George Croydon Marks designed all the AIC developments, including the United Kingdom's second longest funicular railway,[29] which takes passengers up a 50% gradient to a park and camera obscura.
Modern history
Aberystwyth Harbour
Aberystwyth hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1865, 1916, 1952 and 1992.[30]
On the night of Friday, 14 January 1938, a storm with estimated wind speeds of up to 90 mph (140 km/h) struck the town. Most of the promenade was destroyed, along with 200 feet (60 m) of the pier. Many properties on the seafront were damaged, with every property from the King's Hall north affected; those on Victoria Terrace suffered the greatest damage. Work commenced on a protective coffer dam which continued into 1940, with total costs of construction coming to £70,000 (equivalent to £2.5 million today).[31]
Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (Welsh language Society) held their historic first protest on Trefechan Bridge in Aberystwyth, on 2 February 1963.[32] The first independent Welsh Evangelical Church was established in Aberystwyth (see Evangelical Movement of Wales).
On 1 March 2005, Aberystwyth was granted Fairtrade Town status.[33]
In March 2009 mayor Sue Jones-Davies, who had played the role of Judith Iscariot in the film Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979), organised a charity screening of the film. Principal actors Terry Jones and Michael Palin also attended. There is a popular, but incorrect, urban myth that the town had banned the film (as some authorities did) when it was first released.[34]
During the aftermath storms from Cyclone Dirk on Friday 3 January 2014, the town was one of the worst hit in Wales, with enormous swells uprooting boulders from the sea walls, leaving roads and pavements along the promenade buried under a mass of paving stones, bricks, shale and twisted metal.[35][36] Properties on the adjoining promenade were then evacuated for the next five days, including 250 students from the University.[37] Ceredigion Council appealed to the Welsh Assembly Government for funds, whilst Natural Resources Wales undertook surveys and emergency preventative measures.[38]
North Parade, Aberystwyth was reported to be the most expensive street in Wales in 2018, based on property prices.[39]
Governance
Aberystwyth's local government administration has a two-tier structure consisting of two separate councils. As local government is a devolved matter in Wales, the legislation for both Councils is a responsibility of the Senedd.
Town Council
Aberystwyth Town Council is the first tier of local government, which is the closest to the general public; there are 19 elected town councillors from five wards. The last elections were held on the 4 May 2017. The council is responsible for cycle paths, public footpaths, CCTV, public Wi-Fi, bus shelters, parks, gardens (including the castle grounds and the skateboard park) and allotments. The council is a statutory body which is consulted regarding planning decisions in the town area and makes recommendations to the planning authority, Ceredigion County Council. The Town Council is also involved in leisure, tourism, business[40] (through providing more than half of Menter Aberystwyth's funding in grants), licence applications, wellbeing [41] and environmental health, recycling and refuse collection.
A borough council existed in Aberystwyth from 1832 and the Aberystwyth School Board was established in 1870.
County Council
Ceredigion County Council is another statutory body incorporated by Act of Parliament. It is the second tier of local government in the area and is a unitary authority with a wide range of powers and responsibility. The Council deals with roads (except trunk roads), street lighting, some highways, social services, children and family care, schools and public libraries. Aberystwyth elects six of the 42 councillors in five separate wards (Bronglais, Central, North and Rheidol wards elect one councillor each while Penparcau ward elects two).
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament
Aberystwyth has five Senedd members, one of whom (Elin Jones) was elected as a constituency MS for Ceredigion, and four who are elected on the regional list for Mid and West Wales.
UK Parliament
The town is in the Ceredigion constituency for elections to the House of Commons. Since June 2017, Aberystwyth's MP has been Plaid Cymru's Ben Lake.
Culture
Town library
The first ever public library in Aberystwyth was opened in Compton House, Pier Street on 13 October 1874. In 1882 the library was moved to the Assembly Rooms which were leased to the council for 21 years. The lease expired in 1903 and the library returned to Pier Street, this time to the Old Banking Library at the corner with Eastgate Street, although this was short lived.[42]
A Carnegie library was built in Aberystwyth in 1905, with a grant of £3,000. Located in Corporation Street, it was designed by the architect Walter Payton of Birmingham, who was one of 48 who entered the competition to design the building. It was formally opened on 20 April 1906 by Mrs Vaughan Davies, wife of the local MP.[42]
The Town Library moved to the old Town Hall, now known as Canolfan Alun R. Edwards, Queen's Square, in 2012, following the building's refurbishment. The County Council vacated the Town Hall in a move to their purpose built offices on Boulevard de Saint-Brieuc in 2009.[citation needed]
National Library of Wales
National Library of Wales
Main article: National Library of Wales
The National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth, is the national legal deposit library of Wales. Established in 1907, it is a Welsh Government sponsored body. According to Cyril Evans, the library's centenary events co-ordinator, "The library is considered to be one of the world's greatest libraries, and its international reputation is certainly something that all Welsh men and women are intensely ... proud of".[43] Welsh is the main medium of communication within the organisation; it aims to deliver all public services in Welsh and English.[44]
Arts
The Arts Centre
Main article: Aberystwyth Arts Centre
Aberystwyth Arts Centre is one of the largest and busiest arts centres in Wales.[45] It encompasses a 312-seat theatre, 900-seat concert hall, 125-seat cinema, and has accompanied studio, galleries, plus public spaces which include cafes and a bar.[46]
Arad Goch is an Arts Council funded community theatre and art gallery based in the town. The premises holds a theatre, gallery, several art studios and meeting rooms, and a darkroom.
Music
Aberystwyth has a live music scene which has produced bands and artists such as:
The Crocketts
The Hot Puppies
Murry the Hump
The Lowland Hundred
The University Music Centre promotes a varied programme for instrumentalists, singers and listeners from the university and the wider community.
The University chamber choir, The Elizabethan Madrigal Singers, have been singing in the town since 1950 and continue to hold a number of concerts throughout the year.
Aberystwyth gives its name to a well known hymn tune composed by Joseph Parry.[citation needed]
Sport
Aberystwyth RFC is the local rugby union club and acts as a feeder club to professional side Scarlets. It was formed in 1947 and for the 2017/18 season played in the WRU Division One West.[47]
Aberystwyth Town F.C. is a semi-professional football club that was formed in 1884. The team currently compete in the Cymru Premier, Wales' top division.[48]
The town also has a cricket club which plays in local leagues,[49] an athletics club (founded 1955),[50] and boxing club in Penparcau.[51] The town's golf course opened in 1911.[52]
Welsh language
Ceredigion, the county in which Aberystwyth is located, is one of the four most Welsh-speaking counties in Wales and remained majority Welsh speaking until the 2011 census.[53][54]
However, since the town's growth as a seaside resort in the Victorian era, it has been more anglicised than its hinterland and the rest of the county in general. The university has also attracted many English-speaking students from England, non-Welsh speaking parts of Wales and elsewhere. The 1891 census recorded that, of the 6635 inhabitants who completed the language section, 3482 (52.5%) were bilingual, 1751 (26.4%) were Welsh monoglots, and 1402 people (21.1%) were returned as English monoglots. Ceredigion (then named Cardiganshire) as a whole was 95.2% Welsh-speaking and 74.5% monoglot Welsh.[55] Although the town remained majority Welsh-speaking for many more decades, English had already replaced Welsh in certain domains, such as entertainment and tourism.
By 1961, only 50.0% of the town's population could speak Welsh, compared to 79.5% for Cardiganshire as a whole;[56] by 1971, these numbers had fallen to 44.9% and 67.6% respectively.[57]
The 2001 census reported that, in the seven wards of Aberystwyth, 39% of the residents self-identified as able to speak or read or write Welsh. This is lower than Ceredigion as a whole (54%) but higher than Wales overall (19%).[58]
Education
Schools
Aberystwyth has two comprehensive schools serving the town and a wide rural area: Ysgol Gyfun Gymunedol Penweddig and Ysgol Penglais School. Ysgol Gyfun Gymunedol Penweddig uses Welsh as the primary language of tuition; Ysgol Penglais School teaches in English and in Welsh as a subject.
Aberystwyth University
Main article: Aberystwyth University
Aberystwyth is home to Aberystwyth University (Welsh: Prifysgol Aberystwyth) whose predecessor, University College Wales, was founded in 1872[19] and renamed the 'University of Wales, Aberystwyth' in the mid-1990s. Prior to the college's establishment, Wales had very limited academic-degree capability through St David's College, Lampeter (founded in 1822, now the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David).
Tourism and local economy
View of Aberystwyth and Cardigan Bay from the National Library of Wales
As well as having two cinemas and a golf course, the town's attractions include:
The Aberystwyth Cliff Railway, a funicular railway
A Victorian camera obscura at the top of Constitution Hill.
The Vale of Rheidol steam railway (Aberystwyth to Devil's Bridge)
Aberystwyth Arts Centre.
The Parc Penglais nature reserve
The Ystwyth Trail cycle path
National Library of Wales
Park Avenue. Football stadium home to Aberystwyth Town F.C.
The all organic dairy unit of Rachel's Organic is based in Glan yr Afon, and is the largest private sector employer in Aberystwyth.[59][60]
The Cambrian News newspaper came to Aberystwyth from Bala in 1870, after it was purchased by Sir John Gibson. Printed in Oswestry, in May 1880 the paper integrated operations in a former Malthouse in Mill Street. Owned by the Read family from 1926, in 1993 printing was contracted out, enabling the move of editorial staff to the current open-plan offices on Llanbadarn Fawr Science Park. On the death of Henry Read, the paper was purchased in 1999 by Sir Ray Tindle, whose company owns more than 200 weekly newspapers in Britain. Now printed in tabloid format, Cambrian News is the second-largest weekly-print circulation newspaper in Wales, with 24,000 copies in six regional editorial versions, read by 60,000 weekly readers. The circulation area of mid, west and north Wales covers 3,000 square miles (7,800 km2).[61]
Since the TV series Hinterland has been filmed in and around Aberystwyth, the area is being promoted as an opportunity for tourists to visit filming locations; many are well publicised.[62][63]
Transport
Rail
An Arriva Trains Wales service awaiting departure from Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth railway station is situated in the town centre and is the terminus of the scenic Cambrian Line. Transport for Wales Rail operate a mostly hourly service (with some two-hour intervals) to Shrewsbury via Machynlleth and Mid Wales, with nearly all trains continuing to Birmingham International. Connecting services from Dovey Junction provide a link to Gwynedd's west coast as far as Pwllheli, along the Cambrian Coast Line. There is no longer a southbound connection: the Carmarthen–Aberystwyth line was closed in 1965 as part of the Beeching cuts.
The Vale of Rheidol Railway runs through the spectacular Rheidol Valley
Aberystwyth station is also the terminus of the Vale of Rheidol Railway, a steam-operated narrow gauge heritage railway. Constructed between 1901 and 1902, it was intended to ship mineral cargo, primarily lead, from Devil's Bridge down to Aberystwyth for trans-shipment. By the time it was finished, lead mining was in a deep downturn and—thanks to the Aberystwyth Improvement Company—the railway came to rely largely on the tourist industry, opening for passengers in December 1902. It still remains open for the summer season, with a journey of 12 miles (19 km).
In 1896, the Aberystwyth Improvement Company formed Constitution Hill Ltd which, under the direction of chief engineer George Croydon Marks, developed the United Kingdom's second longest funicular railway, the Aberystwyth Cliff Railway, which takes passengers up a 50% gradient.[28][29]
Bus
A TrawsCymru T1 service on the A4120 in Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth is a hub for the TrawsCymru bus network, with four routes serving the town:
T1 - hourly service to Carmarthen (connects with T1S to Swansea, Monday-Saturday) via Aberaeron and Lampeter - with one service a day (Monday-Saturday) extended to Cardiff [64]
T1C - daily express coach service to Cardiff, via Aberaeron, Camarthen (connects with T1S to Swansea, Monday-Saturday), Swansea (Sunday & Bank Holidays only), Port Talbot Parkway and Bridgend [65]
T2 - every 1–2 hours to Bangor via Machynlleth, Dolgellau (connects with T3 to Barmouth and Wrexham), Porthmadog and Caernarfon [66]
T5 - hourly service to Haverfordwest via Aberaeron, New Quay, Cardigan and Fishguard [67]
(TrawsCymru services run less-frequently on Sundays.)
There is a daily National Express coach, service 409 to London via Birmingham, along with local bus services within the town and into the surrounding area.[68]
Road
The A44 and A487 meet with much traffic between North Wales and South West Wales passing through the town. The A4120 links the A44 and A487 between Llanbadarn Fawr and Penparcau, allowing through traffic to bypass the town centre.
The B4574 mountain road linking the town to Rhayader is described by the AA as one of the ten most scenic drives in the world.[69][70]
Port
The port of Aberystwyth, although it is small and relatively inconsequential today, used to be an important Atlantic Ocean entryway. It was used to ship locally, to Ireland and as a transatlantic departure point. Commercially, the once important Cardiganshire lead mines exported from this location.[19]
The importance of maritime trade in the 19th century is reflected in the fact that a lifeboat has been based at Aberystwyth since 1843, when a 27 ft (8.2 m) boat powered by six oars was funded by public subscription and placed under the control of the harbourmaster. The RNLI took over the service in 1861 and established Aberystwyth Lifeboat Station which celebrated 150 years in 2011. The station uses the Atlantic 85-class inshore lifeboat Spirit of Friendship.
Notable people
Main category: People from Aberystwyth
In fiction
Literature
Aberystwyth (albeit an alternative universe version) is the setting for the cult Louie Knight series by Malcolm Pryce, which transfers Chandleresque "noir" stories and dialogue to this small seaside town.[71] This alternative reality features many landmarks of Aberystwyth, such as the University and the National Library of Wales, but the social situation is radically altered to more closely resemble the pulp/noir stereotypical "Dirty Town" that the narrative plays off. Most of the humour in the books is derived from the almost seamless juxtaposition of the real Aberystwyth and the fictional, noir Aberystwyth. Various aspects of Welsh culture are reflections of what you might expect to see in reality, but with a pulp twist – for example, prostitutes wear Welsh stovepipe hats.[72]
Stripping Penguins Bare, the book 2 of Michael Carson's Benson Trilogy of comic novels, is set in the town and university in the 1960s.
The local writer Niall Griffiths has set many of his novels here and reflects local slang, settings, and even individuals. Grits and Sheepshagger are set wholly in Aberystwyth, which also features prominently in his other novels such as Kelly and Victor and Stump. He portrays a more gritty side of Aberystwyth.
Y Llyfrgell (2009) is Welsh language novel by Fflur Dafydd. It was the winner of the 2009 Daniel Owen Memorial Prize presented at the National Eisteddfod. The book is set in the National Library of Wales and in Aberystwyth town. This was made into a film of the same name in Welsh, and in English as The Library Suicides.[73][74]
Television
Y Gwyll (2013–2016), a Welsh television programme, known as Hinterland in English, broadcast on S4C, BBC One Wales, BBC Four and Netflix in North America, is set in Aberystwyth. It is filmed in and around the town, often in rural locations.[63][75]
Freedom of the Town
The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Town of Aberystwyth.[76]
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.
Individuals
1912 – Sir John Williams
1912 – David Davies
1912 – Stuart Rendel
1922 – David Lloyd George
1923 – Lewis Pugh Evans
1923 – Matthew Vaughan-Davies
1923 – Sir Herbert Lewis
1928 – Stanley Baldwin
1934 – Sir David Charles Roberts
1936 – Ernest Vaughan
1951 – Winston Churchill
1956 – Sir David James
2011 – Fritz Pratschke
2015 – Jean Guezennec
Military Units
1955 – The Welsh Guards
Twinning
Arklow in Wicklow, Republic of Ireland Ireland[77]
Kronberg im Taunus in Hesse Hesse, Germany Germany
Saint-Brieuc in Brittany Brittany, France France[78]
Esquel in Patagonia, Argentina Argentina[79]
Architecture, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales. Aberystwyth University (Welsh: Prifysgol Aberystwyth) is a public research university in Aberystwyth, Wales. Aberystwyth was a founding member institution of the former federal University of Wales. The university has over 8,000 students studying across 3 academic faculties and 17 departments.
Founded in 1872 as University College Wales, Aberystwyth, it became a founder member of the University of Wales in 1894, and changed its name to the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth. In the mid-1990s, the university again changed its name to become the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. On 1 September 2007, the University of Wales ceased to be a federal university and Aberystwyth University became independent again.[3]
In 2019, it became the first university to be named "University of the year for teaching quality" by The Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide for two consecutive years.[4] It is the first university in the world to be awarded Plastic Free University status (for single-use plastic items).[5]
History
Old College
The University for Wales, Aberystwyth, c.1870
Old College Building from the Castle
In the middle of the 19th century, eminent Welsh people were advocating the establishment of a university in the Principality, one of these, Thomas Nicholas, whose book Middle and High Class Schools, and University Education for Wales (1863) is said to have "exerted great influence on educated Welshmen".[6]
Funded through public and private subscriptions, and with five regional committees (London, Manchester, Liverpool, North and South Wales) guaranteeing funds for the first three years' running costs, the university opened in October 1872 with 26 students. Thomas Charles Edwards was the Principal. In October 1875, chapels in Wales raised the next tranche of funds from over 70,000 contributors.[7] Until 1893, when the college joined the University of Wales as a founder member, students applying to Aberystwyth sat the University of London's entrance exams.[8] Women were admitted in 1884.
In 1885, a fire damaged what is now known as the Old College, Aberystwyth, and in 1897 the first 14 acres of what would become the main Penglais campus were purchased.[9] Incorporated by Royal Charter in 1893, the university installed the Prince of Wales as Chancellor in 1896, the same year it awarded an honorary degree to the British Prime Minister William Gladstone.
The university's coat of arms dates from the 1880s. The shield features two red dragons to symbolise Wales, and an open book to symbolise learning. The crest, an eagle or phoenix above a flaming tower, may signify the College's rebirth after the 1885 fire.[10] The motto is Nid Byd, Byd Heb Wybodaeth (a world without knowledge is no world at all).
In the early 1900s the university added courses that included Law, Applied Mathematics, Pure Mathematics, and Botany. The Department for International Politics, which Aberystwyth says is the oldest such department in the world, was founded in 1919.[11] By 1977, the university's staff included eight Fellows of the Royal Society, such as Gwendolen Rees, the first Welsh woman to be elected an FRS.
The Department of Sports and Exercise Science was established in 2000. Joint honours Psychology degrees were introduced in September 2007, and single honours Psychology in 2009.
The chancellor of the university is The Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, who took up the position in January 2018. The visitor of the university is an appointment made by the Privy Council, under the Royal Charter of the university. Since July 2014, the holder of this office is Mr Justice Sir Roderick Evans QC.
In 2011 the university appointed a new vice chancellor[12] under whom the academic departments were restructured as larger subject-themed institutes.
Organisation and administration
Departments and Faculties
The University's academic departments, as well as the Arts Centre, International English Centre, and Music Centre are organised in three faculties:
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
School of Art
Arts Centre
School of Education
Department of English and Creative Writing
Department of History and Welsh History
International English Centre
Department of International Politics
Department of Law and Criminology
Department of Modern Languages
Music Centre
Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies
Department of Welsh and Celtic Studies
Faculty of Business and Physical Sciences
Aberystwyth Business School
Department of Computer Science
Department of Information Studies
Department of Mathematics
Department of Physics
Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences
Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences
Department of Geography and Earth Sciences
Department of Psychology
Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences
The Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) is a research and teaching centre which brings together staff from the Institutes of Rural Sciences and Biological Sciences and the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research (IGER). Around 360 research, teaching and support staff conduct basic, strategic and applied research in biology.[13]
The Institute is located in two areas; one at the main teaching Penglais campus and another rural research hub at the Gogerddan campus.[14]
Aberystwyth Business School
In 1998. the Department of Economics (founded in 1912), the Department of Accounting and Finance (founded in 1979) and the Centre for Business Studies merged to create the School of Management and Business. In 2013, the School joined the Department of Information Studies and the Department of Law and Criminology at a new campus at Llanbadarn Fawr. The School was shortlisted for ‘Business School of the Year Times Higher Education Awards (2014).[15] In 2016 the Institute, minus the Department of Information Studies, was renamed the Institute of Business and Law, the remaining departments being renamed Aberystwyth Business School and Aberystwyth Law School.
Cledwyn Building, former home of the School of Economics
Department of Computer Science
The Llandinam Building
The Department of Computer Science (founded in 1970), conducts research in automated reasoning, computational biology, vision graphics and visualisation, and intelligent robotics.
AberMUD, the first popular internet-based MUD, was written in the department by then-student Alan Cox. Jan Pinkava, another graduate, won an Oscar for his short animated film Geri's Game. Students in the department were also involved in the creation of the award-winning service robot librarian named Hugh (robot)[16] and Kar-go, the autonomous delivery vehicle.[17]
Department of Geography and Earth Sciences
The Department of Geography and Earth Sciences (IGES) was formed, in 1989, from the former Departments of Geography (established in 1918) and Geology. houses the E. G. Bowen map library, containing 80,000 maps and 500 atlases.[18]
Department of Information Studies
CLW Library, Llanbadarn - later named the Thomas Parry Library
The College of Librarianship Wales (CLW) was established at Llanbadarn Fawr in 1964, in response to a recommendation for the training of bilingual librarians that was made in the Bourdillon Report on Standards of public library service in England (HMSO, 1962). The College grew rapidly, developing close links to the Welsh speaking and professional communities, acquiring an international reputation and pioneering flexible and distance learning courses. It claimed to be Europe's largest institution for training librarians.[19] The independent college merged with the university (in August 1989) and the department moved to the Penglais campus a quarter of a century later. Following the merger, the new department took over responsibility for existing offerings in archives administration and modern records management.
Department of International Politics
International Politics building
The Department of International Politics was founded, shortly after World War I (in 1919), with the stated purpose of furthering political understanding of the world in the hope of avoiding such conflicts in the future. This goal led to the creation of the Woodrow Wilson Chair of International Politics.[20] The department has over 700 students from 40 countries studying at undergraduate, masters and PhD levels. It achieved a 95% score for student satisfaction in the 2016 National Student Survey, placing it as the highest-ranking politics department in Wales and within the UK's top ten.[21]
The department has hosted various notable academic staff in the field including E. H. Carr, Leopold Kohr, Andrew Linklater, Ken Booth, Steve Smith, Michael Cox, Michael MccGwire, Jenny Edkins and Colin J. McInnes.
Department of Law and Criminology
The Department of Law and Criminology (founded in 1901) is housed in the Hugh Owen Building on the Penglais campus, and includes the Centre for Welsh Legal Affairs, a specialist research centre. All academic staff are engaged in research, and the International Journal of Biosciences and the Law and the Cambrian Law Review are edited in the department. In 2013, the department joined the Department of Information Studies and the School of Management and Business at a new campus at Llanbadarn Fawr, as part of a newly created Institute of Management, Law and Information Studies. As of September 2018, the department has since relocated back to the Hugh Owen Building, based in the Penglais campus, and its name changed from Aberystwyth Law School to the Department of Law and Criminology.[22]
The Guardian University Guide 2018 currently ranks Law Department at 69th in the UK,[23] and "The Times" Higher Education Guide ranks it as 300th globally.[24]
Department of Modern Languages
Aberystwyth has taught modern languages since 1874. French, German, Italian and Spanish courses are taught at both beginners' and advanced levels, in a research-active academic environment. One of its research projects is the Anglo-Norman Dictionary,[25] based in Aberystwyth since 2001 and available online since 2005.
Department of Physics
Physics was first taught at Aberystwyth as part of Natural Philosophy, Astronomy, and Mathematics under N. R. Grimley, soon after the foundation of the University College.[26] It became a department in 1877, under the leadership of F. W. Rudler.[26] The department was located in the south wing of what is now the Old College,[26] but later relocated to the Physics Building on the Penglais Campus. The first Chair in Physics was offered to D. E. Jones in 1885.[26] Prior to World War I, much of the early research in the department was undertaken in Germany. Early research in the 1900s was concerned with electrical conductivity and quantum theory, later moving into thermal conductivity and acoustics.[26] In 1931, the department hosted the Faraday Centenary Exhibition.[26] E. J. Williams was appointed Chair of Physics in 1938 where he continued his research into sub-atomic particles using a cloud chamber.[27] Following World War II, research was concerned with mechanical and nuclear physics, later moving into the fields of air density, experimental rocket launching equipment, and radar.[26]
Arts Studio
Department of Psychology
In 2007, Aberystwyth established the subject as a 'Centre for Applied Psychology' within the Department of International Politics. By 2011, Psychology had moved into their current premises in Penbryn 5 on the Penglais Campus. The department is home to over 300 undergraduate students - with degrees accredited by the British Psychological Society.
Campuses
Old College east entrance
Penglais
The main campus of the University is situated on Penglais Hill, overlooking the town of Aberystwyth and Cardigan Bay, and comprises most of the University buildings, Arts Centre, Students’ Union, and many of the student residences. Just below Penglais Campus is the National Library of Wales, one of Britain's five legal deposit libraries. The landscaping of the Penglais Campus is historically significant and is listed.[9] The CADW listing states,
"The landscaping of the University of Wales, Aberystwyth campuses, particularly the earlier Penglais campus, is of exceptional historic interest as one of the most important modern landscaping schemes in Wales...One section of the Penglais campus was designed by the well known landscape architect Brenda Colvin and is one of the very few of her schemes to have survived. A number of women have played a key role in the development and planting of the whole site."
Llanbadarn
The Llanbadarn Centre is located approximately one mile to the east of the Penglais Campus, near Llanbadarn Fawr, overlooking the town and Cardigan Bay to the west, with the backdrop of the Cambrian Mountains to the east. Llanbadarn Centre hosted Aberystwyth Law School and Aberystwyth Business School, which together formed the Institute of Business and Law. The Department of Information Studies is also based there. Additionally, the Llanbadarn Campus is the site of the Aberystwyth branch of Coleg Ceredigion (a further education college, and not part of the University).
Goggerddan
At Gogerddan, on the outskirts of town is located the University's major centre for research in land based sciences and the main centre for the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Science.
School of Art, Edward Davies Building
Edward Davies Building
The School of Art is located between the Penglais Campus and the centre of Aberystwyth, in what was originally the Edward Davies Chemical Laboratory. A listed building, the Edward Davies Building is one of the finest examples of architecture in Aberystwyth.
Old College
The site of the original university is the 'Old College', currently the subject of the 'New Life for Old College' project which aims to transform it into an integrated centre of heritage, culture, learning and knowledge exchange. The university opened an international campus in Mauritius in 2016 operating as Aberystwyth University (Mauritian Branch Campus) and registered with the Tertiary Education Commission of Mauritius, but closed it to new enrolments two years later due to low enrolment numbers.[28]
Student residences
Most of the student residences are on campus, with the rest in walking distance of the campus and Aberystwyth town centre. Accommodation ranges from 'traditional' catered residences to en-suite self-catered accommodation, and from budget rooms to more luxurious studio apartments. All have wired access to the University's computer network and a support network of residential tutors.
Penglais Campus
Cwrt Mawr (self-catered flats, single rooms, capacity 503)[29]
Neuadd Pantycelyn [cy] (Welsh speaking traditional catered hall, refurbished in 2020, capacity 200)[30]
Penbryn (Welsh-speaking traditional catered hall, capacity 350)[31]
Rosser (self-catered en-suite flats, capacity 336),
Rosser G (postgraduate flats following 2011 expansion to Rosser, capacity 60)[32]
Trefloyne (self-catered flats, capacity 147)[33]
Pentre Jane Morgan (Student Village)
Almost 200 individual houses arranged in closes and cul-de-sacs. Each house typically accommodate 5 or 6 students. (total capacity 1003)[34]
Fferm Penglais Student Residence
Purpose-built student accommodation with studio apartments and en-suite bedrooms (total capacity 1000). An area of accommodation within the Fferm Penglais Student Residence is set aside for students who are Welsh learners or fluent Welsh speakers, and wish to live in a Welsh speaking environment.
Town accommodation
Seafront Residences (self-catered flats located on the seafront and Queen's Road, overall capacity 361). The original Seafront residences, Plyn' and Caerleon, were destroyed by fire in 1998.[35][36]
Seafront residences include Aberglasney, Balmoral, Blaenwern, Caerleon, Carpenter, Pumlumon, Ty Glyndwr, and Ty Gwerin Halls.[37]
The University also owns several houses, such as Penglais Farmhouse (Adjacent to Pentre Jane Morgan) and flats in Waun Fawr, which are let on an Assured Shorthold Tenure to students with families. Disabled access rooms are available within the existing student village.
Reputation and academic profile
Rankings
National rankings
Complete (2021)[38]58
Guardian (2021)[39]49
Times / Sunday Times (2021)[40]42
Global rankings
QS (2021)[41]
432=
THE (2021)[42]401-500
British Government assessment
Teaching Excellence Framework[43]Gold
Aberystwyth University is placed in the UK’s top 50 universities in the main national rankings. It is ranked 48th for 132 UK university rankings in The Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide for 2019 [44] and the first university to be given the prestigious award "University of the year for teaching quality" for two consecutive years (2018 and 2019).[4]
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings placed it in the 301—350 group for 800 university rankings, compared with 351—400 the previous year,[45] and the QS World University Rankings placed it at the 432th position for 2019, compared with 481—490 of the previous year.[46] In 2015, UK employers from “predominantly business, IT and engineering sectors” listed Aberystwyth equal 49th in their 62-place employability rankings for UK graduates, according to a Times Higher Education report.[47]
Aberystwyth University was rated in the top ten of UK higher education institutions for overall student satisfaction in the 2016 National Student Survey (NSS).[48]
Aberystwyth University was shortlisted in four categories in the Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Awards (THELMAs) (2015).[49]
Aberystwyth University has been awarded the Silver Award under the Corporate Health Standard (CHS), the quality mark for workplace health promotion run by Welsh Government.[50]
The University has been awarded an Athena SWAN Charter Award, recognising commitment to advancing women's careers in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) in higher education and research.[51]
In 2007 the University came under criticism for its record on sustainability, ranking 97th out of 106 UK higher education institutions in that year's Green League table.[52] In 2012 the university was listed in the table's "Failed, no award" section, ranking equal 132nd out of 145.[53] In 2013 it ranked equal 135th out of 143, and was listed again as "Failed, no award".[54]
Following the University's initiatives to address sustainability,[55] it received an EcoCampus[56] Silver Phase award in October 2014.
In October 2015, the University’s Penglais Campus became the first University campus in Wales to achieve the Green Flag Award.[57] The Green Flag Award is a UK-wide partnership, delivered in Wales by Keep Wales Tidy with support from Natural Resources Wales, and is the mark of a high quality park or green space.
In 2013, the University and College Union alleged bullying behaviour by Aberystwyth University managers, and said staff were fearful for their jobs. University president Sir Emyr Jones Parry said in a BBC radio interview, "I don't believe the views set out are representative and I don't recognise the picture." He also said, "Due process is rigorously applied in Aberystwyth." Economist John Cable resigned his emeritus professorship, describing the university's management as "disproportionate, aggressive and confrontational". The singer Peter Karrie resigned his honorary fellowship in protest, he said, at the apparent determination to "ruin one of the finest arts centres in the country", and because he was "unable to support any regime that can treat their staff in such a cruel and appalling manner."[58]
Officers and Academics
Presidents and Chancellors
1872–95 Henry Austin Bruce, 1st Lord Aberdare[citation needed]
1895–1913 Stuart, Lord Rendel
1913–26 Sir John Williams, 1st Bt
1926–44 Edmund Davies, Lord Edmund-Davies
1944–54 Thomas Jones (T. J.)
1955–64 Sir David Hughes Parry
1964–76 Sir Ben Bowen Thomas
1977–85 Cledwyn Hughes, Lord Cledwyn of Penrhos
1985–97 Melvyn Rosser
1997–2007 Elystan Morgan, Lord Elystan-Morgan
2007–17 Sir Emyr Jones Parry
2018–present John, Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd
Principals and Vice-Chancellors
See also: Category: Vice-Chancellors of Aberystwyth University
1872–91 Thomas Charles Edwards
1891–1919 Thomas Francis Roberts
1919–26 John Humphreys Davies
1927–34 Sir Henry Stuart-Jones
1934–52 Ifor Leslie Evans
1953–57 Goronwy Rees
1958–69 Sir Thomas Parry
1969–79 Sir Goronwy Daniel
1979–89 Gareth Owen
1989–94 Kenneth, Lord Morgan
1994–2004 Derec Llwyd Morgan
2004–11 Noel Lloyd
2011–16 April McMahon
2016–17 John Grattan (acting)
2016–present Elizabeth Treasure[59]
Academics
See also: Category:Academics of Aberystwyth University
Henry Bird, Lecturer in Art History (1936–41)
Ken Booth, Professor of International Politics
Edward Carr, Historian, Woodrow Wilson Professor of International Politics
Sir Henry Walford Davies, Master of the King's Music
John Davies, Welsh historian
Hannah Dee, Lecturer in Computer Science
R. Geraint Gruffydd, Chair of Welsh Language and Literature (1970–79)
David Russell Hulme, Director of Music (1992–), conductor, musicologist
Robert Maynard Jones, Chair of Welsh Language (1980)
D. Gwenallt Jones, poet, Welsh Lecturer
Leopold Kohr, Economist, Political Scientist
Dennis Lindley, Professor of Statistics (1960–67)
David John de Lloyd, Gregynog Professor of Music, composer
Alec Muffett, Systems Programmer (1988–92)
Lily Newton, Professor of Botany
Ian Parrott, Gregynog Professor of Music (1950–83), composer, musicologist
Joseph Parry, Professor of Music, composer, conductor
Sir Thomas Herbert Parry-Williams, poet, Professor of Welsh (1920–52)
F. Gwendolen Rees FRS Professor of Zoology
Huw Rees FRS (1923–2009), Geneticist [60]
William Rubinstein, Professor of History
Marie Breen Smyth, Reader in Political Violence, International Politics
Richard Marggraf Turley, Professor of Engagement with the Public Imagination
Dame Marjorie Williamson, Principal, Royal Holloway, London (1962–73)
Richard Henry Yapp, botanist
Alumni
See also: Category:Alumni of Aberystwyth University
Royalty
Charles, Prince of Wales
Tunku Muhriz Ibni Almarhum Tunku Munawir, 11th Yang Di Pertuan Besar (Grand Ruler) of Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia (2008–present)
Tunku Naquiyuddin, Tunku Laxamana (Regent) of Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia (1994–99)
Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, 3rd President of Sierra Leone (1996–7)
Academia
E. G. Bowen, Geographer
Sir Edward Collingwood, mathematician, scientist
Alan Cox, Programmer (major contributor to the Linux kernel, 1980s)
D. J. Davies, economist, socialist, Plaid Cymru activist
Natasha Devon, writer, mental health activist
Andrew Gordon naval historian
Sir Deian Hopkin, historian
David Russell Hulme, Director of Music (from 1992), conductor
David Gwilym James Vice-Chancellor, University of Southampton 1952–65
Emrys Jones, Professor of Geography, London School of Economics
T. Harri Jones, poet
Roy Kift, dramatist, writer
Mary King, political scientist
Michael MccGwire, international relations specialist, Naval Commander
Twm Morys, poet
Tavi Murray, glaciologist, Polar Medallist
Ernest Charles Nelson, botanist
David Hughes Parry, Vice-Chancellor, University of London (1945–48)
T. H. Parry-Williams, poet, author, academic
Frederick Soddy, Nobel Prize Winner in Chemistry (1921)
Sir John Meurig Thomas FRS, chemist, professor, author
Paul Thomas, founding Vice-Chancellor, University of the Sunshine Coast
Sir Nigel Thrift, Geographer, Vice Chancellor, University of Warwick
David John Williams, writer
Sir Glanmor Williams, historian
Rev. John Tudno Williams, theologian
Waldo Williams, poet
Rev. William Richard Williams, theologian
Christine James, first female Archdruid of Wales
Gethin Glyn, Zoologist
Aron Dafydd, UMCA Leader
Law
Tun Salleh Abas, Lord President of the Federal Court, Malaysia (1984–88)
Belinda Ang, Judge, Supreme Court of Singapore (2003–)
Sir Alun Talfan Davies, judge, publisher
Sir Ellis Ellis-Griffith, 1st Bt, barrister, Liberal politician
Iris de Freitas Brazao, first female prosecuting lawyer in the Caribbean
Sir Samuel Thomas Evans, barrister, judge, Liberal politician
Elwyn, Lord Elwyn-Jones, Lord Chancellor (1974–79)
John, Lord Morris of Aberavon, Attorney General (1997–99)
Civil Servants
Timothy Brain, Chief Constable for Gloucestershire (2001–10)
Sir Goronwy Daniel, civil servant, academic
Politics
Joe Borg, European Union Oceans and Fisheries Commissioner (2004–10)[61]
Captain Roderic Bowen, Liberal MP, Deputy Commons Speaker
Nicholas, Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth, Welsh Conservative Leader (1999–2011)
Rehman Chishti, Conservative MP (2010–), Special Envoy (2019–20)
Dr Stephen Clackson Independent Councillor, Orkney Islands Council [62]
David, 1st Lord Davies, Liberal politician, philanthropist [63]
Glyn Davies, Conservative MP
Gwilym Prys Davies, Lord Prys-Davies, Labour peer (1982–2015)
Gwynfor Evans, first Plaid Cymru MP
Steve Gilbert, Liberal Democrat MP (2010–15)
Siân Gwenllian, Plaid Cymru AM
Neil Hamilton, Conservative MP and AM, barrister
Sylvia, Lady Hermon, Ulster Unionist politician
Emlyn, Lord Hooson, Liberal politician
Cledwyn Hughes, Lord Cledwyn of Penrhos, Labour politician
Dato' Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, Foreign Minister, Malaysia, (2020–)
Dan Jarvis, Labour MP
Bethan Jenkins, Plaid Cymru AM for South Wales West
Carwyn Jones, First Minister of Wales (2009–18), AM for Bridgend
Gerry MacLochlainn Sinn Féin politician
John Morris, Lord Morris of Aberavon, Labour politician
Elystan Morgan, Lord Elystan-Morgan, Labour MP
Roland Moyle, Labour MP, Parliamentary Private Secretary to Clement Attlee
Will Quince, Conservative MP
Dan Rogerson, Liberal Democrat MP
Liz Saville Roberts, Plaid Cymru MP, Plaid Cymru Leader (2017–)
Molly Scott Cato, Green Party MEP
Ahmed Shaheed, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Maldives
Virginijus Sinkevičius, European Union Environment Commissioner (2019–)[64]
Bob Stewart, Conservative MP
Gareth Thomas, Labour MP
Gareth Thomas, Labour MP
Mark Williams, Liberal Democrat MP, Welsh LD Leader (2016–17)
Mike Wood, Conservative MP
Steven Woolfe, UK Independence Party MEP
Business
Lance Batchelor, CEO, Domino's Pizza and Saga
Geoff Drabble, CEO, Ashtead
Belinda Earl, CEO, Debenhams and Jaeger
David Prosser, CEO, Legal & General[65]
Tom Singh, owner and CEO, New Look
Sports
Cath Bishop, professional rower, civil servant
John Dawes, Rugby player, Captain of Wales and British Lions
Carwyn James, Wales and British and Irish Lions Rugby Coach (1949?–51)
Leigh Richmond Roose, International footballer
Berwyn Price, Gold Medal Commonwealth Games (1978)
Angela Tooby, Silver Medal, World Cross-Country Championships (1988)
Arts and Entertainment
Dorothy Bonarjee, Indian poet, artist
Neil Brand, writer, composer, silent film accompanist
Seth Clabough, American novelist, academic
Shân Cothi, operatic singer, actress
Jane Green, author
Sarah Hall, writer, poet
David Russell Hulme, conductor, musicologist
Aneirin Hughes, actor
Emrys James, actor
Eveline Annie Jenkins (1893–1976), botanical artist
Alex Jones, Presenter, BBC One TV Programme, The One Show (2010–)
Melih Kibar, Turkish composer
Alun Lewis, Second World War writer, poet
Caryl Lewis, novelist
Rick Lloyd, musician (Y Blew, Flying Pickets)
Hayley Long, fiction writer
Sharon Maguire, film director, Bridget Jones's Diary
Matt McCooey, actor
Alan Mehdizadeh, actor, Billy Elliot the Musical
Robert Minhinnick, poet, essayist, novelist, translator
Amy Parry-Williams (1910–1988), singer, writer
Esther Pilkington, performance artist
Jan Pinkava, Oscar-winning animated film director
Rachel Roberts, actress
Lisa Surihani, Malaysian actress
Richard Roberts, theologian, pacifist
Aberystwyth (Welsh: [abɛˈrəstʊɨθ] (About this soundlisten)) is a university town and community in Ceredigion, Wales. Historically in the historic county of Cardiganshire, the literal meaning of the Welsh: Aberystwyth is the mouth of the Ystwyth. In one form or another, Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location in Wales since the establishment of University College Wales in 1872.
The town is situated on Cardigan Bay on the west coast of Wales, near the confluence of the River Ystwyth and Afon Rheidol. Following the reconstruction of the harbour, the Ystwyth skirts the town. The Rheidol passes through the town.
The seafront, with a pier, stretches from Constitution Hill at the north end of the Promenade to the harbour at the south. The beach is divided by the castle. The town is divided into five areas: Aberystwyth Town; Llanbadarn Fawr; Waunfawr; Llanbadarn; Trefechan; and the most populous, Penparcau.
At the 2001 census, the population of the town was 15,935.[2] This reduced to 13,040 at the 2011 Census. During nine months of the year, there is an influx of students.[3][citation needed]
Including the suburbs of Llanbadarn Fawr, the population is 16,420, the built-up area having a population of 18,749.[4]
Aberystwyth Bay from a 1748 survey by Lewis Morris (1701–1765)
The distance to Swansea is 55 miles (89 km); to Shrewsbury 60 miles (97 km); to Wrexham 63 miles (101 km); to Cardiff 76 miles (122 km); and to London 180 miles (290 km).
Main features of the town
Aberystwyth is a university town and tourist destination, and forms a cultural link between North Wales and South Wales. Constitution Hill, scaled by the Aberystwyth Cliff Railway, gives access to panoramic views and to other attractions at the summit, including a camera obscura. Scenic Mid Wales landscape within easy reach of the town includes the wilderness of the Cambrian Mountains, whose valleys contain forests and meadows which have changed little in centuries. A convenient way to access the interior is by the preserved narrow-gauge Vale of Rheidol Railway.
Although the town is relatively modern, there are a number of historic buildings, including the remains of the castle and the Old College of Aberystwyth University nearby. The Old College was originally built and opened in 1865 as a hotel, but after the owner's bankruptcy the shell of the building was sold to the university in 1867.[5]
The new university campus overlooks Aberystwyth from Penglais Hill to the east of the town centre. The station, a terminus of the main railway, was built in 1924 in the typical style of the period, mainly in a mix of Gothic, Classical Revival, and Victorian architecture.
The town is the unofficial capital of Mid Wales, and several institutions have regional or national offices there. Public bodies located in the town include the National Library of Wales, which incorporates the National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales, one of six British regional film archives. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales maintains and curates the National Monuments Record of Wales (NMRW), providing the public with information about the built heritage of Wales. Aberystwyth is also the home to the national offices of UCAC and Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (Welsh Language Society), and the site of the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, the Welsh Books Council and the offices of the standard historical dictionary of Welsh, Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru. A purpose built Welsh Government office and an adjoining office of Ceredigion County Council are also located in the town.
Climate
Aberystwyth experiences an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb) similar to almost all of the United Kingdom. This is particularly pronounced due to its west coast location facing the Irish Sea. Air undergoes little land moderation and so temperatures closely reflect the sea temperature when winds are coming from the predominant onshore (westerly) direction. The nearest Met Office weather station is Gogerddan, 3 miles to the northeast, and at a similar elevation.
The absolute maximum temperature is 34.6 °C (94.3 °F),[6] set during July 2006. This is also the July record maximum for all of Wales, suggesting that the area's low lying situation, aided by a possible föhn effect when winds are offshore can act to achieve high temperatures on occasion. Typically the warmest day will average 28.0 °C (82.4 °F)[7] and 5.6 days[8] will achieve a maximum of 25.1 °C (77.2 °F) or above.
The absolute minimum temperature is −13.5 °C (7.7 °F),[9] set in January 2010. Typically 39.8 days will register an air frost.
Rainfall averages 1,112 mm (44 in) a year,[10] with over 1mm recorded on 161 days.[11] All averages refer to the 1981–2010 period.
Climate data for Gogerddan, elevation 31m, 1981–2010, extremes 1960–
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Record high °C (°F)16.1
(61.0)17.8
(64.0)22.8
(73.0)26.2
(79.2)27.5
(81.5)31.7
(89.1)34.6
(94.3)32.8
(91.0)31.1
(88.0)23.9
(75.0)18.1
(64.6)15.5
(59.9)34.6
(94.3)
Average high °C (°F)8.1
(46.6)8.2
(46.8)10.0
(50.0)12.4
(54.3)15.5
(59.9)17.6
(63.7)19.4
(66.9)19.2
(66.6)17.4
(63.3)14.2
(57.6)10.9
(51.6)8.6
(47.5)13.5
(56.2)
Average low °C (°F)2.5
(36.5)2.1
(35.8)3.7
(38.7)4.7
(40.5)7.3
(45.1)10.1
(50.2)12.4
(54.3)12.2
(54.0)10.2
(50.4)7.9
(46.2)4.9
(40.8)2.4
(36.3)6.7
(44.1)
Record low °C (°F)−13.5
(7.7)−11.1
(12.0)−9.4
(15.1)−5.1
(22.8)−2.6
(27.3)0.6
(33.1)2.8
(37.0)2.8
(37.0)0.0
(32.0)−4.3
(24.3)−11.9
(10.6)−12.4
(9.7)−13.5
(7.7)
Average precipitation mm (inches)94.6
(3.72)71.4
(2.81)84.1
(3.31)60.6
(2.39)59.7
(2.35)73.6
(2.90)81.8
(3.22)86.6
(3.41)92.4
(3.64)130.5
(5.14)122.5
(4.82)116.9
(4.60)1,074.7
(42.31)
Mean monthly sunshine hours51.173.7101.8166.1206.0183.1183.7169.4131.098.657.245.91,467.4
Source 1: KNMI[12]
Source 2: Met Office[13]
History
Mesolithic
There is evidence that during the Mesolithic Age the area of Tan-y-Bwlch at the foot of Pen Dinas (Penparcau) was used as a flint knapping floor for hunter-gatherers making weapons from flint that was deposited as the ice retreated.[14]
Bronze and Iron Ages
The remains of a Celtic fortress on Pen Dinas (or more correctly 'Dinas Maelor'), a hill in Penparcau overlooking Aberystwyth, indicates that the site was inhabited before 700 BC.[15][16] On a hill south of the present town, across the River Ystwyth, are the remains of a medieval ringfort believed to be the castle from which Princess Nest was abducted. This rare survival is now on private land and can only be accessed by arrangement.[17]
Middle Ages
Site of original Aberystwyth Castle at Tan y Castell
The recorded history of Aberystwyth may be said to date from the building of a fortress in 1109 by Gilbert Fitz Richard (grandfather of Richard de Clare, known as Strongbow, the Cambro-Norman lord notable for his leading role in the Norman invasion of Ireland). Gilbert Fitz Richard was granted lands and the lordship of Cardigan by Henry I, including Cardigan Castle. The fortress built in Aberystwyth was located about a mile and a half south of today's town, on a hill over the south bank of the Ystwyth River, thus giving the settlement of Aberystwyth its name. The location is now known as Tan-Y-Castell.[18]
Aberystwyth was usually under the control of the princes of Deheubarth, but its position close to the border with Gwynedd and Powys left it vulnerable to attacks from the leaders of those polities. The town was attacked by Gwenwynwyn ab Owain in 1197, an assault in which Maelgwn ap Rhys was captured. Llywelyn the Great attacked and seized the town in late 1208, building a castle there before withdrawing.
Edward I replaced Strongbow's castle in 1277,[19] after its destruction by the Welsh.[20] His castle was, however, built in a different location, at the current Castle Hill, the high point of the town. Between the years 1404 and 1408 Aberystwyth Castle was in the hands of Owain Glyndŵr but finally surrendered to Prince Harry (the future King Henry V of England). Shortly after this, the town was incorporated under the title of Ville de Lampadarn (the ancient name of the place being Llanbadarn Gaerog or the fortified Llanbadarn, to distinguish it from Llanbadarn Fawr, the village one mile (1.6 km) inland. It is thus styled in a Royal charter granted by Henry VIII but, by Elizabeth I's time, the town was invariably named Aberystwyth in all documents.[21]
Early modern era
Aberystwyth at around 1840. Crane, W., fl. ca. 1835–1850, lithographer.
From 1639 to 1642, silver coins were minted at Aberystwyth Castle on behalf of the Royal Mint, using silver from local mines. £10,500 in currency was produced, equivalent to 2.5 million silver pennies.[22]
In 1649, Parliamentarian troops razed the castle,[23] although portions of three towers still exist. In 1988, an excavation within the castle area revealed a complete male skeleton, deliberately buried. Though skeletons rarely survive in Wales' acidic soil, this skeleton was probably preserved by the addition of lime from the collapsed building. Affectionately known as "Charlie" and now housed in the Ceredigion Museum in the town, he probably dates from the English Civil War period, and is likely to have died during the Parliamentarian siege. His image is featured in one of nine mosaics created to adorn the castle's walls.[24]
Rural industries and craftsmen were an important part of life in a country town. The local trade directory for 1830 shows that there were in Aberystwyth: Twenty boot makers, eight bakers, two corn millers, eleven carpenters and joiners, one cooper, seven tailors, two dressmakers, two straw hat makers, two hat makers, three curriers, four saddlers, two tinsmiths, six maltsters, two skinners, four tanners, eight stonemasons, one brewer, four lime burners, three shipwrights, three wheelwrights, five cabinet makers, one nail maker, one rope maker and one sail maker.[25]
Victorian era
The Queen's Hotel, Aberystwith
The first Pier at Aberystwyth c.1865
The Cambrian Railways line from Machynlleth reached Aberystwyth in 1864, closely followed by rail links to Carmarthen, which resulted in the construction of the town's impressive station. The Cambrian line opened on Good Friday 1869, the same day that the new 292 metres (958 ft) Royal Pier (designed by Eugenius Birch) opened, attracting 7,000 visitors.[26]
The railway's arrival gave rise to something of a Victorian tourist boom; the town was once even billed as the "Biarritz of Wales".[27] During this time, a number of hotels and fine townhouses were built including the Queens Hotel, later renamed Swyddfa'r Sir (County Office) when used as offices by the town council, and most recently used as the external scenes of the police station in the television show Hinterland. One of the largest of these hotels, "The Castle Hotel", was never completed as a hotel but, following bankruptcy, was sold cheaply to the Welsh National University Committee, a group of people dedicated to the creation of a Welsh University. The University College of Wales (later to become Aberystwyth University) was founded in 1872 in this building.
Aberystwyth was a contributory parliamentary borough until the Third Reform Act, which merged its representation into that of the county in 1885.
In 1895, various businessmen who had been behind the Aberystwyth New Harbour Company formed the Aberystwyth Improvement Company (AIC) to take over the works of the defunct Bourne Engineering & Electrical. In 1896, the AIC completed three projects: the new landside pavilion for the Royal Pier;[28] built the Cambria Hotel (later the United Theological College) and formed Constitution Hill Ltd, to develop a Victorian theme park. Chief engineer George Croydon Marks designed all the AIC developments, including the United Kingdom's second longest funicular railway,[29] which takes passengers up a 50% gradient to a park and camera obscura.
Modern history
Aberystwyth Harbour
Aberystwyth hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1865, 1916, 1952 and 1992.[30]
On the night of Friday, 14 January 1938, a storm with estimated wind speeds of up to 90 mph (140 km/h) struck the town. Most of the promenade was destroyed, along with 200 feet (60 m) of the pier. Many properties on the seafront were damaged, with every property from the King's Hall north affected; those on Victoria Terrace suffered the greatest damage. Work commenced on a protective coffer dam which continued into 1940, with total costs of construction coming to £70,000 (equivalent to £2.5 million today).[31]
Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (Welsh language Society) held their historic first protest on Trefechan Bridge in Aberystwyth, on 2 February 1963.[32] The first independent Welsh Evangelical Church was established in Aberystwyth (see Evangelical Movement of Wales).
On 1 March 2005, Aberystwyth was granted Fairtrade Town status.[33]
In March 2009 mayor Sue Jones-Davies, who had played the role of Judith Iscariot in the film Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979), organised a charity screening of the film. Principal actors Terry Jones and Michael Palin also attended. There is a popular, but incorrect, urban myth that the town had banned the film (as some authorities did) when it was first released.[34]
During the aftermath storms from Cyclone Dirk on Friday 3 January 2014, the town was one of the worst hit in Wales, with enormous swells uprooting boulders from the sea walls, leaving roads and pavements along the promenade buried under a mass of paving stones, bricks, shale and twisted metal.[35][36] Properties on the adjoining promenade were then evacuated for the next five days, including 250 students from the University.[37] Ceredigion Council appealed to the Welsh Assembly Government for funds, whilst Natural Resources Wales undertook surveys and emergency preventative measures.[38]
North Parade, Aberystwyth was reported to be the most expensive street in Wales in 2018, based on property prices.[39]
Governance
Aberystwyth's local government administration has a two-tier structure consisting of two separate councils. As local government is a devolved matter in Wales, the legislation for both Councils is a responsibility of the Senedd.
Town Council
Aberystwyth Town Council is the first tier of local government, which is the closest to the general public; there are 19 elected town councillors from five wards. The last elections were held on the 4 May 2017. The council is responsible for cycle paths, public footpaths, CCTV, public Wi-Fi, bus shelters, parks, gardens (including the castle grounds and the skateboard park) and allotments. The council is a statutory body which is consulted regarding planning decisions in the town area and makes recommendations to the planning authority, Ceredigion County Council. The Town Council is also involved in leisure, tourism, business[40] (through providing more than half of Menter Aberystwyth's funding in grants), licence applications, wellbeing [41] and environmental health, recycling and refuse collection.
A borough council existed in Aberystwyth from 1832 and the Aberystwyth School Board was established in 1870.
County Council
Ceredigion County Council is another statutory body incorporated by Act of Parliament. It is the second tier of local government in the area and is a unitary authority with a wide range of powers and responsibility. The Council deals with roads (except trunk roads), street lighting, some highways, social services, children and family care, schools and public libraries. Aberystwyth elects six of the 42 councillors in five separate wards (Bronglais, Central, North and Rheidol wards elect one councillor each while Penparcau ward elects two).
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament
Aberystwyth has five Senedd members, one of whom (Elin Jones) was elected as a constituency MS for Ceredigion, and four who are elected on the regional list for Mid and West Wales.
UK Parliament
The town is in the Ceredigion constituency for elections to the House of Commons. Since June 2017, Aberystwyth's MP has been Plaid Cymru's Ben Lake.
Culture
Town library
The first ever public library in Aberystwyth was opened in Compton House, Pier Street on 13 October 1874. In 1882 the library was moved to the Assembly Rooms which were leased to the council for 21 years. The lease expired in 1903 and the library returned to Pier Street, this time to the Old Banking Library at the corner with Eastgate Street, although this was short lived.[42]
A Carnegie library was built in Aberystwyth in 1905, with a grant of £3,000. Located in Corporation Street, it was designed by the architect Walter Payton of Birmingham, who was one of 48 who entered the competition to design the building. It was formally opened on 20 April 1906 by Mrs Vaughan Davies, wife of the local MP.[42]
The Town Library moved to the old Town Hall, now known as Canolfan Alun R. Edwards, Queen's Square, in 2012, following the building's refurbishment. The County Council vacated the Town Hall in a move to their purpose built offices on Boulevard de Saint-Brieuc in 2009.[citation needed]
National Library of Wales
National Library of Wales
Main article: National Library of Wales
The National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth, is the national legal deposit library of Wales. Established in 1907, it is a Welsh Government sponsored body. According to Cyril Evans, the library's centenary events co-ordinator, "The library is considered to be one of the world's greatest libraries, and its international reputation is certainly something that all Welsh men and women are intensely ... proud of".[43] Welsh is the main medium of communication within the organisation; it aims to deliver all public services in Welsh and English.[44]
Arts
The Arts Centre
Main article: Aberystwyth Arts Centre
Aberystwyth Arts Centre is one of the largest and busiest arts centres in Wales.[45] It encompasses a 312-seat theatre, 900-seat concert hall, 125-seat cinema, and has accompanied studio, galleries, plus public spaces which include cafes and a bar.[46]
Arad Goch is an Arts Council funded community theatre and art gallery based in the town. The premises holds a theatre, gallery, several art studios and meeting rooms, and a darkroom.
Music
Aberystwyth has a live music scene which has produced bands and artists such as:
The Crocketts
The Hot Puppies
Murry the Hump
The Lowland Hundred
The University Music Centre promotes a varied programme for instrumentalists, singers and listeners from the university and the wider community.
The University chamber choir, The Elizabethan Madrigal Singers, have been singing in the town since 1950 and continue to hold a number of concerts throughout the year.
Aberystwyth gives its name to a well known hymn tune composed by Joseph Parry.[citation needed]
Sport
Aberystwyth RFC is the local rugby union club and acts as a feeder club to professional side Scarlets. It was formed in 1947 and for the 2017/18 season played in the WRU Division One West.[47]
Aberystwyth Town F.C. is a semi-professional football club that was formed in 1884. The team currently compete in the Cymru Premier, Wales' top division.[48]
The town also has a cricket club which plays in local leagues,[49] an athletics club (founded 1955),[50] and boxing club in Penparcau.[51] The town's golf course opened in 1911.[52]
Welsh language
Ceredigion, the county in which Aberystwyth is located, is one of the four most Welsh-speaking counties in Wales and remained majority Welsh speaking until the 2011 census.[53][54]
However, since the town's growth as a seaside resort in the Victorian era, it has been more anglicised than its hinterland and the rest of the county in general. The university has also attracted many English-speaking students from England, non-Welsh speaking parts of Wales and elsewhere. The 1891 census recorded that, of the 6635 inhabitants who completed the language section, 3482 (52.5%) were bilingual, 1751 (26.4%) were Welsh monoglots, and 1402 people (21.1%) were returned as English monoglots. Ceredigion (then named Cardiganshire) as a whole was 95.2% Welsh-speaking and 74.5% monoglot Welsh.[55] Although the town remained majority Welsh-speaking for many more decades, English had already replaced Welsh in certain domains, such as entertainment and tourism.
By 1961, only 50.0% of the town's population could speak Welsh, compared to 79.5% for Cardiganshire as a whole;[56] by 1971, these numbers had fallen to 44.9% and 67.6% respectively.[57]
The 2001 census reported that, in the seven wards of Aberystwyth, 39% of the residents self-identified as able to speak or read or write Welsh. This is lower than Ceredigion as a whole (54%) but higher than Wales overall (19%).[58]
Education
Schools
Aberystwyth has two comprehensive schools serving the town and a wide rural area: Ysgol Gyfun Gymunedol Penweddig and Ysgol Penglais School. Ysgol Gyfun Gymunedol Penweddig uses Welsh as the primary language of tuition; Ysgol Penglais School teaches in English and in Welsh as a subject.
Aberystwyth University
Main article: Aberystwyth University
Aberystwyth is home to Aberystwyth University (Welsh: Prifysgol Aberystwyth) whose predecessor, University College Wales, was founded in 1872[19] and renamed the 'University of Wales, Aberystwyth' in the mid-1990s. Prior to the college's establishment, Wales had very limited academic-degree capability through St David's College, Lampeter (founded in 1822, now the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David).
Tourism and local economy
View of Aberystwyth and Cardigan Bay from the National Library of Wales
As well as having two cinemas and a golf course, the town's attractions include:
The Aberystwyth Cliff Railway, a funicular railway
A Victorian camera obscura at the top of Constitution Hill.
The Vale of Rheidol steam railway (Aberystwyth to Devil's Bridge)
Aberystwyth Arts Centre.
The Parc Penglais nature reserve
The Ystwyth Trail cycle path
National Library of Wales
Park Avenue. Football stadium home to Aberystwyth Town F.C.
The all organic dairy unit of Rachel's Organic is based in Glan yr Afon, and is the largest private sector employer in Aberystwyth.[59][60]
The Cambrian News newspaper came to Aberystwyth from Bala in 1870, after it was purchased by Sir John Gibson. Printed in Oswestry, in May 1880 the paper integrated operations in a former Malthouse in Mill Street. Owned by the Read family from 1926, in 1993 printing was contracted out, enabling the move of editorial staff to the current open-plan offices on Llanbadarn Fawr Science Park. On the death of Henry Read, the paper was purchased in 1999 by Sir Ray Tindle, whose company owns more than 200 weekly newspapers in Britain. Now printed in tabloid format, Cambrian News is the second-largest weekly-print circulation newspaper in Wales, with 24,000 copies in six regional editorial versions, read by 60,000 weekly readers. The circulation area of mid, west and north Wales covers 3,000 square miles (7,800 km2).[61]
Since the TV series Hinterland has been filmed in and around Aberystwyth, the area is being promoted as an opportunity for tourists to visit filming locations; many are well publicised.[62][63]
Transport
Rail
An Arriva Trains Wales service awaiting departure from Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth railway station is situated in the town centre and is the terminus of the scenic Cambrian Line. Transport for Wales Rail operate a mostly hourly service (with some two-hour intervals) to Shrewsbury via Machynlleth and Mid Wales, with nearly all trains continuing to Birmingham International. Connecting services from Dovey Junction provide a link to Gwynedd's west coast as far as Pwllheli, along the Cambrian Coast Line. There is no longer a southbound connection: the Carmarthen–Aberystwyth line was closed in 1965 as part of the Beeching cuts.
The Vale of Rheidol Railway runs through the spectacular Rheidol Valley
Aberystwyth station is also the terminus of the Vale of Rheidol Railway, a steam-operated narrow gauge heritage railway. Constructed between 1901 and 1902, it was intended to ship mineral cargo, primarily lead, from Devil's Bridge down to Aberystwyth for trans-shipment. By the time it was finished, lead mining was in a deep downturn and—thanks to the Aberystwyth Improvement Company—the railway came to rely largely on the tourist industry, opening for passengers in December 1902. It still remains open for the summer season, with a journey of 12 miles (19 km).
In 1896, the Aberystwyth Improvement Company formed Constitution Hill Ltd which, under the direction of chief engineer George Croydon Marks, developed the United Kingdom's second longest funicular railway, the Aberystwyth Cliff Railway, which takes passengers up a 50% gradient.[28][29]
Bus
A TrawsCymru T1 service on the A4120 in Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth is a hub for the TrawsCymru bus network, with four routes serving the town:
T1 - hourly service to Carmarthen (connects with T1S to Swansea, Monday-Saturday) via Aberaeron and Lampeter - with one service a day (Monday-Saturday) extended to Cardiff [64]
T1C - daily express coach service to Cardiff, via Aberaeron, Camarthen (connects with T1S to Swansea, Monday-Saturday), Swansea (Sunday & Bank Holidays only), Port Talbot Parkway and Bridgend [65]
T2 - every 1–2 hours to Bangor via Machynlleth, Dolgellau (connects with T3 to Barmouth and Wrexham), Porthmadog and Caernarfon [66]
T5 - hourly service to Haverfordwest via Aberaeron, New Quay, Cardigan and Fishguard [67]
(TrawsCymru services run less-frequently on Sundays.)
There is a daily National Express coach, service 409 to London via Birmingham, along with local bus services within the town and into the surrounding area.[68]
Road
The A44 and A487 meet with much traffic between North Wales and South West Wales passing through the town. The A4120 links the A44 and A487 between Llanbadarn Fawr and Penparcau, allowing through traffic to bypass the town centre.
The B4574 mountain road linking the town to Rhayader is described by the AA as one of the ten most scenic drives in the world.[69][70]
Port
The port of Aberystwyth, although it is small and relatively inconsequential today, used to be an important Atlantic Ocean entryway. It was used to ship locally, to Ireland and as a transatlantic departure point. Commercially, the once important Cardiganshire lead mines exported from this location.[19]
The importance of maritime trade in the 19th century is reflected in the fact that a lifeboat has been based at Aberystwyth since 1843, when a 27 ft (8.2 m) boat powered by six oars was funded by public subscription and placed under the control of the harbourmaster. The RNLI took over the service in 1861 and established Aberystwyth Lifeboat Station which celebrated 150 years in 2011. The station uses the Atlantic 85-class inshore lifeboat Spirit of Friendship.
Notable people
Main category: People from Aberystwyth
In fiction
Literature
Aberystwyth (albeit an alternative universe version) is the setting for the cult Louie Knight series by Malcolm Pryce, which transfers Chandleresque "noir" stories and dialogue to this small seaside town.[71] This alternative reality features many landmarks of Aberystwyth, such as the University and the National Library of Wales, but the social situation is radically altered to more closely resemble the pulp/noir stereotypical "Dirty Town" that the narrative plays off. Most of the humour in the books is derived from the almost seamless juxtaposition of the real Aberystwyth and the fictional, noir Aberystwyth. Various aspects of Welsh culture are reflections of what you might expect to see in reality, but with a pulp twist – for example, prostitutes wear Welsh stovepipe hats.[72]
Stripping Penguins Bare, the book 2 of Michael Carson's Benson Trilogy of comic novels, is set in the town and university in the 1960s.
The local writer Niall Griffiths has set many of his novels here and reflects local slang, settings, and even individuals. Grits and Sheepshagger are set wholly in Aberystwyth, which also features prominently in his other novels such as Kelly and Victor and Stump. He portrays a more gritty side of Aberystwyth.
Y Llyfrgell (2009) is Welsh language novel by Fflur Dafydd. It was the winner of the 2009 Daniel Owen Memorial Prize presented at the National Eisteddfod. The book is set in the National Library of Wales and in Aberystwyth town. This was made into a film of the same name in Welsh, and in English as The Library Suicides.[73][74]
Television
Y Gwyll (2013–2016), a Welsh television programme, known as Hinterland in English, broadcast on S4C, BBC One Wales, BBC Four and Netflix in North America, is set in Aberystwyth. It is filmed in and around the town, often in rural locations.[63][75]
Freedom of the Town
The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Town of Aberystwyth.[76]
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.
Individuals
1912 – Sir John Williams
1912 – David Davies
1912 – Stuart Rendel
1922 – David Lloyd George
1923 – Lewis Pugh Evans
1923 – Matthew Vaughan-Davies
1923 – Sir Herbert Lewis
1928 – Stanley Baldwin
1934 – Sir David Charles Roberts
1936 – Ernest Vaughan
1951 – Winston Churchill
1956 – Sir David James
2011 – Fritz Pratschke
2015 – Jean Guezennec
Military Units
1955 – The Welsh Guards
Twinning
Arklow in Wicklow, Republic of Ireland Ireland[77]
Kronberg im Taunus in Hesse Hesse, Germany Germany
Saint-Brieuc in Brittany Brittany, France France[78]
Esquel in Patagonia, Argentina Argentina[79]
Architecture, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales. Aberystwyth University (Welsh: Prifysgol Aberystwyth) is a public research university in Aberystwyth, Wales. Aberystwyth was a founding member institution of the former federal University of Wales. The university has over 8,000 students studying across 3 academic faculties and 17 departments.
Founded in 1872 as University College Wales, Aberystwyth, it became a founder member of the University of Wales in 1894, and changed its name to the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth. In the mid-1990s, the university again changed its name to become the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. On 1 September 2007, the University of Wales ceased to be a federal university and Aberystwyth University became independent again.[3]
In 2019, it became the first university to be named "University of the year for teaching quality" by The Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide for two consecutive years.[4] It is the first university in the world to be awarded Plastic Free University status (for single-use plastic items).[5]
History
Old College
The University for Wales, Aberystwyth, c.1870
Old College Building from the Castle
In the middle of the 19th century, eminent Welsh people were advocating the establishment of a university in the Principality, one of these, Thomas Nicholas, whose book Middle and High Class Schools, and University Education for Wales (1863) is said to have "exerted great influence on educated Welshmen".[6]
Funded through public and private subscriptions, and with five regional committees (London, Manchester, Liverpool, North and South Wales) guaranteeing funds for the first three years' running costs, the university opened in October 1872 with 26 students. Thomas Charles Edwards was the Principal. In October 1875, chapels in Wales raised the next tranche of funds from over 70,000 contributors.[7] Until 1893, when the college joined the University of Wales as a founder member, students applying to Aberystwyth sat the University of London's entrance exams.[8] Women were admitted in 1884.
In 1885, a fire damaged what is now known as the Old College, Aberystwyth, and in 1897 the first 14 acres of what would become the main Penglais campus were purchased.[9] Incorporated by Royal Charter in 1893, the university installed the Prince of Wales as Chancellor in 1896, the same year it awarded an honorary degree to the British Prime Minister William Gladstone.
The university's coat of arms dates from the 1880s. The shield features two red dragons to symbolise Wales, and an open book to symbolise learning. The crest, an eagle or phoenix above a flaming tower, may signify the College's rebirth after the 1885 fire.[10] The motto is Nid Byd, Byd Heb Wybodaeth (a world without knowledge is no world at all).
In the early 1900s the university added courses that included Law, Applied Mathematics, Pure Mathematics, and Botany. The Department for International Politics, which Aberystwyth says is the oldest such department in the world, was founded in 1919.[11] By 1977, the university's staff included eight Fellows of the Royal Society, such as Gwendolen Rees, the first Welsh woman to be elected an FRS.
The Department of Sports and Exercise Science was established in 2000. Joint honours Psychology degrees were introduced in September 2007, and single honours Psychology in 2009.
The chancellor of the university is The Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, who took up the position in January 2018. The visitor of the university is an appointment made by the Privy Council, under the Royal Charter of the university. Since July 2014, the holder of this office is Mr Justice Sir Roderick Evans QC.
In 2011 the university appointed a new vice chancellor[12] under whom the academic departments were restructured as larger subject-themed institutes.
Organisation and administration
Departments and Faculties
The University's academic departments, as well as the Arts Centre, International English Centre, and Music Centre are organised in three faculties:
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
School of Art
Arts Centre
School of Education
Department of English and Creative Writing
Department of History and Welsh History
International English Centre
Department of International Politics
Department of Law and Criminology
Department of Modern Languages
Music Centre
Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies
Department of Welsh and Celtic Studies
Faculty of Business and Physical Sciences
Aberystwyth Business School
Department of Computer Science
Department of Information Studies
Department of Mathematics
Department of Physics
Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences
Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences
Department of Geography and Earth Sciences
Department of Psychology
Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences
The Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) is a research and teaching centre which brings together staff from the Institutes of Rural Sciences and Biological Sciences and the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research (IGER). Around 360 research, teaching and support staff conduct basic, strategic and applied research in biology.[13]
The Institute is located in two areas; one at the main teaching Penglais campus and another rural research hub at the Gogerddan campus.[14]
Aberystwyth Business School
In 1998. the Department of Economics (founded in 1912), the Department of Accounting and Finance (founded in 1979) and the Centre for Business Studies merged to create the School of Management and Business. In 2013, the School joined the Department of Information Studies and the Department of Law and Criminology at a new campus at Llanbadarn Fawr. The School was shortlisted for ‘Business School of the Year Times Higher Education Awards (2014).[15] In 2016 the Institute, minus the Department of Information Studies, was renamed the Institute of Business and Law, the remaining departments being renamed Aberystwyth Business School and Aberystwyth Law School.
Cledwyn Building, former home of the School of Economics
Department of Computer Science
The Llandinam Building
The Department of Computer Science (founded in 1970), conducts research in automated reasoning, computational biology, vision graphics and visualisation, and intelligent robotics.
AberMUD, the first popular internet-based MUD, was written in the department by then-student Alan Cox. Jan Pinkava, another graduate, won an Oscar for his short animated film Geri's Game. Students in the department were also involved in the creation of the award-winning service robot librarian named Hugh (robot)[16] and Kar-go, the autonomous delivery vehicle.[17]
Department of Geography and Earth Sciences
The Department of Geography and Earth Sciences (IGES) was formed, in 1989, from the former Departments of Geography (established in 1918) and Geology. houses the E. G. Bowen map library, containing 80,000 maps and 500 atlases.[18]
Department of Information Studies
CLW Library, Llanbadarn - later named the Thomas Parry Library
The College of Librarianship Wales (CLW) was established at Llanbadarn Fawr in 1964, in response to a recommendation for the training of bilingual librarians that was made in the Bourdillon Report on Standards of public library service in England (HMSO, 1962). The College grew rapidly, developing close links to the Welsh speaking and professional communities, acquiring an international reputation and pioneering flexible and distance learning courses. It claimed to be Europe's largest institution for training librarians.[19] The independent college merged with the university (in August 1989) and the department moved to the Penglais campus a quarter of a century later. Following the merger, the new department took over responsibility for existing offerings in archives administration and modern records management.
Department of International Politics
International Politics building
The Department of International Politics was founded, shortly after World War I (in 1919), with the stated purpose of furthering political understanding of the world in the hope of avoiding such conflicts in the future. This goal led to the creation of the Woodrow Wilson Chair of International Politics.[20] The department has over 700 students from 40 countries studying at undergraduate, masters and PhD levels. It achieved a 95% score for student satisfaction in the 2016 National Student Survey, placing it as the highest-ranking politics department in Wales and within the UK's top ten.[21]
The department has hosted various notable academic staff in the field including E. H. Carr, Leopold Kohr, Andrew Linklater, Ken Booth, Steve Smith, Michael Cox, Michael MccGwire, Jenny Edkins and Colin J. McInnes.
Department of Law and Criminology
The Department of Law and Criminology (founded in 1901) is housed in the Hugh Owen Building on the Penglais campus, and includes the Centre for Welsh Legal Affairs, a specialist research centre. All academic staff are engaged in research, and the International Journal of Biosciences and the Law and the Cambrian Law Review are edited in the department. In 2013, the department joined the Department of Information Studies and the School of Management and Business at a new campus at Llanbadarn Fawr, as part of a newly created Institute of Management, Law and Information Studies. As of September 2018, the department has since relocated back to the Hugh Owen Building, based in the Penglais campus, and its name changed from Aberystwyth Law School to the Department of Law and Criminology.[22]
The Guardian University Guide 2018 currently ranks Law Department at 69th in the UK,[23] and "The Times" Higher Education Guide ranks it as 300th globally.[24]
Department of Modern Languages
Aberystwyth has taught modern languages since 1874. French, German, Italian and Spanish courses are taught at both beginners' and advanced levels, in a research-active academic environment. One of its research projects is the Anglo-Norman Dictionary,[25] based in Aberystwyth since 2001 and available online since 2005.
Department of Physics
Physics was first taught at Aberystwyth as part of Natural Philosophy, Astronomy, and Mathematics under N. R. Grimley, soon after the foundation of the University College.[26] It became a department in 1877, under the leadership of F. W. Rudler.[26] The department was located in the south wing of what is now the Old College,[26] but later relocated to the Physics Building on the Penglais Campus. The first Chair in Physics was offered to D. E. Jones in 1885.[26] Prior to World War I, much of the early research in the department was undertaken in Germany. Early research in the 1900s was concerned with electrical conductivity and quantum theory, later moving into thermal conductivity and acoustics.[26] In 1931, the department hosted the Faraday Centenary Exhibition.[26] E. J. Williams was appointed Chair of Physics in 1938 where he continued his research into sub-atomic particles using a cloud chamber.[27] Following World War II, research was concerned with mechanical and nuclear physics, later moving into the fields of air density, experimental rocket launching equipment, and radar.[26]
Arts Studio
Department of Psychology
In 2007, Aberystwyth established the subject as a 'Centre for Applied Psychology' within the Department of International Politics. By 2011, Psychology had moved into their current premises in Penbryn 5 on the Penglais Campus. The department is home to over 300 undergraduate students - with degrees accredited by the British Psychological Society.
Campuses
Old College east entrance
Penglais
The main campus of the University is situated on Penglais Hill, overlooking the town of Aberystwyth and Cardigan Bay, and comprises most of the University buildings, Arts Centre, Students’ Union, and many of the student residences. Just below Penglais Campus is the National Library of Wales, one of Britain's five legal deposit libraries. The landscaping of the Penglais Campus is historically significant and is listed.[9] The CADW listing states,
"The landscaping of the University of Wales, Aberystwyth campuses, particularly the earlier Penglais campus, is of exceptional historic interest as one of the most important modern landscaping schemes in Wales...One section of the Penglais campus was designed by the well known landscape architect Brenda Colvin and is one of the very few of her schemes to have survived. A number of women have played a key role in the development and planting of the whole site."
Llanbadarn
The Llanbadarn Centre is located approximately one mile to the east of the Penglais Campus, near Llanbadarn Fawr, overlooking the town and Cardigan Bay to the west, with the backdrop of the Cambrian Mountains to the east. Llanbadarn Centre hosted Aberystwyth Law School and Aberystwyth Business School, which together formed the Institute of Business and Law. The Department of Information Studies is also based there. Additionally, the Llanbadarn Campus is the site of the Aberystwyth branch of Coleg Ceredigion (a further education college, and not part of the University).
Goggerddan
At Gogerddan, on the outskirts of town is located the University's major centre for research in land based sciences and the main centre for the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Science.
School of Art, Edward Davies Building
Edward Davies Building
The School of Art is located between the Penglais Campus and the centre of Aberystwyth, in what was originally the Edward Davies Chemical Laboratory. A listed building, the Edward Davies Building is one of the finest examples of architecture in Aberystwyth.
Old College
The site of the original university is the 'Old College', currently the subject of the 'New Life for Old College' project which aims to transform it into an integrated centre of heritage, culture, learning and knowledge exchange. The university opened an international campus in Mauritius in 2016 operating as Aberystwyth University (Mauritian Branch Campus) and registered with the Tertiary Education Commission of Mauritius, but closed it to new enrolments two years later due to low enrolment numbers.[28]
Student residences
Most of the student residences are on campus, with the rest in walking distance of the campus and Aberystwyth town centre. Accommodation ranges from 'traditional' catered residences to en-suite self-catered accommodation, and from budget rooms to more luxurious studio apartments. All have wired access to the University's computer network and a support network of residential tutors.
Penglais Campus
Cwrt Mawr (self-catered flats, single rooms, capacity 503)[29]
Neuadd Pantycelyn [cy] (Welsh speaking traditional catered hall, refurbished in 2020, capacity 200)[30]
Penbryn (Welsh-speaking traditional catered hall, capacity 350)[31]
Rosser (self-catered en-suite flats, capacity 336),
Rosser G (postgraduate flats following 2011 expansion to Rosser, capacity 60)[32]
Trefloyne (self-catered flats, capacity 147)[33]
Pentre Jane Morgan (Student Village)
Almost 200 individual houses arranged in closes and cul-de-sacs. Each house typically accommodate 5 or 6 students. (total capacity 1003)[34]
Fferm Penglais Student Residence
Purpose-built student accommodation with studio apartments and en-suite bedrooms (total capacity 1000). An area of accommodation within the Fferm Penglais Student Residence is set aside for students who are Welsh learners or fluent Welsh speakers, and wish to live in a Welsh speaking environment.
Town accommodation
Seafront Residences (self-catered flats located on the seafront and Queen's Road, overall capacity 361). The original Seafront residences, Plyn' and Caerleon, were destroyed by fire in 1998.[35][36]
Seafront residences include Aberglasney, Balmoral, Blaenwern, Caerleon, Carpenter, Pumlumon, Ty Glyndwr, and Ty Gwerin Halls.[37]
The University also owns several houses, such as Penglais Farmhouse (Adjacent to Pentre Jane Morgan) and flats in Waun Fawr, which are let on an Assured Shorthold Tenure to students with families. Disabled access rooms are available within the existing student village.
Reputation and academic profile
Rankings
National rankings
Complete (2021)[38]58
Guardian (2021)[39]49
Times / Sunday Times (2021)[40]42
Global rankings
QS (2021)[41]
432=
THE (2021)[42]401-500
British Government assessment
Teaching Excellence Framework[43]Gold
Aberystwyth University is placed in the UK’s top 50 universities in the main national rankings. It is ranked 48th for 132 UK university rankings in The Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide for 2019 [44] and the first university to be given the prestigious award "University of the year for teaching quality" for two consecutive years (2018 and 2019).[4]
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings placed it in the 301—350 group for 800 university rankings, compared with 351—400 the previous year,[45] and the QS World University Rankings placed it at the 432th position for 2019, compared with 481—490 of the previous year.[46] In 2015, UK employers from “predominantly business, IT and engineering sectors” listed Aberystwyth equal 49th in their 62-place employability rankings for UK graduates, according to a Times Higher Education report.[47]
Aberystwyth University was rated in the top ten of UK higher education institutions for overall student satisfaction in the 2016 National Student Survey (NSS).[48]
Aberystwyth University was shortlisted in four categories in the Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Awards (THELMAs) (2015).[49]
Aberystwyth University has been awarded the Silver Award under the Corporate Health Standard (CHS), the quality mark for workplace health promotion run by Welsh Government.[50]
The University has been awarded an Athena SWAN Charter Award, recognising commitment to advancing women's careers in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) in higher education and research.[51]
In 2007 the University came under criticism for its record on sustainability, ranking 97th out of 106 UK higher education institutions in that year's Green League table.[52] In 2012 the university was listed in the table's "Failed, no award" section, ranking equal 132nd out of 145.[53] In 2013 it ranked equal 135th out of 143, and was listed again as "Failed, no award".[54]
Following the University's initiatives to address sustainability,[55] it received an EcoCampus[56] Silver Phase award in October 2014.
In October 2015, the University’s Penglais Campus became the first University campus in Wales to achieve the Green Flag Award.[57] The Green Flag Award is a UK-wide partnership, delivered in Wales by Keep Wales Tidy with support from Natural Resources Wales, and is the mark of a high quality park or green space.
In 2013, the University and College Union alleged bullying behaviour by Aberystwyth University managers, and said staff were fearful for their jobs. University president Sir Emyr Jones Parry said in a BBC radio interview, "I don't believe the views set out are representative and I don't recognise the picture." He also said, "Due process is rigorously applied in Aberystwyth." Economist John Cable resigned his emeritus professorship, describing the university's management as "disproportionate, aggressive and confrontational". The singer Peter Karrie resigned his honorary fellowship in protest, he said, at the apparent determination to "ruin one of the finest arts centres in the country", and because he was "unable to support any regime that can treat their staff in such a cruel and appalling manner."[58]
Officers and Academics
Presidents and Chancellors
1872–95 Henry Austin Bruce, 1st Lord Aberdare[citation needed]
1895–1913 Stuart, Lord Rendel
1913–26 Sir John Williams, 1st Bt
1926–44 Edmund Davies, Lord Edmund-Davies
1944–54 Thomas Jones (T. J.)
1955–64 Sir David Hughes Parry
1964–76 Sir Ben Bowen Thomas
1977–85 Cledwyn Hughes, Lord Cledwyn of Penrhos
1985–97 Melvyn Rosser
1997–2007 Elystan Morgan, Lord Elystan-Morgan
2007–17 Sir Emyr Jones Parry
2018–present John, Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd
Principals and Vice-Chancellors
See also: Category: Vice-Chancellors of Aberystwyth University
1872–91 Thomas Charles Edwards
1891–1919 Thomas Francis Roberts
1919–26 John Humphreys Davies
1927–34 Sir Henry Stuart-Jones
1934–52 Ifor Leslie Evans
1953–57 Goronwy Rees
1958–69 Sir Thomas Parry
1969–79 Sir Goronwy Daniel
1979–89 Gareth Owen
1989–94 Kenneth, Lord Morgan
1994–2004 Derec Llwyd Morgan
2004–11 Noel Lloyd
2011–16 April McMahon
2016–17 John Grattan (acting)
2016–present Elizabeth Treasure[59]
Academics
See also: Category:Academics of Aberystwyth University
Henry Bird, Lecturer in Art History (1936–41)
Ken Booth, Professor of International Politics
Edward Carr, Historian, Woodrow Wilson Professor of International Politics
Sir Henry Walford Davies, Master of the King's Music
John Davies, Welsh historian
Hannah Dee, Lecturer in Computer Science
R. Geraint Gruffydd, Chair of Welsh Language and Literature (1970–79)
David Russell Hulme, Director of Music (1992–), conductor, musicologist
Robert Maynard Jones, Chair of Welsh Language (1980)
D. Gwenallt Jones, poet, Welsh Lecturer
Leopold Kohr, Economist, Political Scientist
Dennis Lindley, Professor of Statistics (1960–67)
David John de Lloyd, Gregynog Professor of Music, composer
Alec Muffett, Systems Programmer (1988–92)
Lily Newton, Professor of Botany
Ian Parrott, Gregynog Professor of Music (1950–83), composer, musicologist
Joseph Parry, Professor of Music, composer, conductor
Sir Thomas Herbert Parry-Williams, poet, Professor of Welsh (1920–52)
F. Gwendolen Rees FRS Professor of Zoology
Huw Rees FRS (1923–2009), Geneticist [60]
William Rubinstein, Professor of History
Marie Breen Smyth, Reader in Political Violence, International Politics
Richard Marggraf Turley, Professor of Engagement with the Public Imagination
Dame Marjorie Williamson, Principal, Royal Holloway, London (1962–73)
Richard Henry Yapp, botanist
Alumni
See also: Category:Alumni of Aberystwyth University
Royalty
Charles, Prince of Wales
Tunku Muhriz Ibni Almarhum Tunku Munawir, 11th Yang Di Pertuan Besar (Grand Ruler) of Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia (2008–present)
Tunku Naquiyuddin, Tunku Laxamana (Regent) of Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia (1994–99)
Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, 3rd President of Sierra Leone (1996–7)
Academia
E. G. Bowen, Geographer
Sir Edward Collingwood, mathematician, scientist
Alan Cox, Programmer (major contributor to the Linux kernel, 1980s)
D. J. Davies, economist, socialist, Plaid Cymru activist
Natasha Devon, writer, mental health activist
Andrew Gordon naval historian
Sir Deian Hopkin, historian
David Russell Hulme, Director of Music (from 1992), conductor
David Gwilym James Vice-Chancellor, University of Southampton 1952–65
Emrys Jones, Professor of Geography, London School of Economics
T. Harri Jones, poet
Roy Kift, dramatist, writer
Mary King, political scientist
Michael MccGwire, international relations specialist, Naval Commander
Twm Morys, poet
Tavi Murray, glaciologist, Polar Medallist
Ernest Charles Nelson, botanist
David Hughes Parry, Vice-Chancellor, University of London (1945–48)
T. H. Parry-Williams, poet, author, academic
Frederick Soddy, Nobel Prize Winner in Chemistry (1921)
Sir John Meurig Thomas FRS, chemist, professor, author
Paul Thomas, founding Vice-Chancellor, University of the Sunshine Coast
Sir Nigel Thrift, Geographer, Vice Chancellor, University of Warwick
David John Williams, writer
Sir Glanmor Williams, historian
Rev. John Tudno Williams, theologian
Waldo Williams, poet
Rev. William Richard Williams, theologian
Christine James, first female Archdruid of Wales
Gethin Glyn, Zoologist
Aron Dafydd, UMCA Leader
Law
Tun Salleh Abas, Lord President of the Federal Court, Malaysia (1984–88)
Belinda Ang, Judge, Supreme Court of Singapore (2003–)
Sir Alun Talfan Davies, judge, publisher
Sir Ellis Ellis-Griffith, 1st Bt, barrister, Liberal politician
Iris de Freitas Brazao, first female prosecuting lawyer in the Caribbean
Sir Samuel Thomas Evans, barrister, judge, Liberal politician
Elwyn, Lord Elwyn-Jones, Lord Chancellor (1974–79)
John, Lord Morris of Aberavon, Attorney General (1997–99)
Civil Servants
Timothy Brain, Chief Constable for Gloucestershire (2001–10)
Sir Goronwy Daniel, civil servant, academic
Politics
Joe Borg, European Union Oceans and Fisheries Commissioner (2004–10)[61]
Captain Roderic Bowen, Liberal MP, Deputy Commons Speaker
Nicholas, Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth, Welsh Conservative Leader (1999–2011)
Rehman Chishti, Conservative MP (2010–), Special Envoy (2019–20)
Dr Stephen Clackson Independent Councillor, Orkney Islands Council [62]
David, 1st Lord Davies, Liberal politician, philanthropist [63]
Glyn Davies, Conservative MP
Gwilym Prys Davies, Lord Prys-Davies, Labour peer (1982–2015)
Gwynfor Evans, first Plaid Cymru MP
Steve Gilbert, Liberal Democrat MP (2010–15)
Siân Gwenllian, Plaid Cymru AM
Neil Hamilton, Conservative MP and AM, barrister
Sylvia, Lady Hermon, Ulster Unionist politician
Emlyn, Lord Hooson, Liberal politician
Cledwyn Hughes, Lord Cledwyn of Penrhos, Labour politician
Dato' Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, Foreign Minister, Malaysia, (2020–)
Dan Jarvis, Labour MP
Bethan Jenkins, Plaid Cymru AM for South Wales West
Carwyn Jones, First Minister of Wales (2009–18), AM for Bridgend
Gerry MacLochlainn Sinn Féin politician
John Morris, Lord Morris of Aberavon, Labour politician
Elystan Morgan, Lord Elystan-Morgan, Labour MP
Roland Moyle, Labour MP, Parliamentary Private Secretary to Clement Attlee
Will Quince, Conservative MP
Dan Rogerson, Liberal Democrat MP
Liz Saville Roberts, Plaid Cymru MP, Plaid Cymru Leader (2017–)
Molly Scott Cato, Green Party MEP
Ahmed Shaheed, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Maldives
Virginijus Sinkevičius, European Union Environment Commissioner (2019–)[64]
Bob Stewart, Conservative MP
Gareth Thomas, Labour MP
Gareth Thomas, Labour MP
Mark Williams, Liberal Democrat MP, Welsh LD Leader (2016–17)
Mike Wood, Conservative MP
Steven Woolfe, UK Independence Party MEP
Business
Lance Batchelor, CEO, Domino's Pizza and Saga
Geoff Drabble, CEO, Ashtead
Belinda Earl, CEO, Debenhams and Jaeger
David Prosser, CEO, Legal & General[65]
Tom Singh, owner and CEO, New Look
Sports
Cath Bishop, professional rower, civil servant
John Dawes, Rugby player, Captain of Wales and British Lions
Carwyn James, Wales and British and Irish Lions Rugby Coach (1949?–51)
Leigh Richmond Roose, International footballer
Berwyn Price, Gold Medal Commonwealth Games (1978)
Angela Tooby, Silver Medal, World Cross-Country Championships (1988)
Arts and Entertainment
Dorothy Bonarjee, Indian poet, artist
Neil Brand, writer, composer, silent film accompanist
Seth Clabough, American novelist, academic
Shân Cothi, operatic singer, actress
Jane Green, author
Sarah Hall, writer, poet
David Russell Hulme, conductor, musicologist
Aneirin Hughes, actor
Emrys James, actor
Eveline Annie Jenkins (1893–1976), botanical artist
Alex Jones, Presenter, BBC One TV Programme, The One Show (2010–)
Melih Kibar, Turkish composer
Alun Lewis, Second World War writer, poet
Caryl Lewis, novelist
Rick Lloyd, musician (Y Blew, Flying Pickets)
Hayley Long, fiction writer
Sharon Maguire, film director, Bridget Jones's Diary
Matt McCooey, actor
Alan Mehdizadeh, actor, Billy Elliot the Musical
Robert Minhinnick, poet, essayist, novelist, translator
Amy Parry-Williams (1910–1988), singer, writer
Esther Pilkington, performance artist
Jan Pinkava, Oscar-winning animated film director
Rachel Roberts, actress
Lisa Surihani, Malaysian actress
Richard Roberts, theologian, pacifist
Aberystwyth (Welsh: [abɛˈrəstʊɨθ] (About this soundlisten)) is a university town and community in Ceredigion, Wales. Historically in the historic county of Cardiganshire, the literal meaning of the Welsh: Aberystwyth is the mouth of the Ystwyth. In one form or another, Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location in Wales since the establishment of University College Wales in 1872.
The town is situated on Cardigan Bay on the west coast of Wales, near the confluence of the River Ystwyth and Afon Rheidol. Following the reconstruction of the harbour, the Ystwyth skirts the town. The Rheidol passes through the town.
The seafront, with a pier, stretches from Constitution Hill at the north end of the Promenade to the harbour at the south. The beach is divided by the castle. The town is divided into five areas: Aberystwyth Town; Llanbadarn Fawr; Waunfawr; Llanbadarn; Trefechan; and the most populous, Penparcau.
At the 2001 census, the population of the town was 15,935.[2] This reduced to 13,040 at the 2011 Census. During nine months of the year, there is an influx of students.[3][citation needed]
Including the suburbs of Llanbadarn Fawr, the population is 16,420, the built-up area having a population of 18,749.[4]
Aberystwyth Bay from a 1748 survey by Lewis Morris (1701–1765)
The distance to Swansea is 55 miles (89 km); to Shrewsbury 60 miles (97 km); to Wrexham 63 miles (101 km); to Cardiff 76 miles (122 km); and to London 180 miles (290 km).
Main features of the town
Aberystwyth is a university town and tourist destination, and forms a cultural link between North Wales and South Wales. Constitution Hill, scaled by the Aberystwyth Cliff Railway, gives access to panoramic views and to other attractions at the summit, including a camera obscura. Scenic Mid Wales landscape within easy reach of the town includes the wilderness of the Cambrian Mountains, whose valleys contain forests and meadows which have changed little in centuries. A convenient way to access the interior is by the preserved narrow-gauge Vale of Rheidol Railway.
Although the town is relatively modern, there are a number of historic buildings, including the remains of the castle and the Old College of Aberystwyth University nearby. The Old College was originally built and opened in 1865 as a hotel, but after the owner's bankruptcy the shell of the building was sold to the university in 1867.[5]
The new university campus overlooks Aberystwyth from Penglais Hill to the east of the town centre. The station, a terminus of the main railway, was built in 1924 in the typical style of the period, mainly in a mix of Gothic, Classical Revival, and Victorian architecture.
The town is the unofficial capital of Mid Wales, and several institutions have regional or national offices there. Public bodies located in the town include the National Library of Wales, which incorporates the National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales, one of six British regional film archives. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales maintains and curates the National Monuments Record of Wales (NMRW), providing the public with information about the built heritage of Wales. Aberystwyth is also the home to the national offices of UCAC and Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (Welsh Language Society), and the site of the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, the Welsh Books Council and the offices of the standard historical dictionary of Welsh, Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru. A purpose built Welsh Government office and an adjoining office of Ceredigion County Council are also located in the town.
Climate
Aberystwyth experiences an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb) similar to almost all of the United Kingdom. This is particularly pronounced due to its west coast location facing the Irish Sea. Air undergoes little land moderation and so temperatures closely reflect the sea temperature when winds are coming from the predominant onshore (westerly) direction. The nearest Met Office weather station is Gogerddan, 3 miles to the northeast, and at a similar elevation.
The absolute maximum temperature is 34.6 °C (94.3 °F),[6] set during July 2006. This is also the July record maximum for all of Wales, suggesting that the area's low lying situation, aided by a possible föhn effect when winds are offshore can act to achieve high temperatures on occasion. Typically the warmest day will average 28.0 °C (82.4 °F)[7] and 5.6 days[8] will achieve a maximum of 25.1 °C (77.2 °F) or above.
The absolute minimum temperature is −13.5 °C (7.7 °F),[9] set in January 2010. Typically 39.8 days will register an air frost.
Rainfall averages 1,112 mm (44 in) a year,[10] with over 1mm recorded on 161 days.[11] All averages refer to the 1981–2010 period.
Climate data for Gogerddan, elevation 31m, 1981–2010, extremes 1960–
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Record high °C (°F)16.1
(61.0)17.8
(64.0)22.8
(73.0)26.2
(79.2)27.5
(81.5)31.7
(89.1)34.6
(94.3)32.8
(91.0)31.1
(88.0)23.9
(75.0)18.1
(64.6)15.5
(59.9)34.6
(94.3)
Average high °C (°F)8.1
(46.6)8.2
(46.8)10.0
(50.0)12.4
(54.3)15.5
(59.9)17.6
(63.7)19.4
(66.9)19.2
(66.6)17.4
(63.3)14.2
(57.6)10.9
(51.6)8.6
(47.5)13.5
(56.2)
Average low °C (°F)2.5
(36.5)2.1
(35.8)3.7
(38.7)4.7
(40.5)7.3
(45.1)10.1
(50.2)12.4
(54.3)12.2
(54.0)10.2
(50.4)7.9
(46.2)4.9
(40.8)2.4
(36.3)6.7
(44.1)
Record low °C (°F)−13.5
(7.7)−11.1
(12.0)−9.4
(15.1)−5.1
(22.8)−2.6
(27.3)0.6
(33.1)2.8
(37.0)2.8
(37.0)0.0
(32.0)−4.3
(24.3)−11.9
(10.6)−12.4
(9.7)−13.5
(7.7)
Average precipitation mm (inches)94.6
(3.72)71.4
(2.81)84.1
(3.31)60.6
(2.39)59.7
(2.35)73.6
(2.90)81.8
(3.22)86.6
(3.41)92.4
(3.64)130.5
(5.14)122.5
(4.82)116.9
(4.60)1,074.7
(42.31)
Mean monthly sunshine hours51.173.7101.8166.1206.0183.1183.7169.4131.098.657.245.91,467.4
Source 1: KNMI[12]
Source 2: Met Office[13]
History
Mesolithic
There is evidence that during the Mesolithic Age the area of Tan-y-Bwlch at the foot of Pen Dinas (Penparcau) was used as a flint knapping floor for hunter-gatherers making weapons from flint that was deposited as the ice retreated.[14]
Bronze and Iron Ages
The remains of a Celtic fortress on Pen Dinas (or more correctly 'Dinas Maelor'), a hill in Penparcau overlooking Aberystwyth, indicates that the site was inhabited before 700 BC.[15][16] On a hill south of the present town, across the River Ystwyth, are the remains of a medieval ringfort believed to be the castle from which Princess Nest was abducted. This rare survival is now on private land and can only be accessed by arrangement.[17]
Middle Ages
Site of original Aberystwyth Castle at Tan y Castell
The recorded history of Aberystwyth may be said to date from the building of a fortress in 1109 by Gilbert Fitz Richard (grandfather of Richard de Clare, known as Strongbow, the Cambro-Norman lord notable for his leading role in the Norman invasion of Ireland). Gilbert Fitz Richard was granted lands and the lordship of Cardigan by Henry I, including Cardigan Castle. The fortress built in Aberystwyth was located about a mile and a half south of today's town, on a hill over the south bank of the Ystwyth River, thus giving the settlement of Aberystwyth its name. The location is now known as Tan-Y-Castell.[18]
Aberystwyth was usually under the control of the princes of Deheubarth, but its position close to the border with Gwynedd and Powys left it vulnerable to attacks from the leaders of those polities. The town was attacked by Gwenwynwyn ab Owain in 1197, an assault in which Maelgwn ap Rhys was captured. Llywelyn the Great attacked and seized the town in late 1208, building a castle there before withdrawing.
Edward I replaced Strongbow's castle in 1277,[19] after its destruction by the Welsh.[20] His castle was, however, built in a different location, at the current Castle Hill, the high point of the town. Between the years 1404 and 1408 Aberystwyth Castle was in the hands of Owain Glyndŵr but finally surrendered to Prince Harry (the future King Henry V of England). Shortly after this, the town was incorporated under the title of Ville de Lampadarn (the ancient name of the place being Llanbadarn Gaerog or the fortified Llanbadarn, to distinguish it from Llanbadarn Fawr, the village one mile (1.6 km) inland. It is thus styled in a Royal charter granted by Henry VIII but, by Elizabeth I's time, the town was invariably named Aberystwyth in all documents.[21]
Early modern era
Aberystwyth at around 1840. Crane, W., fl. ca. 1835–1850, lithographer.
From 1639 to 1642, silver coins were minted at Aberystwyth Castle on behalf of the Royal Mint, using silver from local mines. £10,500 in currency was produced, equivalent to 2.5 million silver pennies.[22]
In 1649, Parliamentarian troops razed the castle,[23] although portions of three towers still exist. In 1988, an excavation within the castle area revealed a complete male skeleton, deliberately buried. Though skeletons rarely survive in Wales' acidic soil, this skeleton was probably preserved by the addition of lime from the collapsed building. Affectionately known as "Charlie" and now housed in the Ceredigion Museum in the town, he probably dates from the English Civil War period, and is likely to have died during the Parliamentarian siege. His image is featured in one of nine mosaics created to adorn the castle's walls.[24]
Rural industries and craftsmen were an important part of life in a country town. The local trade directory for 1830 shows that there were in Aberystwyth: Twenty boot makers, eight bakers, two corn millers, eleven carpenters and joiners, one cooper, seven tailors, two dressmakers, two straw hat makers, two hat makers, three curriers, four saddlers, two tinsmiths, six maltsters, two skinners, four tanners, eight stonemasons, one brewer, four lime burners, three shipwrights, three wheelwrights, five cabinet makers, one nail maker, one rope maker and one sail maker.[25]
Victorian era
The Queen's Hotel, Aberystwith
The first Pier at Aberystwyth c.1865
The Cambrian Railways line from Machynlleth reached Aberystwyth in 1864, closely followed by rail links to Carmarthen, which resulted in the construction of the town's impressive station. The Cambrian line opened on Good Friday 1869, the same day that the new 292 metres (958 ft) Royal Pier (designed by Eugenius Birch) opened, attracting 7,000 visitors.[26]
The railway's arrival gave rise to something of a Victorian tourist boom; the town was once even billed as the "Biarritz of Wales".[27] During this time, a number of hotels and fine townhouses were built including the Queens Hotel, later renamed Swyddfa'r Sir (County Office) when used as offices by the town council, and most recently used as the external scenes of the police station in the television show Hinterland. One of the largest of these hotels, "The Castle Hotel", was never completed as a hotel but, following bankruptcy, was sold cheaply to the Welsh National University Committee, a group of people dedicated to the creation of a Welsh University. The University College of Wales (later to become Aberystwyth University) was founded in 1872 in this building.
Aberystwyth was a contributory parliamentary borough until the Third Reform Act, which merged its representation into that of the county in 1885.
In 1895, various businessmen who had been behind the Aberystwyth New Harbour Company formed the Aberystwyth Improvement Company (AIC) to take over the works of the defunct Bourne Engineering & Electrical. In 1896, the AIC completed three projects: the new landside pavilion for the Royal Pier;[28] built the Cambria Hotel (later the United Theological College) and formed Constitution Hill Ltd, to develop a Victorian theme park. Chief engineer George Croydon Marks designed all the AIC developments, including the United Kingdom's second longest funicular railway,[29] which takes passengers up a 50% gradient to a park and camera obscura.
Modern history
Aberystwyth Harbour
Aberystwyth hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1865, 1916, 1952 and 1992.[30]
On the night of Friday, 14 January 1938, a storm with estimated wind speeds of up to 90 mph (140 km/h) struck the town. Most of the promenade was destroyed, along with 200 feet (60 m) of the pier. Many properties on the seafront were damaged, with every property from the King's Hall north affected; those on Victoria Terrace suffered the greatest damage. Work commenced on a protective coffer dam which continued into 1940, with total costs of construction coming to £70,000 (equivalent to £2.5 million today).[31]
Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (Welsh language Society) held their historic first protest on Trefechan Bridge in Aberystwyth, on 2 February 1963.[32] The first independent Welsh Evangelical Church was established in Aberystwyth (see Evangelical Movement of Wales).
On 1 March 2005, Aberystwyth was granted Fairtrade Town status.[33]
In March 2009 mayor Sue Jones-Davies, who had played the role of Judith Iscariot in the film Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979), organised a charity screening of the film. Principal actors Terry Jones and Michael Palin also attended. There is a popular, but incorrect, urban myth that the town had banned the film (as some authorities did) when it was first released.[34]
During the aftermath storms from Cyclone Dirk on Friday 3 January 2014, the town was one of the worst hit in Wales, with enormous swells uprooting boulders from the sea walls, leaving roads and pavements along the promenade buried under a mass of paving stones, bricks, shale and twisted metal.[35][36] Properties on the adjoining promenade were then evacuated for the next five days, including 250 students from the University.[37] Ceredigion Council appealed to the Welsh Assembly Government for funds, whilst Natural Resources Wales undertook surveys and emergency preventative measures.[38]
North Parade, Aberystwyth was reported to be the most expensive street in Wales in 2018, based on property prices.[39]
Governance
Aberystwyth's local government administration has a two-tier structure consisting of two separate councils. As local government is a devolved matter in Wales, the legislation for both Councils is a responsibility of the Senedd.
Town Council
Aberystwyth Town Council is the first tier of local government, which is the closest to the general public; there are 19 elected town councillors from five wards. The last elections were held on the 4 May 2017. The council is responsible for cycle paths, public footpaths, CCTV, public Wi-Fi, bus shelters, parks, gardens (including the castle grounds and the skateboard park) and allotments. The council is a statutory body which is consulted regarding planning decisions in the town area and makes recommendations to the planning authority, Ceredigion County Council. The Town Council is also involved in leisure, tourism, business[40] (through providing more than half of Menter Aberystwyth's funding in grants), licence applications, wellbeing [41] and environmental health, recycling and refuse collection.
A borough council existed in Aberystwyth from 1832 and the Aberystwyth School Board was established in 1870.
County Council
Ceredigion County Council is another statutory body incorporated by Act of Parliament. It is the second tier of local government in the area and is a unitary authority with a wide range of powers and responsibility. The Council deals with roads (except trunk roads), street lighting, some highways, social services, children and family care, schools and public libraries. Aberystwyth elects six of the 42 councillors in five separate wards (Bronglais, Central, North and Rheidol wards elect one councillor each while Penparcau ward elects two).
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament
Aberystwyth has five Senedd members, one of whom (Elin Jones) was elected as a constituency MS for Ceredigion, and four who are elected on the regional list for Mid and West Wales.
UK Parliament
The town is in the Ceredigion constituency for elections to the House of Commons. Since June 2017, Aberystwyth's MP has been Plaid Cymru's Ben Lake.
Culture
Town library
The first ever public library in Aberystwyth was opened in Compton House, Pier Street on 13 October 1874. In 1882 the library was moved to the Assembly Rooms which were leased to the council for 21 years. The lease expired in 1903 and the library returned to Pier Street, this time to the Old Banking Library at the corner with Eastgate Street, although this was short lived.[42]
A Carnegie library was built in Aberystwyth in 1905, with a grant of £3,000. Located in Corporation Street, it was designed by the architect Walter Payton of Birmingham, who was one of 48 who entered the competition to design the building. It was formally opened on 20 April 1906 by Mrs Vaughan Davies, wife of the local MP.[42]
The Town Library moved to the old Town Hall, now known as Canolfan Alun R. Edwards, Queen's Square, in 2012, following the building's refurbishment. The County Council vacated the Town Hall in a move to their purpose built offices on Boulevard de Saint-Brieuc in 2009.[citation needed]
National Library of Wales
National Library of Wales
Main article: National Library of Wales
The National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth, is the national legal deposit library of Wales. Established in 1907, it is a Welsh Government sponsored body. According to Cyril Evans, the library's centenary events co-ordinator, "The library is considered to be one of the world's greatest libraries, and its international reputation is certainly something that all Welsh men and women are intensely ... proud of".[43] Welsh is the main medium of communication within the organisation; it aims to deliver all public services in Welsh and English.[44]
Arts
The Arts Centre
Main article: Aberystwyth Arts Centre
Aberystwyth Arts Centre is one of the largest and busiest arts centres in Wales.[45] It encompasses a 312-seat theatre, 900-seat concert hall, 125-seat cinema, and has accompanied studio, galleries, plus public spaces which include cafes and a bar.[46]
Arad Goch is an Arts Council funded community theatre and art gallery based in the town. The premises holds a theatre, gallery, several art studios and meeting rooms, and a darkroom.
Music
Aberystwyth has a live music scene which has produced bands and artists such as:
The Crocketts
The Hot Puppies
Murry the Hump
The Lowland Hundred
The University Music Centre promotes a varied programme for instrumentalists, singers and listeners from the university and the wider community.
The University chamber choir, The Elizabethan Madrigal Singers, have been singing in the town since 1950 and continue to hold a number of concerts throughout the year.
Aberystwyth gives its name to a well known hymn tune composed by Joseph Parry.[citation needed]
Sport
Aberystwyth RFC is the local rugby union club and acts as a feeder club to professional side Scarlets. It was formed in 1947 and for the 2017/18 season played in the WRU Division One West.[47]
Aberystwyth Town F.C. is a semi-professional football club that was formed in 1884. The team currently compete in the Cymru Premier, Wales' top division.[48]
The town also has a cricket club which plays in local leagues,[49] an athletics club (founded 1955),[50] and boxing club in Penparcau.[51] The town's golf course opened in 1911.[52]
Welsh language
Ceredigion, the county in which Aberystwyth is located, is one of the four most Welsh-speaking counties in Wales and remained majority Welsh speaking until the 2011 census.[53][54]
However, since the town's growth as a seaside resort in the Victorian era, it has been more anglicised than its hinterland and the rest of the county in general. The university has also attracted many English-speaking students from England, non-Welsh speaking parts of Wales and elsewhere. The 1891 census recorded that, of the 6635 inhabitants who completed the language section, 3482 (52.5%) were bilingual, 1751 (26.4%) were Welsh monoglots, and 1402 people (21.1%) were returned as English monoglots. Ceredigion (then named Cardiganshire) as a whole was 95.2% Welsh-speaking and 74.5% monoglot Welsh.[55] Although the town remained majority Welsh-speaking for many more decades, English had already replaced Welsh in certain domains, such as entertainment and tourism.
By 1961, only 50.0% of the town's population could speak Welsh, compared to 79.5% for Cardiganshire as a whole;[56] by 1971, these numbers had fallen to 44.9% and 67.6% respectively.[57]
The 2001 census reported that, in the seven wards of Aberystwyth, 39% of the residents self-identified as able to speak or read or write Welsh. This is lower than Ceredigion as a whole (54%) but higher than Wales overall (19%).[58]
Education
Schools
Aberystwyth has two comprehensive schools serving the town and a wide rural area: Ysgol Gyfun Gymunedol Penweddig and Ysgol Penglais School. Ysgol Gyfun Gymunedol Penweddig uses Welsh as the primary language of tuition; Ysgol Penglais School teaches in English and in Welsh as a subject.
Aberystwyth University
Main article: Aberystwyth University
Aberystwyth is home to Aberystwyth University (Welsh: Prifysgol Aberystwyth) whose predecessor, University College Wales, was founded in 1872[19] and renamed the 'University of Wales, Aberystwyth' in the mid-1990s. Prior to the college's establishment, Wales had very limited academic-degree capability through St David's College, Lampeter (founded in 1822, now the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David).
Tourism and local economy
View of Aberystwyth and Cardigan Bay from the National Library of Wales
As well as having two cinemas and a golf course, the town's attractions include:
The Aberystwyth Cliff Railway, a funicular railway
A Victorian camera obscura at the top of Constitution Hill.
The Vale of Rheidol steam railway (Aberystwyth to Devil's Bridge)
Aberystwyth Arts Centre.
The Parc Penglais nature reserve
The Ystwyth Trail cycle path
National Library of Wales
Park Avenue. Football stadium home to Aberystwyth Town F.C.
The all organic dairy unit of Rachel's Organic is based in Glan yr Afon, and is the largest private sector employer in Aberystwyth.[59][60]
The Cambrian News newspaper came to Aberystwyth from Bala in 1870, after it was purchased by Sir John Gibson. Printed in Oswestry, in May 1880 the paper integrated operations in a former Malthouse in Mill Street. Owned by the Read family from 1926, in 1993 printing was contracted out, enabling the move of editorial staff to the current open-plan offices on Llanbadarn Fawr Science Park. On the death of Henry Read, the paper was purchased in 1999 by Sir Ray Tindle, whose company owns more than 200 weekly newspapers in Britain. Now printed in tabloid format, Cambrian News is the second-largest weekly-print circulation newspaper in Wales, with 24,000 copies in six regional editorial versions, read by 60,000 weekly readers. The circulation area of mid, west and north Wales covers 3,000 square miles (7,800 km2).[61]
Since the TV series Hinterland has been filmed in and around Aberystwyth, the area is being promoted as an opportunity for tourists to visit filming locations; many are well publicised.[62][63]
Transport
Rail
An Arriva Trains Wales service awaiting departure from Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth railway station is situated in the town centre and is the terminus of the scenic Cambrian Line. Transport for Wales Rail operate a mostly hourly service (with some two-hour intervals) to Shrewsbury via Machynlleth and Mid Wales, with nearly all trains continuing to Birmingham International. Connecting services from Dovey Junction provide a link to Gwynedd's west coast as far as Pwllheli, along the Cambrian Coast Line. There is no longer a southbound connection: the Carmarthen–Aberystwyth line was closed in 1965 as part of the Beeching cuts.
The Vale of Rheidol Railway runs through the spectacular Rheidol Valley
Aberystwyth station is also the terminus of the Vale of Rheidol Railway, a steam-operated narrow gauge heritage railway. Constructed between 1901 and 1902, it was intended to ship mineral cargo, primarily lead, from Devil's Bridge down to Aberystwyth for trans-shipment. By the time it was finished, lead mining was in a deep downturn and—thanks to the Aberystwyth Improvement Company—the railway came to rely largely on the tourist industry, opening for passengers in December 1902. It still remains open for the summer season, with a journey of 12 miles (19 km).
In 1896, the Aberystwyth Improvement Company formed Constitution Hill Ltd which, under the direction of chief engineer George Croydon Marks, developed the United Kingdom's second longest funicular railway, the Aberystwyth Cliff Railway, which takes passengers up a 50% gradient.[28][29]
Bus
A TrawsCymru T1 service on the A4120 in Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth is a hub for the TrawsCymru bus network, with four routes serving the town:
T1 - hourly service to Carmarthen (connects with T1S to Swansea, Monday-Saturday) via Aberaeron and Lampeter - with one service a day (Monday-Saturday) extended to Cardiff [64]
T1C - daily express coach service to Cardiff, via Aberaeron, Camarthen (connects with T1S to Swansea, Monday-Saturday), Swansea (Sunday & Bank Holidays only), Port Talbot Parkway and Bridgend [65]
T2 - every 1–2 hours to Bangor via Machynlleth, Dolgellau (connects with T3 to Barmouth and Wrexham), Porthmadog and Caernarfon [66]
T5 - hourly service to Haverfordwest via Aberaeron, New Quay, Cardigan and Fishguard [67]
(TrawsCymru services run less-frequently on Sundays.)
There is a daily National Express coach, service 409 to London via Birmingham, along with local bus services within the town and into the surrounding area.[68]
Road
The A44 and A487 meet with much traffic between North Wales and South West Wales passing through the town. The A4120 links the A44 and A487 between Llanbadarn Fawr and Penparcau, allowing through traffic to bypass the town centre.
The B4574 mountain road linking the town to Rhayader is described by the AA as one of the ten most scenic drives in the world.[69][70]
Port
The port of Aberystwyth, although it is small and relatively inconsequential today, used to be an important Atlantic Ocean entryway. It was used to ship locally, to Ireland and as a transatlantic departure point. Commercially, the once important Cardiganshire lead mines exported from this location.[19]
The importance of maritime trade in the 19th century is reflected in the fact that a lifeboat has been based at Aberystwyth since 1843, when a 27 ft (8.2 m) boat powered by six oars was funded by public subscription and placed under the control of the harbourmaster. The RNLI took over the service in 1861 and established Aberystwyth Lifeboat Station which celebrated 150 years in 2011. The station uses the Atlantic 85-class inshore lifeboat Spirit of Friendship.
Notable people
Main category: People from Aberystwyth
In fiction
Literature
Aberystwyth (albeit an alternative universe version) is the setting for the cult Louie Knight series by Malcolm Pryce, which transfers Chandleresque "noir" stories and dialogue to this small seaside town.[71] This alternative reality features many landmarks of Aberystwyth, such as the University and the National Library of Wales, but the social situation is radically altered to more closely resemble the pulp/noir stereotypical "Dirty Town" that the narrative plays off. Most of the humour in the books is derived from the almost seamless juxtaposition of the real Aberystwyth and the fictional, noir Aberystwyth. Various aspects of Welsh culture are reflections of what you might expect to see in reality, but with a pulp twist – for example, prostitutes wear Welsh stovepipe hats.[72]
Stripping Penguins Bare, the book 2 of Michael Carson's Benson Trilogy of comic novels, is set in the town and university in the 1960s.
The local writer Niall Griffiths has set many of his novels here and reflects local slang, settings, and even individuals. Grits and Sheepshagger are set wholly in Aberystwyth, which also features prominently in his other novels such as Kelly and Victor and Stump. He portrays a more gritty side of Aberystwyth.
Y Llyfrgell (2009) is Welsh language novel by Fflur Dafydd. It was the winner of the 2009 Daniel Owen Memorial Prize presented at the National Eisteddfod. The book is set in the National Library of Wales and in Aberystwyth town. This was made into a film of the same name in Welsh, and in English as The Library Suicides.[73][74]
Television
Y Gwyll (2013–2016), a Welsh television programme, known as Hinterland in English, broadcast on S4C, BBC One Wales, BBC Four and Netflix in North America, is set in Aberystwyth. It is filmed in and around the town, often in rural locations.[63][75]
Freedom of the Town
The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Town of Aberystwyth.[76]
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.
Individuals
1912 – Sir John Williams
1912 – David Davies
1912 – Stuart Rendel
1922 – David Lloyd George
1923 – Lewis Pugh Evans
1923 – Matthew Vaughan-Davies
1923 – Sir Herbert Lewis
1928 – Stanley Baldwin
1934 – Sir David Charles Roberts
1936 – Ernest Vaughan
1951 – Winston Churchill
1956 – Sir David James
2011 – Fritz Pratschke
2015 – Jean Guezennec
Military Units
1955 – The Welsh Guards
Twinning
Arklow in Wicklow, Republic of Ireland Ireland[77]
Kronberg im Taunus in Hesse Hesse, Germany Germany
Saint-Brieuc in Brittany Brittany, France France[78]
Esquel in Patagonia, Argentina Argentina[79]
Architecture, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales. Aberystwyth University (Welsh: Prifysgol Aberystwyth) is a public research university in Aberystwyth, Wales. Aberystwyth was a founding member institution of the former federal University of Wales. The university has over 8,000 students studying across 3 academic faculties and 17 departments.
Founded in 1872 as University College Wales, Aberystwyth, it became a founder member of the University of Wales in 1894, and changed its name to the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth. In the mid-1990s, the university again changed its name to become the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. On 1 September 2007, the University of Wales ceased to be a federal university and Aberystwyth University became independent again.[3]
In 2019, it became the first university to be named "University of the year for teaching quality" by The Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide for two consecutive years.[4] It is the first university in the world to be awarded Plastic Free University status (for single-use plastic items).[5]
History
Old College
The University for Wales, Aberystwyth, c.1870
Old College Building from the Castle
In the middle of the 19th century, eminent Welsh people were advocating the establishment of a university in the Principality, one of these, Thomas Nicholas, whose book Middle and High Class Schools, and University Education for Wales (1863) is said to have "exerted great influence on educated Welshmen".[6]
Funded through public and private subscriptions, and with five regional committees (London, Manchester, Liverpool, North and South Wales) guaranteeing funds for the first three years' running costs, the university opened in October 1872 with 26 students. Thomas Charles Edwards was the Principal. In October 1875, chapels in Wales raised the next tranche of funds from over 70,000 contributors.[7] Until 1893, when the college joined the University of Wales as a founder member, students applying to Aberystwyth sat the University of London's entrance exams.[8] Women were admitted in 1884.
In 1885, a fire damaged what is now known as the Old College, Aberystwyth, and in 1897 the first 14 acres of what would become the main Penglais campus were purchased.[9] Incorporated by Royal Charter in 1893, the university installed the Prince of Wales as Chancellor in 1896, the same year it awarded an honorary degree to the British Prime Minister William Gladstone.
The university's coat of arms dates from the 1880s. The shield features two red dragons to symbolise Wales, and an open book to symbolise learning. The crest, an eagle or phoenix above a flaming tower, may signify the College's rebirth after the 1885 fire.[10] The motto is Nid Byd, Byd Heb Wybodaeth (a world without knowledge is no world at all).
In the early 1900s the university added courses that included Law, Applied Mathematics, Pure Mathematics, and Botany. The Department for International Politics, which Aberystwyth says is the oldest such department in the world, was founded in 1919.[11] By 1977, the university's staff included eight Fellows of the Royal Society, such as Gwendolen Rees, the first Welsh woman to be elected an FRS.
The Department of Sports and Exercise Science was established in 2000. Joint honours Psychology degrees were introduced in September 2007, and single honours Psychology in 2009.
The chancellor of the university is The Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, who took up the position in January 2018. The visitor of the university is an appointment made by the Privy Council, under the Royal Charter of the university. Since July 2014, the holder of this office is Mr Justice Sir Roderick Evans QC.
In 2011 the university appointed a new vice chancellor[12] under whom the academic departments were restructured as larger subject-themed institutes.
Organisation and administration
Departments and Faculties
The University's academic departments, as well as the Arts Centre, International English Centre, and Music Centre are organised in three faculties:
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
School of Art
Arts Centre
School of Education
Department of English and Creative Writing
Department of History and Welsh History
International English Centre
Department of International Politics
Department of Law and Criminology
Department of Modern Languages
Music Centre
Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies
Department of Welsh and Celtic Studies
Faculty of Business and Physical Sciences
Aberystwyth Business School
Department of Computer Science
Department of Information Studies
Department of Mathematics
Department of Physics
Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences
Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences
Department of Geography and Earth Sciences
Department of Psychology
Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences
The Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) is a research and teaching centre which brings together staff from the Institutes of Rural Sciences and Biological Sciences and the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research (IGER). Around 360 research, teaching and support staff conduct basic, strategic and applied research in biology.[13]
The Institute is located in two areas; one at the main teaching Penglais campus and another rural research hub at the Gogerddan campus.[14]
Aberystwyth Business School
In 1998. the Department of Economics (founded in 1912), the Department of Accounting and Finance (founded in 1979) and the Centre for Business Studies merged to create the School of Management and Business. In 2013, the School joined the Department of Information Studies and the Department of Law and Criminology at a new campus at Llanbadarn Fawr. The School was shortlisted for ‘Business School of the Year Times Higher Education Awards (2014).[15] In 2016 the Institute, minus the Department of Information Studies, was renamed the Institute of Business and Law, the remaining departments being renamed Aberystwyth Business School and Aberystwyth Law School.
Cledwyn Building, former home of the School of Economics
Department of Computer Science
The Llandinam Building
The Department of Computer Science (founded in 1970), conducts research in automated reasoning, computational biology, vision graphics and visualisation, and intelligent robotics.
AberMUD, the first popular internet-based MUD, was written in the department by then-student Alan Cox. Jan Pinkava, another graduate, won an Oscar for his short animated film Geri's Game. Students in the department were also involved in the creation of the award-winning service robot librarian named Hugh (robot)[16] and Kar-go, the autonomous delivery vehicle.[17]
Department of Geography and Earth Sciences
The Department of Geography and Earth Sciences (IGES) was formed, in 1989, from the former Departments of Geography (established in 1918) and Geology. houses the E. G. Bowen map library, containing 80,000 maps and 500 atlases.[18]
Department of Information Studies
CLW Library, Llanbadarn - later named the Thomas Parry Library
The College of Librarianship Wales (CLW) was established at Llanbadarn Fawr in 1964, in response to a recommendation for the training of bilingual librarians that was made in the Bourdillon Report on Standards of public library service in England (HMSO, 1962). The College grew rapidly, developing close links to the Welsh speaking and professional communities, acquiring an international reputation and pioneering flexible and distance learning courses. It claimed to be Europe's largest institution for training librarians.[19] The independent college merged with the university (in August 1989) and the department moved to the Penglais campus a quarter of a century later. Following the merger, the new department took over responsibility for existing offerings in archives administration and modern records management.
Department of International Politics
International Politics building
The Department of International Politics was founded, shortly after World War I (in 1919), with the stated purpose of furthering political understanding of the world in the hope of avoiding such conflicts in the future. This goal led to the creation of the Woodrow Wilson Chair of International Politics.[20] The department has over 700 students from 40 countries studying at undergraduate, masters and PhD levels. It achieved a 95% score for student satisfaction in the 2016 National Student Survey, placing it as the highest-ranking politics department in Wales and within the UK's top ten.[21]
The department has hosted various notable academic staff in the field including E. H. Carr, Leopold Kohr, Andrew Linklater, Ken Booth, Steve Smith, Michael Cox, Michael MccGwire, Jenny Edkins and Colin J. McInnes.
Department of Law and Criminology
The Department of Law and Criminology (founded in 1901) is housed in the Hugh Owen Building on the Penglais campus, and includes the Centre for Welsh Legal Affairs, a specialist research centre. All academic staff are engaged in research, and the International Journal of Biosciences and the Law and the Cambrian Law Review are edited in the department. In 2013, the department joined the Department of Information Studies and the School of Management and Business at a new campus at Llanbadarn Fawr, as part of a newly created Institute of Management, Law and Information Studies. As of September 2018, the department has since relocated back to the Hugh Owen Building, based in the Penglais campus, and its name changed from Aberystwyth Law School to the Department of Law and Criminology.[22]
The Guardian University Guide 2018 currently ranks Law Department at 69th in the UK,[23] and "The Times" Higher Education Guide ranks it as 300th globally.[24]
Department of Modern Languages
Aberystwyth has taught modern languages since 1874. French, German, Italian and Spanish courses are taught at both beginners' and advanced levels, in a research-active academic environment. One of its research projects is the Anglo-Norman Dictionary,[25] based in Aberystwyth since 2001 and available online since 2005.
Department of Physics
Physics was first taught at Aberystwyth as part of Natural Philosophy, Astronomy, and Mathematics under N. R. Grimley, soon after the foundation of the University College.[26] It became a department in 1877, under the leadership of F. W. Rudler.[26] The department was located in the south wing of what is now the Old College,[26] but later relocated to the Physics Building on the Penglais Campus. The first Chair in Physics was offered to D. E. Jones in 1885.[26] Prior to World War I, much of the early research in the department was undertaken in Germany. Early research in the 1900s was concerned with electrical conductivity and quantum theory, later moving into thermal conductivity and acoustics.[26] In 1931, the department hosted the Faraday Centenary Exhibition.[26] E. J. Williams was appointed Chair of Physics in 1938 where he continued his research into sub-atomic particles using a cloud chamber.[27] Following World War II, research was concerned with mechanical and nuclear physics, later moving into the fields of air density, experimental rocket launching equipment, and radar.[26]
Arts Studio
Department of Psychology
In 2007, Aberystwyth established the subject as a 'Centre for Applied Psychology' within the Department of International Politics. By 2011, Psychology had moved into their current premises in Penbryn 5 on the Penglais Campus. The department is home to over 300 undergraduate students - with degrees accredited by the British Psychological Society.
Campuses
Old College east entrance
Penglais
The main campus of the University is situated on Penglais Hill, overlooking the town of Aberystwyth and Cardigan Bay, and comprises most of the University buildings, Arts Centre, Students’ Union, and many of the student residences. Just below Penglais Campus is the National Library of Wales, one of Britain's five legal deposit libraries. The landscaping of the Penglais Campus is historically significant and is listed.[9] The CADW listing states,
"The landscaping of the University of Wales, Aberystwyth campuses, particularly the earlier Penglais campus, is of exceptional historic interest as one of the most important modern landscaping schemes in Wales...One section of the Penglais campus was designed by the well known landscape architect Brenda Colvin and is one of the very few of her schemes to have survived. A number of women have played a key role in the development and planting of the whole site."
Llanbadarn
The Llanbadarn Centre is located approximately one mile to the east of the Penglais Campus, near Llanbadarn Fawr, overlooking the town and Cardigan Bay to the west, with the backdrop of the Cambrian Mountains to the east. Llanbadarn Centre hosted Aberystwyth Law School and Aberystwyth Business School, which together formed the Institute of Business and Law. The Department of Information Studies is also based there. Additionally, the Llanbadarn Campus is the site of the Aberystwyth branch of Coleg Ceredigion (a further education college, and not part of the University).
Goggerddan
At Gogerddan, on the outskirts of town is located the University's major centre for research in land based sciences and the main centre for the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Science.
School of Art, Edward Davies Building
Edward Davies Building
The School of Art is located between the Penglais Campus and the centre of Aberystwyth, in what was originally the Edward Davies Chemical Laboratory. A listed building, the Edward Davies Building is one of the finest examples of architecture in Aberystwyth.
Old College
The site of the original university is the 'Old College', currently the subject of the 'New Life for Old College' project which aims to transform it into an integrated centre of heritage, culture, learning and knowledge exchange. The university opened an international campus in Mauritius in 2016 operating as Aberystwyth University (Mauritian Branch Campus) and registered with the Tertiary Education Commission of Mauritius, but closed it to new enrolments two years later due to low enrolment numbers.[28]
Student residences
Most of the student residences are on campus, with the rest in walking distance of the campus and Aberystwyth town centre. Accommodation ranges from 'traditional' catered residences to en-suite self-catered accommodation, and from budget rooms to more luxurious studio apartments. All have wired access to the University's computer network and a support network of residential tutors.
Penglais Campus
Cwrt Mawr (self-catered flats, single rooms, capacity 503)[29]
Neuadd Pantycelyn [cy] (Welsh speaking traditional catered hall, refurbished in 2020, capacity 200)[30]
Penbryn (Welsh-speaking traditional catered hall, capacity 350)[31]
Rosser (self-catered en-suite flats, capacity 336),
Rosser G (postgraduate flats following 2011 expansion to Rosser, capacity 60)[32]
Trefloyne (self-catered flats, capacity 147)[33]
Pentre Jane Morgan (Student Village)
Almost 200 individual houses arranged in closes and cul-de-sacs. Each house typically accommodate 5 or 6 students. (total capacity 1003)[34]
Fferm Penglais Student Residence
Purpose-built student accommodation with studio apartments and en-suite bedrooms (total capacity 1000). An area of accommodation within the Fferm Penglais Student Residence is set aside for students who are Welsh learners or fluent Welsh speakers, and wish to live in a Welsh speaking environment.
Town accommodation
Seafront Residences (self-catered flats located on the seafront and Queen's Road, overall capacity 361). The original Seafront residences, Plyn' and Caerleon, were destroyed by fire in 1998.[35][36]
Seafront residences include Aberglasney, Balmoral, Blaenwern, Caerleon, Carpenter, Pumlumon, Ty Glyndwr, and Ty Gwerin Halls.[37]
The University also owns several houses, such as Penglais Farmhouse (Adjacent to Pentre Jane Morgan) and flats in Waun Fawr, which are let on an Assured Shorthold Tenure to students with families. Disabled access rooms are available within the existing student village.
Reputation and academic profile
Rankings
National rankings
Complete (2021)[38]58
Guardian (2021)[39]49
Times / Sunday Times (2021)[40]42
Global rankings
QS (2021)[41]
432=
THE (2021)[42]401-500
British Government assessment
Teaching Excellence Framework[43]Gold
Aberystwyth University is placed in the UK’s top 50 universities in the main national rankings. It is ranked 48th for 132 UK university rankings in The Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide for 2019 [44] and the first university to be given the prestigious award "University of the year for teaching quality" for two consecutive years (2018 and 2019).[4]
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings placed it in the 301—350 group for 800 university rankings, compared with 351—400 the previous year,[45] and the QS World University Rankings placed it at the 432th position for 2019, compared with 481—490 of the previous year.[46] In 2015, UK employers from “predominantly business, IT and engineering sectors” listed Aberystwyth equal 49th in their 62-place employability rankings for UK graduates, according to a Times Higher Education report.[47]
Aberystwyth University was rated in the top ten of UK higher education institutions for overall student satisfaction in the 2016 National Student Survey (NSS).[48]
Aberystwyth University was shortlisted in four categories in the Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Awards (THELMAs) (2015).[49]
Aberystwyth University has been awarded the Silver Award under the Corporate Health Standard (CHS), the quality mark for workplace health promotion run by Welsh Government.[50]
The University has been awarded an Athena SWAN Charter Award, recognising commitment to advancing women's careers in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) in higher education and research.[51]
In 2007 the University came under criticism for its record on sustainability, ranking 97th out of 106 UK higher education institutions in that year's Green League table.[52] In 2012 the university was listed in the table's "Failed, no award" section, ranking equal 132nd out of 145.[53] In 2013 it ranked equal 135th out of 143, and was listed again as "Failed, no award".[54]
Following the University's initiatives to address sustainability,[55] it received an EcoCampus[56] Silver Phase award in October 2014.
In October 2015, the University’s Penglais Campus became the first University campus in Wales to achieve the Green Flag Award.[57] The Green Flag Award is a UK-wide partnership, delivered in Wales by Keep Wales Tidy with support from Natural Resources Wales, and is the mark of a high quality park or green space.
In 2013, the University and College Union alleged bullying behaviour by Aberystwyth University managers, and said staff were fearful for their jobs. University president Sir Emyr Jones Parry said in a BBC radio interview, "I don't believe the views set out are representative and I don't recognise the picture." He also said, "Due process is rigorously applied in Aberystwyth." Economist John Cable resigned his emeritus professorship, describing the university's management as "disproportionate, aggressive and confrontational". The singer Peter Karrie resigned his honorary fellowship in protest, he said, at the apparent determination to "ruin one of the finest arts centres in the country", and because he was "unable to support any regime that can treat their staff in such a cruel and appalling manner."[58]
Officers and Academics
Presidents and Chancellors
1872–95 Henry Austin Bruce, 1st Lord Aberdare[citation needed]
1895–1913 Stuart, Lord Rendel
1913–26 Sir John Williams, 1st Bt
1926–44 Edmund Davies, Lord Edmund-Davies
1944–54 Thomas Jones (T. J.)
1955–64 Sir David Hughes Parry
1964–76 Sir Ben Bowen Thomas
1977–85 Cledwyn Hughes, Lord Cledwyn of Penrhos
1985–97 Melvyn Rosser
1997–2007 Elystan Morgan, Lord Elystan-Morgan
2007–17 Sir Emyr Jones Parry
2018–present John, Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd
Principals and Vice-Chancellors
See also: Category: Vice-Chancellors of Aberystwyth University
1872–91 Thomas Charles Edwards
1891–1919 Thomas Francis Roberts
1919–26 John Humphreys Davies
1927–34 Sir Henry Stuart-Jones
1934–52 Ifor Leslie Evans
1953–57 Goronwy Rees
1958–69 Sir Thomas Parry
1969–79 Sir Goronwy Daniel
1979–89 Gareth Owen
1989–94 Kenneth, Lord Morgan
1994–2004 Derec Llwyd Morgan
2004–11 Noel Lloyd
2011–16 April McMahon
2016–17 John Grattan (acting)
2016–present Elizabeth Treasure[59]
Academics
See also: Category:Academics of Aberystwyth University
Henry Bird, Lecturer in Art History (1936–41)
Ken Booth, Professor of International Politics
Edward Carr, Historian, Woodrow Wilson Professor of International Politics
Sir Henry Walford Davies, Master of the King's Music
John Davies, Welsh historian
Hannah Dee, Lecturer in Computer Science
R. Geraint Gruffydd, Chair of Welsh Language and Literature (1970–79)
David Russell Hulme, Director of Music (1992–), conductor, musicologist
Robert Maynard Jones, Chair of Welsh Language (1980)
D. Gwenallt Jones, poet, Welsh Lecturer
Leopold Kohr, Economist, Political Scientist
Dennis Lindley, Professor of Statistics (1960–67)
David John de Lloyd, Gregynog Professor of Music, composer
Alec Muffett, Systems Programmer (1988–92)
Lily Newton, Professor of Botany
Ian Parrott, Gregynog Professor of Music (1950–83), composer, musicologist
Joseph Parry, Professor of Music, composer, conductor
Sir Thomas Herbert Parry-Williams, poet, Professor of Welsh (1920–52)
F. Gwendolen Rees FRS Professor of Zoology
Huw Rees FRS (1923–2009), Geneticist [60]
William Rubinstein, Professor of History
Marie Breen Smyth, Reader in Political Violence, International Politics
Richard Marggraf Turley, Professor of Engagement with the Public Imagination
Dame Marjorie Williamson, Principal, Royal Holloway, London (1962–73)
Richard Henry Yapp, botanist
Alumni
See also: Category:Alumni of Aberystwyth University
Royalty
Charles, Prince of Wales
Tunku Muhriz Ibni Almarhum Tunku Munawir, 11th Yang Di Pertuan Besar (Grand Ruler) of Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia (2008–present)
Tunku Naquiyuddin, Tunku Laxamana (Regent) of Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia (1994–99)
Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, 3rd President of Sierra Leone (1996–7)
Academia
E. G. Bowen, Geographer
Sir Edward Collingwood, mathematician, scientist
Alan Cox, Programmer (major contributor to the Linux kernel, 1980s)
D. J. Davies, economist, socialist, Plaid Cymru activist
Natasha Devon, writer, mental health activist
Andrew Gordon naval historian
Sir Deian Hopkin, historian
David Russell Hulme, Director of Music (from 1992), conductor
David Gwilym James Vice-Chancellor, University of Southampton 1952–65
Emrys Jones, Professor of Geography, London School of Economics
T. Harri Jones, poet
Roy Kift, dramatist, writer
Mary King, political scientist
Michael MccGwire, international relations specialist, Naval Commander
Twm Morys, poet
Tavi Murray, glaciologist, Polar Medallist
Ernest Charles Nelson, botanist
David Hughes Parry, Vice-Chancellor, University of London (1945–48)
T. H. Parry-Williams, poet, author, academic
Frederick Soddy, Nobel Prize Winner in Chemistry (1921)
Sir John Meurig Thomas FRS, chemist, professor, author
Paul Thomas, founding Vice-Chancellor, University of the Sunshine Coast
Sir Nigel Thrift, Geographer, Vice Chancellor, University of Warwick
David John Williams, writer
Sir Glanmor Williams, historian
Rev. John Tudno Williams, theologian
Waldo Williams, poet
Rev. William Richard Williams, theologian
Christine James, first female Archdruid of Wales
Gethin Glyn, Zoologist
Aron Dafydd, UMCA Leader
Law
Tun Salleh Abas, Lord President of the Federal Court, Malaysia (1984–88)
Belinda Ang, Judge, Supreme Court of Singapore (2003–)
Sir Alun Talfan Davies, judge, publisher
Sir Ellis Ellis-Griffith, 1st Bt, barrister, Liberal politician
Iris de Freitas Brazao, first female prosecuting lawyer in the Caribbean
Sir Samuel Thomas Evans, barrister, judge, Liberal politician
Elwyn, Lord Elwyn-Jones, Lord Chancellor (1974–79)
John, Lord Morris of Aberavon, Attorney General (1997–99)
Civil Servants
Timothy Brain, Chief Constable for Gloucestershire (2001–10)
Sir Goronwy Daniel, civil servant, academic
Politics
Joe Borg, European Union Oceans and Fisheries Commissioner (2004–10)[61]
Captain Roderic Bowen, Liberal MP, Deputy Commons Speaker
Nicholas, Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth, Welsh Conservative Leader (1999–2011)
Rehman Chishti, Conservative MP (2010–), Special Envoy (2019–20)
Dr Stephen Clackson Independent Councillor, Orkney Islands Council [62]
David, 1st Lord Davies, Liberal politician, philanthropist [63]
Glyn Davies, Conservative MP
Gwilym Prys Davies, Lord Prys-Davies, Labour peer (1982–2015)
Gwynfor Evans, first Plaid Cymru MP
Steve Gilbert, Liberal Democrat MP (2010–15)
Siân Gwenllian, Plaid Cymru AM
Neil Hamilton, Conservative MP and AM, barrister
Sylvia, Lady Hermon, Ulster Unionist politician
Emlyn, Lord Hooson, Liberal politician
Cledwyn Hughes, Lord Cledwyn of Penrhos, Labour politician
Dato' Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, Foreign Minister, Malaysia, (2020–)
Dan Jarvis, Labour MP
Bethan Jenkins, Plaid Cymru AM for South Wales West
Carwyn Jones, First Minister of Wales (2009–18), AM for Bridgend
Gerry MacLochlainn Sinn Féin politician
John Morris, Lord Morris of Aberavon, Labour politician
Elystan Morgan, Lord Elystan-Morgan, Labour MP
Roland Moyle, Labour MP, Parliamentary Private Secretary to Clement Attlee
Will Quince, Conservative MP
Dan Rogerson, Liberal Democrat MP
Liz Saville Roberts, Plaid Cymru MP, Plaid Cymru Leader (2017–)
Molly Scott Cato, Green Party MEP
Ahmed Shaheed, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Maldives
Virginijus Sinkevičius, European Union Environment Commissioner (2019–)[64]
Bob Stewart, Conservative MP
Gareth Thomas, Labour MP
Gareth Thomas, Labour MP
Mark Williams, Liberal Democrat MP, Welsh LD Leader (2016–17)
Mike Wood, Conservative MP
Steven Woolfe, UK Independence Party MEP
Business
Lance Batchelor, CEO, Domino's Pizza and Saga
Geoff Drabble, CEO, Ashtead
Belinda Earl, CEO, Debenhams and Jaeger
David Prosser, CEO, Legal & General[65]
Tom Singh, owner and CEO, New Look
Sports
Cath Bishop, professional rower, civil servant
John Dawes, Rugby player, Captain of Wales and British Lions
Carwyn James, Wales and British and Irish Lions Rugby Coach (1949?–51)
Leigh Richmond Roose, International footballer
Berwyn Price, Gold Medal Commonwealth Games (1978)
Angela Tooby, Silver Medal, World Cross-Country Championships (1988)
Arts and Entertainment
Dorothy Bonarjee, Indian poet, artist
Neil Brand, writer, composer, silent film accompanist
Seth Clabough, American novelist, academic
Shân Cothi, operatic singer, actress
Jane Green, author
Sarah Hall, writer, poet
David Russell Hulme, conductor, musicologist
Aneirin Hughes, actor
Emrys James, actor
Eveline Annie Jenkins (1893–1976), botanical artist
Alex Jones, Presenter, BBC One TV Programme, The One Show (2010–)
Melih Kibar, Turkish composer
Alun Lewis, Second World War writer, poet
Caryl Lewis, novelist
Rick Lloyd, musician (Y Blew, Flying Pickets)
Hayley Long, fiction writer
Sharon Maguire, film director, Bridget Jones's Diary
Matt McCooey, actor
Alan Mehdizadeh, actor, Billy Elliot the Musical
Robert Minhinnick, poet, essayist, novelist, translator
Amy Parry-Williams (1910–1988), singer, writer
Esther Pilkington, performance artist
Jan Pinkava, Oscar-winning animated film director
Rachel Roberts, actress
Lisa Surihani, Malaysian actress
Richard Roberts, theologian, pacifist
Aberystwyth (Welsh: [abɛˈrəstʊɨθ] (About this soundlisten)) is a university town and community in Ceredigion, Wales. Historically in the historic county of Cardiganshire, the literal meaning of the Welsh: Aberystwyth is the mouth of the Ystwyth. In one form or another, Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location in Wales since the establishment of University College Wales in 1872.
The town is situated on Cardigan Bay on the west coast of Wales, near the confluence of the River Ystwyth and Afon Rheidol. Following the reconstruction of the harbour, the Ystwyth skirts the town. The Rheidol passes through the town.
The seafront, with a pier, stretches from Constitution Hill at the north end of the Promenade to the harbour at the south. The beach is divided by the castle. The town is divided into five areas: Aberystwyth Town; Llanbadarn Fawr; Waunfawr; Llanbadarn; Trefechan; and the most populous, Penparcau.
At the 2001 census, the population of the town was 15,935.[2] This reduced to 13,040 at the 2011 Census. During nine months of the year, there is an influx of students.[3][citation needed]
Including the suburbs of Llanbadarn Fawr, the population is 16,420, the built-up area having a population of 18,749.[4]
Aberystwyth Bay from a 1748 survey by Lewis Morris (1701–1765)
The distance to Swansea is 55 miles (89 km); to Shrewsbury 60 miles (97 km); to Wrexham 63 miles (101 km); to Cardiff 76 miles (122 km); and to London 180 miles (290 km).
Main features of the town
Aberystwyth is a university town and tourist destination, and forms a cultural link between North Wales and South Wales. Constitution Hill, scaled by the Aberystwyth Cliff Railway, gives access to panoramic views and to other attractions at the summit, including a camera obscura. Scenic Mid Wales landscape within easy reach of the town includes the wilderness of the Cambrian Mountains, whose valleys contain forests and meadows which have changed little in centuries. A convenient way to access the interior is by the preserved narrow-gauge Vale of Rheidol Railway.
Although the town is relatively modern, there are a number of historic buildings, including the remains of the castle and the Old College of Aberystwyth University nearby. The Old College was originally built and opened in 1865 as a hotel, but after the owner's bankruptcy the shell of the building was sold to the university in 1867.[5]
The new university campus overlooks Aberystwyth from Penglais Hill to the east of the town centre. The station, a terminus of the main railway, was built in 1924 in the typical style of the period, mainly in a mix of Gothic, Classical Revival, and Victorian architecture.
The town is the unofficial capital of Mid Wales, and several institutions have regional or national offices there. Public bodies located in the town include the National Library of Wales, which incorporates the National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales, one of six British regional film archives. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales maintains and curates the National Monuments Record of Wales (NMRW), providing the public with information about the built heritage of Wales. Aberystwyth is also the home to the national offices of UCAC and Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (Welsh Language Society), and the site of the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, the Welsh Books Council and the offices of the standard historical dictionary of Welsh, Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru. A purpose built Welsh Government office and an adjoining office of Ceredigion County Council are also located in the town.
Climate
Aberystwyth experiences an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb) similar to almost all of the United Kingdom. This is particularly pronounced due to its west coast location facing the Irish Sea. Air undergoes little land moderation and so temperatures closely reflect the sea temperature when winds are coming from the predominant onshore (westerly) direction. The nearest Met Office weather station is Gogerddan, 3 miles to the northeast, and at a similar elevation.
The absolute maximum temperature is 34.6 °C (94.3 °F),[6] set during July 2006. This is also the July record maximum for all of Wales, suggesting that the area's low lying situation, aided by a possible föhn effect when winds are offshore can act to achieve high temperatures on occasion. Typically the warmest day will average 28.0 °C (82.4 °F)[7] and 5.6 days[8] will achieve a maximum of 25.1 °C (77.2 °F) or above.
The absolute minimum temperature is −13.5 °C (7.7 °F),[9] set in January 2010. Typically 39.8 days will register an air frost.
Rainfall averages 1,112 mm (44 in) a year,[10] with over 1mm recorded on 161 days.[11] All averages refer to the 1981–2010 period.
Climate data for Gogerddan, elevation 31m, 1981–2010, extremes 1960–
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Record high °C (°F)16.1
(61.0)17.8
(64.0)22.8
(73.0)26.2
(79.2)27.5
(81.5)31.7
(89.1)34.6
(94.3)32.8
(91.0)31.1
(88.0)23.9
(75.0)18.1
(64.6)15.5
(59.9)34.6
(94.3)
Average high °C (°F)8.1
(46.6)8.2
(46.8)10.0
(50.0)12.4
(54.3)15.5
(59.9)17.6
(63.7)19.4
(66.9)19.2
(66.6)17.4
(63.3)14.2
(57.6)10.9
(51.6)8.6
(47.5)13.5
(56.2)
Average low °C (°F)2.5
(36.5)2.1
(35.8)3.7
(38.7)4.7
(40.5)7.3
(45.1)10.1
(50.2)12.4
(54.3)12.2
(54.0)10.2
(50.4)7.9
(46.2)4.9
(40.8)2.4
(36.3)6.7
(44.1)
Record low °C (°F)−13.5
(7.7)−11.1
(12.0)−9.4
(15.1)−5.1
(22.8)−2.6
(27.3)0.6
(33.1)2.8
(37.0)2.8
(37.0)0.0
(32.0)−4.3
(24.3)−11.9
(10.6)−12.4
(9.7)−13.5
(7.7)
Average precipitation mm (inches)94.6
(3.72)71.4
(2.81)84.1
(3.31)60.6
(2.39)59.7
(2.35)73.6
(2.90)81.8
(3.22)86.6
(3.41)92.4
(3.64)130.5
(5.14)122.5
(4.82)116.9
(4.60)1,074.7
(42.31)
Mean monthly sunshine hours51.173.7101.8166.1206.0183.1183.7169.4131.098.657.245.91,467.4
Source 1: KNMI[12]
Source 2: Met Office[13]
History
Mesolithic
There is evidence that during the Mesolithic Age the area of Tan-y-Bwlch at the foot of Pen Dinas (Penparcau) was used as a flint knapping floor for hunter-gatherers making weapons from flint that was deposited as the ice retreated.[14]
Bronze and Iron Ages
The remains of a Celtic fortress on Pen Dinas (or more correctly 'Dinas Maelor'), a hill in Penparcau overlooking Aberystwyth, indicates that the site was inhabited before 700 BC.[15][16] On a hill south of the present town, across the River Ystwyth, are the remains of a medieval ringfort believed to be the castle from which Princess Nest was abducted. This rare survival is now on private land and can only be accessed by arrangement.[17]
Middle Ages
Site of original Aberystwyth Castle at Tan y Castell
The recorded history of Aberystwyth may be said to date from the building of a fortress in 1109 by Gilbert Fitz Richard (grandfather of Richard de Clare, known as Strongbow, the Cambro-Norman lord notable for his leading role in the Norman invasion of Ireland). Gilbert Fitz Richard was granted lands and the lordship of Cardigan by Henry I, including Cardigan Castle. The fortress built in Aberystwyth was located about a mile and a half south of today's town, on a hill over the south bank of the Ystwyth River, thus giving the settlement of Aberystwyth its name. The location is now known as Tan-Y-Castell.[18]
Aberystwyth was usually under the control of the princes of Deheubarth, but its position close to the border with Gwynedd and Powys left it vulnerable to attacks from the leaders of those polities. The town was attacked by Gwenwynwyn ab Owain in 1197, an assault in which Maelgwn ap Rhys was captured. Llywelyn the Great attacked and seized the town in late 1208, building a castle there before withdrawing.
Edward I replaced Strongbow's castle in 1277,[19] after its destruction by the Welsh.[20] His castle was, however, built in a different location, at the current Castle Hill, the high point of the town. Between the years 1404 and 1408 Aberystwyth Castle was in the hands of Owain Glyndŵr but finally surrendered to Prince Harry (the future King Henry V of England). Shortly after this, the town was incorporated under the title of Ville de Lampadarn (the ancient name of the place being Llanbadarn Gaerog or the fortified Llanbadarn, to distinguish it from Llanbadarn Fawr, the village one mile (1.6 km) inland. It is thus styled in a Royal charter granted by Henry VIII but, by Elizabeth I's time, the town was invariably named Aberystwyth in all documents.[21]
Early modern era
Aberystwyth at around 1840. Crane, W., fl. ca. 1835–1850, lithographer.
From 1639 to 1642, silver coins were minted at Aberystwyth Castle on behalf of the Royal Mint, using silver from local mines. £10,500 in currency was produced, equivalent to 2.5 million silver pennies.[22]
In 1649, Parliamentarian troops razed the castle,[23] although portions of three towers still exist. In 1988, an excavation within the castle area revealed a complete male skeleton, deliberately buried. Though skeletons rarely survive in Wales' acidic soil, this skeleton was probably preserved by the addition of lime from the collapsed building. Affectionately known as "Charlie" and now housed in the Ceredigion Museum in the town, he probably dates from the English Civil War period, and is likely to have died during the Parliamentarian siege. His image is featured in one of nine mosaics created to adorn the castle's walls.[24]
Rural industries and craftsmen were an important part of life in a country town. The local trade directory for 1830 shows that there were in Aberystwyth: Twenty boot makers, eight bakers, two corn millers, eleven carpenters and joiners, one cooper, seven tailors, two dressmakers, two straw hat makers, two hat makers, three curriers, four saddlers, two tinsmiths, six maltsters, two skinners, four tanners, eight stonemasons, one brewer, four lime burners, three shipwrights, three wheelwrights, five cabinet makers, one nail maker, one rope maker and one sail maker.[25]
Victorian era
The Queen's Hotel, Aberystwith
The first Pier at Aberystwyth c.1865
The Cambrian Railways line from Machynlleth reached Aberystwyth in 1864, closely followed by rail links to Carmarthen, which resulted in the construction of the town's impressive station. The Cambrian line opened on Good Friday 1869, the same day that the new 292 metres (958 ft) Royal Pier (designed by Eugenius Birch) opened, attracting 7,000 visitors.[26]
The railway's arrival gave rise to something of a Victorian tourist boom; the town was once even billed as the "Biarritz of Wales".[27] During this time, a number of hotels and fine townhouses were built including the Queens Hotel, later renamed Swyddfa'r Sir (County Office) when used as offices by the town council, and most recently used as the external scenes of the police station in the television show Hinterland. One of the largest of these hotels, "The Castle Hotel", was never completed as a hotel but, following bankruptcy, was sold cheaply to the Welsh National University Committee, a group of people dedicated to the creation of a Welsh University. The University College of Wales (later to become Aberystwyth University) was founded in 1872 in this building.
Aberystwyth was a contributory parliamentary borough until the Third Reform Act, which merged its representation into that of the county in 1885.
In 1895, various businessmen who had been behind the Aberystwyth New Harbour Company formed the Aberystwyth Improvement Company (AIC) to take over the works of the defunct Bourne Engineering & Electrical. In 1896, the AIC completed three projects: the new landside pavilion for the Royal Pier;[28] built the Cambria Hotel (later the United Theological College) and formed Constitution Hill Ltd, to develop a Victorian theme park. Chief engineer George Croydon Marks designed all the AIC developments, including the United Kingdom's second longest funicular railway,[29] which takes passengers up a 50% gradient to a park and camera obscura.
Modern history
Aberystwyth Harbour
Aberystwyth hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1865, 1916, 1952 and 1992.[30]
On the night of Friday, 14 January 1938, a storm with estimated wind speeds of up to 90 mph (140 km/h) struck the town. Most of the promenade was destroyed, along with 200 feet (60 m) of the pier. Many properties on the seafront were damaged, with every property from the King's Hall north affected; those on Victoria Terrace suffered the greatest damage. Work commenced on a protective coffer dam which continued into 1940, with total costs of construction coming to £70,000 (equivalent to £2.5 million today).[31]
Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (Welsh language Society) held their historic first protest on Trefechan Bridge in Aberystwyth, on 2 February 1963.[32] The first independent Welsh Evangelical Church was established in Aberystwyth (see Evangelical Movement of Wales).
On 1 March 2005, Aberystwyth was granted Fairtrade Town status.[33]
In March 2009 mayor Sue Jones-Davies, who had played the role of Judith Iscariot in the film Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979), organised a charity screening of the film. Principal actors Terry Jones and Michael Palin also attended. There is a popular, but incorrect, urban myth that the town had banned the film (as some authorities did) when it was first released.[34]
During the aftermath storms from Cyclone Dirk on Friday 3 January 2014, the town was one of the worst hit in Wales, with enormous swells uprooting boulders from the sea walls, leaving roads and pavements along the promenade buried under a mass of paving stones, bricks, shale and twisted metal.[35][36] Properties on the adjoining promenade were then evacuated for the next five days, including 250 students from the University.[37] Ceredigion Council appealed to the Welsh Assembly Government for funds, whilst Natural Resources Wales undertook surveys and emergency preventative measures.[38]
North Parade, Aberystwyth was reported to be the most expensive street in Wales in 2018, based on property prices.[39]
Governance
Aberystwyth's local government administration has a two-tier structure consisting of two separate councils. As local government is a devolved matter in Wales, the legislation for both Councils is a responsibility of the Senedd.
Town Council
Aberystwyth Town Council is the first tier of local government, which is the closest to the general public; there are 19 elected town councillors from five wards. The last elections were held on the 4 May 2017. The council is responsible for cycle paths, public footpaths, CCTV, public Wi-Fi, bus shelters, parks, gardens (including the castle grounds and the skateboard park) and allotments. The council is a statutory body which is consulted regarding planning decisions in the town area and makes recommendations to the planning authority, Ceredigion County Council. The Town Council is also involved in leisure, tourism, business[40] (through providing more than half of Menter Aberystwyth's funding in grants), licence applications, wellbeing [41] and environmental health, recycling and refuse collection.
A borough council existed in Aberystwyth from 1832 and the Aberystwyth School Board was established in 1870.
County Council
Ceredigion County Council is another statutory body incorporated by Act of Parliament. It is the second tier of local government in the area and is a unitary authority with a wide range of powers and responsibility. The Council deals with roads (except trunk roads), street lighting, some highways, social services, children and family care, schools and public libraries. Aberystwyth elects six of the 42 councillors in five separate wards (Bronglais, Central, North and Rheidol wards elect one councillor each while Penparcau ward elects two).
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament
Aberystwyth has five Senedd members, one of whom (Elin Jones) was elected as a constituency MS for Ceredigion, and four who are elected on the regional list for Mid and West Wales.
UK Parliament
The town is in the Ceredigion constituency for elections to the House of Commons. Since June 2017, Aberystwyth's MP has been Plaid Cymru's Ben Lake.
Culture
Town library
The first ever public library in Aberystwyth was opened in Compton House, Pier Street on 13 October 1874. In 1882 the library was moved to the Assembly Rooms which were leased to the council for 21 years. The lease expired in 1903 and the library returned to Pier Street, this time to the Old Banking Library at the corner with Eastgate Street, although this was short lived.[42]
A Carnegie library was built in Aberystwyth in 1905, with a grant of £3,000. Located in Corporation Street, it was designed by the architect Walter Payton of Birmingham, who was one of 48 who entered the competition to design the building. It was formally opened on 20 April 1906 by Mrs Vaughan Davies, wife of the local MP.[42]
The Town Library moved to the old Town Hall, now known as Canolfan Alun R. Edwards, Queen's Square, in 2012, following the building's refurbishment. The County Council vacated the Town Hall in a move to their purpose built offices on Boulevard de Saint-Brieuc in 2009.[citation needed]
National Library of Wales
National Library of Wales
Main article: National Library of Wales
The National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth, is the national legal deposit library of Wales. Established in 1907, it is a Welsh Government sponsored body. According to Cyril Evans, the library's centenary events co-ordinator, "The library is considered to be one of the world's greatest libraries, and its international reputation is certainly something that all Welsh men and women are intensely ... proud of".[43] Welsh is the main medium of communication within the organisation; it aims to deliver all public services in Welsh and English.[44]
Arts
The Arts Centre
Main article: Aberystwyth Arts Centre
Aberystwyth Arts Centre is one of the largest and busiest arts centres in Wales.[45] It encompasses a 312-seat theatre, 900-seat concert hall, 125-seat cinema, and has accompanied studio, galleries, plus public spaces which include cafes and a bar.[46]
Arad Goch is an Arts Council funded community theatre and art gallery based in the town. The premises holds a theatre, gallery, several art studios and meeting rooms, and a darkroom.
Music
Aberystwyth has a live music scene which has produced bands and artists such as:
The Crocketts
The Hot Puppies
Murry the Hump
The Lowland Hundred
The University Music Centre promotes a varied programme for instrumentalists, singers and listeners from the university and the wider community.
The University chamber choir, The Elizabethan Madrigal Singers, have been singing in the town since 1950 and continue to hold a number of concerts throughout the year.
Aberystwyth gives its name to a well known hymn tune composed by Joseph Parry.[citation needed]
Sport
Aberystwyth RFC is the local rugby union club and acts as a feeder club to professional side Scarlets. It was formed in 1947 and for the 2017/18 season played in the WRU Division One West.[47]
Aberystwyth Town F.C. is a semi-professional football club that was formed in 1884. The team currently compete in the Cymru Premier, Wales' top division.[48]
The town also has a cricket club which plays in local leagues,[49] an athletics club (founded 1955),[50] and boxing club in Penparcau.[51] The town's golf course opened in 1911.[52]
Welsh language
Ceredigion, the county in which Aberystwyth is located, is one of the four most Welsh-speaking counties in Wales and remained majority Welsh speaking until the 2011 census.[53][54]
However, since the town's growth as a seaside resort in the Victorian era, it has been more anglicised than its hinterland and the rest of the county in general. The university has also attracted many English-speaking students from England, non-Welsh speaking parts of Wales and elsewhere. The 1891 census recorded that, of the 6635 inhabitants who completed the language section, 3482 (52.5%) were bilingual, 1751 (26.4%) were Welsh monoglots, and 1402 people (21.1%) were returned as English monoglots. Ceredigion (then named Cardiganshire) as a whole was 95.2% Welsh-speaking and 74.5% monoglot Welsh.[55] Although the town remained majority Welsh-speaking for many more decades, English had already replaced Welsh in certain domains, such as entertainment and tourism.
By 1961, only 50.0% of the town's population could speak Welsh, compared to 79.5% for Cardiganshire as a whole;[56] by 1971, these numbers had fallen to 44.9% and 67.6% respectively.[57]
The 2001 census reported that, in the seven wards of Aberystwyth, 39% of the residents self-identified as able to speak or read or write Welsh. This is lower than Ceredigion as a whole (54%) but higher than Wales overall (19%).[58]
Education
Schools
Aberystwyth has two comprehensive schools serving the town and a wide rural area: Ysgol Gyfun Gymunedol Penweddig and Ysgol Penglais School. Ysgol Gyfun Gymunedol Penweddig uses Welsh as the primary language of tuition; Ysgol Penglais School teaches in English and in Welsh as a subject.
Aberystwyth University
Main article: Aberystwyth University
Aberystwyth is home to Aberystwyth University (Welsh: Prifysgol Aberystwyth) whose predecessor, University College Wales, was founded in 1872[19] and renamed the 'University of Wales, Aberystwyth' in the mid-1990s. Prior to the college's establishment, Wales had very limited academic-degree capability through St David's College, Lampeter (founded in 1822, now the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David).
Tourism and local economy
View of Aberystwyth and Cardigan Bay from the National Library of Wales
As well as having two cinemas and a golf course, the town's attractions include:
The Aberystwyth Cliff Railway, a funicular railway
A Victorian camera obscura at the top of Constitution Hill.
The Vale of Rheidol steam railway (Aberystwyth to Devil's Bridge)
Aberystwyth Arts Centre.
The Parc Penglais nature reserve
The Ystwyth Trail cycle path
National Library of Wales
Park Avenue. Football stadium home to Aberystwyth Town F.C.
The all organic dairy unit of Rachel's Organic is based in Glan yr Afon, and is the largest private sector employer in Aberystwyth.[59][60]
The Cambrian News newspaper came to Aberystwyth from Bala in 1870, after it was purchased by Sir John Gibson. Printed in Oswestry, in May 1880 the paper integrated operations in a former Malthouse in Mill Street. Owned by the Read family from 1926, in 1993 printing was contracted out, enabling the move of editorial staff to the current open-plan offices on Llanbadarn Fawr Science Park. On the death of Henry Read, the paper was purchased in 1999 by Sir Ray Tindle, whose company owns more than 200 weekly newspapers in Britain. Now printed in tabloid format, Cambrian News is the second-largest weekly-print circulation newspaper in Wales, with 24,000 copies in six regional editorial versions, read by 60,000 weekly readers. The circulation area of mid, west and north Wales covers 3,000 square miles (7,800 km2).[61]
Since the TV series Hinterland has been filmed in and around Aberystwyth, the area is being promoted as an opportunity for tourists to visit filming locations; many are well publicised.[62][63]
Transport
Rail
An Arriva Trains Wales service awaiting departure from Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth railway station is situated in the town centre and is the terminus of the scenic Cambrian Line. Transport for Wales Rail operate a mostly hourly service (with some two-hour intervals) to Shrewsbury via Machynlleth and Mid Wales, with nearly all trains continuing to Birmingham International. Connecting services from Dovey Junction provide a link to Gwynedd's west coast as far as Pwllheli, along the Cambrian Coast Line. There is no longer a southbound connection: the Carmarthen–Aberystwyth line was closed in 1965 as part of the Beeching cuts.
The Vale of Rheidol Railway runs through the spectacular Rheidol Valley
Aberystwyth station is also the terminus of the Vale of Rheidol Railway, a steam-operated narrow gauge heritage railway. Constructed between 1901 and 1902, it was intended to ship mineral cargo, primarily lead, from Devil's Bridge down to Aberystwyth for trans-shipment. By the time it was finished, lead mining was in a deep downturn and—thanks to the Aberystwyth Improvement Company—the railway came to rely largely on the tourist industry, opening for passengers in December 1902. It still remains open for the summer season, with a journey of 12 miles (19 km).
In 1896, the Aberystwyth Improvement Company formed Constitution Hill Ltd which, under the direction of chief engineer George Croydon Marks, developed the United Kingdom's second longest funicular railway, the Aberystwyth Cliff Railway, which takes passengers up a 50% gradient.[28][29]
Bus
A TrawsCymru T1 service on the A4120 in Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth is a hub for the TrawsCymru bus network, with four routes serving the town:
T1 - hourly service to Carmarthen (connects with T1S to Swansea, Monday-Saturday) via Aberaeron and Lampeter - with one service a day (Monday-Saturday) extended to Cardiff [64]
T1C - daily express coach service to Cardiff, via Aberaeron, Camarthen (connects with T1S to Swansea, Monday-Saturday), Swansea (Sunday & Bank Holidays only), Port Talbot Parkway and Bridgend [65]
T2 - every 1–2 hours to Bangor via Machynlleth, Dolgellau (connects with T3 to Barmouth and Wrexham), Porthmadog and Caernarfon [66]
T5 - hourly service to Haverfordwest via Aberaeron, New Quay, Cardigan and Fishguard [67]
(TrawsCymru services run less-frequently on Sundays.)
There is a daily National Express coach, service 409 to London via Birmingham, along with local bus services within the town and into the surrounding area.[68]
Road
The A44 and A487 meet with much traffic between North Wales and South West Wales passing through the town. The A4120 links the A44 and A487 between Llanbadarn Fawr and Penparcau, allowing through traffic to bypass the town centre.
The B4574 mountain road linking the town to Rhayader is described by the AA as one of the ten most scenic drives in the world.[69][70]
Port
The port of Aberystwyth, although it is small and relatively inconsequential today, used to be an important Atlantic Ocean entryway. It was used to ship locally, to Ireland and as a transatlantic departure point. Commercially, the once important Cardiganshire lead mines exported from this location.[19]
The importance of maritime trade in the 19th century is reflected in the fact that a lifeboat has been based at Aberystwyth since 1843, when a 27 ft (8.2 m) boat powered by six oars was funded by public subscription and placed under the control of the harbourmaster. The RNLI took over the service in 1861 and established Aberystwyth Lifeboat Station which celebrated 150 years in 2011. The station uses the Atlantic 85-class inshore lifeboat Spirit of Friendship.
Notable people
Main category: People from Aberystwyth
In fiction
Literature
Aberystwyth (albeit an alternative universe version) is the setting for the cult Louie Knight series by Malcolm Pryce, which transfers Chandleresque "noir" stories and dialogue to this small seaside town.[71] This alternative reality features many landmarks of Aberystwyth, such as the University and the National Library of Wales, but the social situation is radically altered to more closely resemble the pulp/noir stereotypical "Dirty Town" that the narrative plays off. Most of the humour in the books is derived from the almost seamless juxtaposition of the real Aberystwyth and the fictional, noir Aberystwyth. Various aspects of Welsh culture are reflections of what you might expect to see in reality, but with a pulp twist – for example, prostitutes wear Welsh stovepipe hats.[72]
Stripping Penguins Bare, the book 2 of Michael Carson's Benson Trilogy of comic novels, is set in the town and university in the 1960s.
The local writer Niall Griffiths has set many of his novels here and reflects local slang, settings, and even individuals. Grits and Sheepshagger are set wholly in Aberystwyth, which also features prominently in his other novels such as Kelly and Victor and Stump. He portrays a more gritty side of Aberystwyth.
Y Llyfrgell (2009) is Welsh language novel by Fflur Dafydd. It was the winner of the 2009 Daniel Owen Memorial Prize presented at the National Eisteddfod. The book is set in the National Library of Wales and in Aberystwyth town. This was made into a film of the same name in Welsh, and in English as The Library Suicides.[73][74]
Television
Y Gwyll (2013–2016), a Welsh television programme, known as Hinterland in English, broadcast on S4C, BBC One Wales, BBC Four and Netflix in North America, is set in Aberystwyth. It is filmed in and around the town, often in rural locations.[63][75]
Freedom of the Town
The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Town of Aberystwyth.[76]
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.
Individuals
1912 – Sir John Williams
1912 – David Davies
1912 – Stuart Rendel
1922 – David Lloyd George
1923 – Lewis Pugh Evans
1923 – Matthew Vaughan-Davies
1923 – Sir Herbert Lewis
1928 – Stanley Baldwin
1934 – Sir David Charles Roberts
1936 – Ernest Vaughan
1951 – Winston Churchill
1956 – Sir David James
2011 – Fritz Pratschke
2015 – Jean Guezennec
Military Units
1955 – The Welsh Guards
Twinning
Arklow in Wicklow, Republic of Ireland Ireland[77]
Kronberg im Taunus in Hesse Hesse, Germany Germany
Saint-Brieuc in Brittany Brittany, France France[78]
Esquel in Patagonia, Argentina Argentina[79]
Architecture, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales. Aberystwyth University (Welsh: Prifysgol Aberystwyth) is a public research university in Aberystwyth, Wales. Aberystwyth was a founding member institution of the former federal University of Wales. The university has over 8,000 students studying across 3 academic faculties and 17 departments.
Founded in 1872 as University College Wales, Aberystwyth, it became a founder member of the University of Wales in 1894, and changed its name to the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth. In the mid-1990s, the university again changed its name to become the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. On 1 September 2007, the University of Wales ceased to be a federal university and Aberystwyth University became independent again.[3]
In 2019, it became the first university to be named "University of the year for teaching quality" by The Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide for two consecutive years.[4] It is the first university in the world to be awarded Plastic Free University status (for single-use plastic items).[5]
History
Old College
The University for Wales, Aberystwyth, c.1870
Old College Building from the Castle
In the middle of the 19th century, eminent Welsh people were advocating the establishment of a university in the Principality, one of these, Thomas Nicholas, whose book Middle and High Class Schools, and University Education for Wales (1863) is said to have "exerted great influence on educated Welshmen".[6]
Funded through public and private subscriptions, and with five regional committees (London, Manchester, Liverpool, North and South Wales) guaranteeing funds for the first three years' running costs, the university opened in October 1872 with 26 students. Thomas Charles Edwards was the Principal. In October 1875, chapels in Wales raised the next tranche of funds from over 70,000 contributors.[7] Until 1893, when the college joined the University of Wales as a founder member, students applying to Aberystwyth sat the University of London's entrance exams.[8] Women were admitted in 1884.
In 1885, a fire damaged what is now known as the Old College, Aberystwyth, and in 1897 the first 14 acres of what would become the main Penglais campus were purchased.[9] Incorporated by Royal Charter in 1893, the university installed the Prince of Wales as Chancellor in 1896, the same year it awarded an honorary degree to the British Prime Minister William Gladstone.
The university's coat of arms dates from the 1880s. The shield features two red dragons to symbolise Wales, and an open book to symbolise learning. The crest, an eagle or phoenix above a flaming tower, may signify the College's rebirth after the 1885 fire.[10] The motto is Nid Byd, Byd Heb Wybodaeth (a world without knowledge is no world at all).
In the early 1900s the university added courses that included Law, Applied Mathematics, Pure Mathematics, and Botany. The Department for International Politics, which Aberystwyth says is the oldest such department in the world, was founded in 1919.[11] By 1977, the university's staff included eight Fellows of the Royal Society, such as Gwendolen Rees, the first Welsh woman to be elected an FRS.
The Department of Sports and Exercise Science was established in 2000. Joint honours Psychology degrees were introduced in September 2007, and single honours Psychology in 2009.
The chancellor of the university is The Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, who took up the position in January 2018. The visitor of the university is an appointment made by the Privy Council, under the Royal Charter of the university. Since July 2014, the holder of this office is Mr Justice Sir Roderick Evans QC.
In 2011 the university appointed a new vice chancellor[12] under whom the academic departments were restructured as larger subject-themed institutes.
Organisation and administration
Departments and Faculties
The University's academic departments, as well as the Arts Centre, International English Centre, and Music Centre are organised in three faculties:
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
School of Art
Arts Centre
School of Education
Department of English and Creative Writing
Department of History and Welsh History
International English Centre
Department of International Politics
Department of Law and Criminology
Department of Modern Languages
Music Centre
Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies
Department of Welsh and Celtic Studies
Faculty of Business and Physical Sciences
Aberystwyth Business School
Department of Computer Science
Department of Information Studies
Department of Mathematics
Department of Physics
Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences
Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences
Department of Geography and Earth Sciences
Department of Psychology
Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences
The Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) is a research and teaching centre which brings together staff from the Institutes of Rural Sciences and Biological Sciences and the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research (IGER). Around 360 research, teaching and support staff conduct basic, strategic and applied research in biology.[13]
The Institute is located in two areas; one at the main teaching Penglais campus and another rural research hub at the Gogerddan campus.[14]
Aberystwyth Business School
In 1998. the Department of Economics (founded in 1912), the Department of Accounting and Finance (founded in 1979) and the Centre for Business Studies merged to create the School of Management and Business. In 2013, the School joined the Department of Information Studies and the Department of Law and Criminology at a new campus at Llanbadarn Fawr. The School was shortlisted for ‘Business School of the Year Times Higher Education Awards (2014).[15] In 2016 the Institute, minus the Department of Information Studies, was renamed the Institute of Business and Law, the remaining departments being renamed Aberystwyth Business School and Aberystwyth Law School.
Cledwyn Building, former home of the School of Economics
Department of Computer Science
The Llandinam Building
The Department of Computer Science (founded in 1970), conducts research in automated reasoning, computational biology, vision graphics and visualisation, and intelligent robotics.
AberMUD, the first popular internet-based MUD, was written in the department by then-student Alan Cox. Jan Pinkava, another graduate, won an Oscar for his short animated film Geri's Game. Students in the department were also involved in the creation of the award-winning service robot librarian named Hugh (robot)[16] and Kar-go, the autonomous delivery vehicle.[17]
Department of Geography and Earth Sciences
The Department of Geography and Earth Sciences (IGES) was formed, in 1989, from the former Departments of Geography (established in 1918) and Geology. houses the E. G. Bowen map library, containing 80,000 maps and 500 atlases.[18]
Department of Information Studies
CLW Library, Llanbadarn - later named the Thomas Parry Library
The College of Librarianship Wales (CLW) was established at Llanbadarn Fawr in 1964, in response to a recommendation for the training of bilingual librarians that was made in the Bourdillon Report on Standards of public library service in England (HMSO, 1962). The College grew rapidly, developing close links to the Welsh speaking and professional communities, acquiring an international reputation and pioneering flexible and distance learning courses. It claimed to be Europe's largest institution for training librarians.[19] The independent college merged with the university (in August 1989) and the department moved to the Penglais campus a quarter of a century later. Following the merger, the new department took over responsibility for existing offerings in archives administration and modern records management.
Department of International Politics
International Politics building
The Department of International Politics was founded, shortly after World War I (in 1919), with the stated purpose of furthering political understanding of the world in the hope of avoiding such conflicts in the future. This goal led to the creation of the Woodrow Wilson Chair of International Politics.[20] The department has over 700 students from 40 countries studying at undergraduate, masters and PhD levels. It achieved a 95% score for student satisfaction in the 2016 National Student Survey, placing it as the highest-ranking politics department in Wales and within the UK's top ten.[21]
The department has hosted various notable academic staff in the field including E. H. Carr, Leopold Kohr, Andrew Linklater, Ken Booth, Steve Smith, Michael Cox, Michael MccGwire, Jenny Edkins and Colin J. McInnes.
Department of Law and Criminology
The Department of Law and Criminology (founded in 1901) is housed in the Hugh Owen Building on the Penglais campus, and includes the Centre for Welsh Legal Affairs, a specialist research centre. All academic staff are engaged in research, and the International Journal of Biosciences and the Law and the Cambrian Law Review are edited in the department. In 2013, the department joined the Department of Information Studies and the School of Management and Business at a new campus at Llanbadarn Fawr, as part of a newly created Institute of Management, Law and Information Studies. As of September 2018, the department has since relocated back to the Hugh Owen Building, based in the Penglais campus, and its name changed from Aberystwyth Law School to the Department of Law and Criminology.[22]
The Guardian University Guide 2018 currently ranks Law Department at 69th in the UK,[23] and "The Times" Higher Education Guide ranks it as 300th globally.[24]
Department of Modern Languages
Aberystwyth has taught modern languages since 1874. French, German, Italian and Spanish courses are taught at both beginners' and advanced levels, in a research-active academic environment. One of its research projects is the Anglo-Norman Dictionary,[25] based in Aberystwyth since 2001 and available online since 2005.
Department of Physics
Physics was first taught at Aberystwyth as part of Natural Philosophy, Astronomy, and Mathematics under N. R. Grimley, soon after the foundation of the University College.[26] It became a department in 1877, under the leadership of F. W. Rudler.[26] The department was located in the south wing of what is now the Old College,[26] but later relocated to the Physics Building on the Penglais Campus. The first Chair in Physics was offered to D. E. Jones in 1885.[26] Prior to World War I, much of the early research in the department was undertaken in Germany. Early research in the 1900s was concerned with electrical conductivity and quantum theory, later moving into thermal conductivity and acoustics.[26] In 1931, the department hosted the Faraday Centenary Exhibition.[26] E. J. Williams was appointed Chair of Physics in 1938 where he continued his research into sub-atomic particles using a cloud chamber.[27] Following World War II, research was concerned with mechanical and nuclear physics, later moving into the fields of air density, experimental rocket launching equipment, and radar.[26]
Arts Studio
Department of Psychology
In 2007, Aberystwyth established the subject as a 'Centre for Applied Psychology' within the Department of International Politics. By 2011, Psychology had moved into their current premises in Penbryn 5 on the Penglais Campus. The department is home to over 300 undergraduate students - with degrees accredited by the British Psychological Society.
Campuses
Old College east entrance
Penglais
The main campus of the University is situated on Penglais Hill, overlooking the town of Aberystwyth and Cardigan Bay, and comprises most of the University buildings, Arts Centre, Students’ Union, and many of the student residences. Just below Penglais Campus is the National Library of Wales, one of Britain's five legal deposit libraries. The landscaping of the Penglais Campus is historically significant and is listed.[9] The CADW listing states,
"The landscaping of the University of Wales, Aberystwyth campuses, particularly the earlier Penglais campus, is of exceptional historic interest as one of the most important modern landscaping schemes in Wales...One section of the Penglais campus was designed by the well known landscape architect Brenda Colvin and is one of the very few of her schemes to have survived. A number of women have played a key role in the development and planting of the whole site."
Llanbadarn
The Llanbadarn Centre is located approximately one mile to the east of the Penglais Campus, near Llanbadarn Fawr, overlooking the town and Cardigan Bay to the west, with the backdrop of the Cambrian Mountains to the east. Llanbadarn Centre hosted Aberystwyth Law School and Aberystwyth Business School, which together formed the Institute of Business and Law. The Department of Information Studies is also based there. Additionally, the Llanbadarn Campus is the site of the Aberystwyth branch of Coleg Ceredigion (a further education college, and not part of the University).
Goggerddan
At Gogerddan, on the outskirts of town is located the University's major centre for research in land based sciences and the main centre for the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Science.
School of Art, Edward Davies Building
Edward Davies Building
The School of Art is located between the Penglais Campus and the centre of Aberystwyth, in what was originally the Edward Davies Chemical Laboratory. A listed building, the Edward Davies Building is one of the finest examples of architecture in Aberystwyth.
Old College
The site of the original university is the 'Old College', currently the subject of the 'New Life for Old College' project which aims to transform it into an integrated centre of heritage, culture, learning and knowledge exchange. The university opened an international campus in Mauritius in 2016 operating as Aberystwyth University (Mauritian Branch Campus) and registered with the Tertiary Education Commission of Mauritius, but closed it to new enrolments two years later due to low enrolment numbers.[28]
Student residences
Most of the student residences are on campus, with the rest in walking distance of the campus and Aberystwyth town centre. Accommodation ranges from 'traditional' catered residences to en-suite self-catered accommodation, and from budget rooms to more luxurious studio apartments. All have wired access to the University's computer network and a support network of residential tutors.
Penglais Campus
Cwrt Mawr (self-catered flats, single rooms, capacity 503)[29]
Neuadd Pantycelyn [cy] (Welsh speaking traditional catered hall, refurbished in 2020, capacity 200)[30]
Penbryn (Welsh-speaking traditional catered hall, capacity 350)[31]
Rosser (self-catered en-suite flats, capacity 336),
Rosser G (postgraduate flats following 2011 expansion to Rosser, capacity 60)[32]
Trefloyne (self-catered flats, capacity 147)[33]
Pentre Jane Morgan (Student Village)
Almost 200 individual houses arranged in closes and cul-de-sacs. Each house typically accommodate 5 or 6 students. (total capacity 1003)[34]
Fferm Penglais Student Residence
Purpose-built student accommodation with studio apartments and en-suite bedrooms (total capacity 1000). An area of accommodation within the Fferm Penglais Student Residence is set aside for students who are Welsh learners or fluent Welsh speakers, and wish to live in a Welsh speaking environment.
Town accommodation
Seafront Residences (self-catered flats located on the seafront and Queen's Road, overall capacity 361). The original Seafront residences, Plyn' and Caerleon, were destroyed by fire in 1998.[35][36]
Seafront residences include Aberglasney, Balmoral, Blaenwern, Caerleon, Carpenter, Pumlumon, Ty Glyndwr, and Ty Gwerin Halls.[37]
The University also owns several houses, such as Penglais Farmhouse (Adjacent to Pentre Jane Morgan) and flats in Waun Fawr, which are let on an Assured Shorthold Tenure to students with families. Disabled access rooms are available within the existing student village.
Reputation and academic profile
Rankings
National rankings
Complete (2021)[38]58
Guardian (2021)[39]49
Times / Sunday Times (2021)[40]42
Global rankings
QS (2021)[41]
432=
THE (2021)[42]401-500
British Government assessment
Teaching Excellence Framework[43]Gold
Aberystwyth University is placed in the UK’s top 50 universities in the main national rankings. It is ranked 48th for 132 UK university rankings in The Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide for 2019 [44] and the first university to be given the prestigious award "University of the year for teaching quality" for two consecutive years (2018 and 2019).[4]
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings placed it in the 301—350 group for 800 university rankings, compared with 351—400 the previous year,[45] and the QS World University Rankings placed it at the 432th position for 2019, compared with 481—490 of the previous year.[46] In 2015, UK employers from “predominantly business, IT and engineering sectors” listed Aberystwyth equal 49th in their 62-place employability rankings for UK graduates, according to a Times Higher Education report.[47]
Aberystwyth University was rated in the top ten of UK higher education institutions for overall student satisfaction in the 2016 National Student Survey (NSS).[48]
Aberystwyth University was shortlisted in four categories in the Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Awards (THELMAs) (2015).[49]
Aberystwyth University has been awarded the Silver Award under the Corporate Health Standard (CHS), the quality mark for workplace health promotion run by Welsh Government.[50]
The University has been awarded an Athena SWAN Charter Award, recognising commitment to advancing women's careers in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) in higher education and research.[51]
In 2007 the University came under criticism for its record on sustainability, ranking 97th out of 106 UK higher education institutions in that year's Green League table.[52] In 2012 the university was listed in the table's "Failed, no award" section, ranking equal 132nd out of 145.[53] In 2013 it ranked equal 135th out of 143, and was listed again as "Failed, no award".[54]
Following the University's initiatives to address sustainability,[55] it received an EcoCampus[56] Silver Phase award in October 2014.
In October 2015, the University’s Penglais Campus became the first University campus in Wales to achieve the Green Flag Award.[57] The Green Flag Award is a UK-wide partnership, delivered in Wales by Keep Wales Tidy with support from Natural Resources Wales, and is the mark of a high quality park or green space.
In 2013, the University and College Union alleged bullying behaviour by Aberystwyth University managers, and said staff were fearful for their jobs. University president Sir Emyr Jones Parry said in a BBC radio interview, "I don't believe the views set out are representative and I don't recognise the picture." He also said, "Due process is rigorously applied in Aberystwyth." Economist John Cable resigned his emeritus professorship, describing the university's management as "disproportionate, aggressive and confrontational". The singer Peter Karrie resigned his honorary fellowship in protest, he said, at the apparent determination to "ruin one of the finest arts centres in the country", and because he was "unable to support any regime that can treat their staff in such a cruel and appalling manner."[58]
Officers and Academics
Presidents and Chancellors
1872–95 Henry Austin Bruce, 1st Lord Aberdare[citation needed]
1895–1913 Stuart, Lord Rendel
1913–26 Sir John Williams, 1st Bt
1926–44 Edmund Davies, Lord Edmund-Davies
1944–54 Thomas Jones (T. J.)
1955–64 Sir David Hughes Parry
1964–76 Sir Ben Bowen Thomas
1977–85 Cledwyn Hughes, Lord Cledwyn of Penrhos
1985–97 Melvyn Rosser
1997–2007 Elystan Morgan, Lord Elystan-Morgan
2007–17 Sir Emyr Jones Parry
2018–present John, Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd
Principals and Vice-Chancellors
See also: Category: Vice-Chancellors of Aberystwyth University
1872–91 Thomas Charles Edwards
1891–1919 Thomas Francis Roberts
1919–26 John Humphreys Davies
1927–34 Sir Henry Stuart-Jones
1934–52 Ifor Leslie Evans
1953–57 Goronwy Rees
1958–69 Sir Thomas Parry
1969–79 Sir Goronwy Daniel
1979–89 Gareth Owen
1989–94 Kenneth, Lord Morgan
1994–2004 Derec Llwyd Morgan
2004–11 Noel Lloyd
2011–16 April McMahon
2016–17 John Grattan (acting)
2016–present Elizabeth Treasure[59]
Academics
See also: Category:Academics of Aberystwyth University
Henry Bird, Lecturer in Art History (1936–41)
Ken Booth, Professor of International Politics
Edward Carr, Historian, Woodrow Wilson Professor of International Politics
Sir Henry Walford Davies, Master of the King's Music
John Davies, Welsh historian
Hannah Dee, Lecturer in Computer Science
R. Geraint Gruffydd, Chair of Welsh Language and Literature (1970–79)
David Russell Hulme, Director of Music (1992–), conductor, musicologist
Robert Maynard Jones, Chair of Welsh Language (1980)
D. Gwenallt Jones, poet, Welsh Lecturer
Leopold Kohr, Economist, Political Scientist
Dennis Lindley, Professor of Statistics (1960–67)
David John de Lloyd, Gregynog Professor of Music, composer
Alec Muffett, Systems Programmer (1988–92)
Lily Newton, Professor of Botany
Ian Parrott, Gregynog Professor of Music (1950–83), composer, musicologist
Joseph Parry, Professor of Music, composer, conductor
Sir Thomas Herbert Parry-Williams, poet, Professor of Welsh (1920–52)
F. Gwendolen Rees FRS Professor of Zoology
Huw Rees FRS (1923–2009), Geneticist [60]
William Rubinstein, Professor of History
Marie Breen Smyth, Reader in Political Violence, International Politics
Richard Marggraf Turley, Professor of Engagement with the Public Imagination
Dame Marjorie Williamson, Principal, Royal Holloway, London (1962–73)
Richard Henry Yapp, botanist
Alumni
See also: Category:Alumni of Aberystwyth University
Royalty
Charles, Prince of Wales
Tunku Muhriz Ibni Almarhum Tunku Munawir, 11th Yang Di Pertuan Besar (Grand Ruler) of Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia (2008–present)
Tunku Naquiyuddin, Tunku Laxamana (Regent) of Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia (1994–99)
Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, 3rd President of Sierra Leone (1996–7)
Academia
E. G. Bowen, Geographer
Sir Edward Collingwood, mathematician, scientist
Alan Cox, Programmer (major contributor to the Linux kernel, 1980s)
D. J. Davies, economist, socialist, Plaid Cymru activist
Natasha Devon, writer, mental health activist
Andrew Gordon naval historian
Sir Deian Hopkin, historian
David Russell Hulme, Director of Music (from 1992), conductor
David Gwilym James Vice-Chancellor, University of Southampton 1952–65
Emrys Jones, Professor of Geography, London School of Economics
T. Harri Jones, poet
Roy Kift, dramatist, writer
Mary King, political scientist
Michael MccGwire, international relations specialist, Naval Commander
Twm Morys, poet
Tavi Murray, glaciologist, Polar Medallist
Ernest Charles Nelson, botanist
David Hughes Parry, Vice-Chancellor, University of London (1945–48)
T. H. Parry-Williams, poet, author, academic
Frederick Soddy, Nobel Prize Winner in Chemistry (1921)
Sir John Meurig Thomas FRS, chemist, professor, author
Paul Thomas, founding Vice-Chancellor, University of the Sunshine Coast
Sir Nigel Thrift, Geographer, Vice Chancellor, University of Warwick
David John Williams, writer
Sir Glanmor Williams, historian
Rev. John Tudno Williams, theologian
Waldo Williams, poet
Rev. William Richard Williams, theologian
Christine James, first female Archdruid of Wales
Gethin Glyn, Zoologist
Aron Dafydd, UMCA Leader
Law
Tun Salleh Abas, Lord President of the Federal Court, Malaysia (1984–88)
Belinda Ang, Judge, Supreme Court of Singapore (2003–)
Sir Alun Talfan Davies, judge, publisher
Sir Ellis Ellis-Griffith, 1st Bt, barrister, Liberal politician
Iris de Freitas Brazao, first female prosecuting lawyer in the Caribbean
Sir Samuel Thomas Evans, barrister, judge, Liberal politician
Elwyn, Lord Elwyn-Jones, Lord Chancellor (1974–79)
John, Lord Morris of Aberavon, Attorney General (1997–99)
Civil Servants
Timothy Brain, Chief Constable for Gloucestershire (2001–10)
Sir Goronwy Daniel, civil servant, academic
Politics
Joe Borg, European Union Oceans and Fisheries Commissioner (2004–10)[61]
Captain Roderic Bowen, Liberal MP, Deputy Commons Speaker
Nicholas, Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth, Welsh Conservative Leader (1999–2011)
Rehman Chishti, Conservative MP (2010–), Special Envoy (2019–20)
Dr Stephen Clackson Independent Councillor, Orkney Islands Council [62]
David, 1st Lord Davies, Liberal politician, philanthropist [63]
Glyn Davies, Conservative MP
Gwilym Prys Davies, Lord Prys-Davies, Labour peer (1982–2015)
Gwynfor Evans, first Plaid Cymru MP
Steve Gilbert, Liberal Democrat MP (2010–15)
Siân Gwenllian, Plaid Cymru AM
Neil Hamilton, Conservative MP and AM, barrister
Sylvia, Lady Hermon, Ulster Unionist politician
Emlyn, Lord Hooson, Liberal politician
Cledwyn Hughes, Lord Cledwyn of Penrhos, Labour politician
Dato' Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, Foreign Minister, Malaysia, (2020–)
Dan Jarvis, Labour MP
Bethan Jenkins, Plaid Cymru AM for South Wales West
Carwyn Jones, First Minister of Wales (2009–18), AM for Bridgend
Gerry MacLochlainn Sinn Féin politician
John Morris, Lord Morris of Aberavon, Labour politician
Elystan Morgan, Lord Elystan-Morgan, Labour MP
Roland Moyle, Labour MP, Parliamentary Private Secretary to Clement Attlee
Will Quince, Conservative MP
Dan Rogerson, Liberal Democrat MP
Liz Saville Roberts, Plaid Cymru MP, Plaid Cymru Leader (2017–)
Molly Scott Cato, Green Party MEP
Ahmed Shaheed, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Maldives
Virginijus Sinkevičius, European Union Environment Commissioner (2019–)[64]
Bob Stewart, Conservative MP
Gareth Thomas, Labour MP
Gareth Thomas, Labour MP
Mark Williams, Liberal Democrat MP, Welsh LD Leader (2016–17)
Mike Wood, Conservative MP
Steven Woolfe, UK Independence Party MEP
Business
Lance Batchelor, CEO, Domino's Pizza and Saga
Geoff Drabble, CEO, Ashtead
Belinda Earl, CEO, Debenhams and Jaeger
David Prosser, CEO, Legal & General[65]
Tom Singh, owner and CEO, New Look
Sports
Cath Bishop, professional rower, civil servant
John Dawes, Rugby player, Captain of Wales and British Lions
Carwyn James, Wales and British and Irish Lions Rugby Coach (1949?–51)
Leigh Richmond Roose, International footballer
Berwyn Price, Gold Medal Commonwealth Games (1978)
Angela Tooby, Silver Medal, World Cross-Country Championships (1988)
Arts and Entertainment
Dorothy Bonarjee, Indian poet, artist
Neil Brand, writer, composer, silent film accompanist
Seth Clabough, American novelist, academic
Shân Cothi, operatic singer, actress
Jane Green, author
Sarah Hall, writer, poet
David Russell Hulme, conductor, musicologist
Aneirin Hughes, actor
Emrys James, actor
Eveline Annie Jenkins (1893–1976), botanical artist
Alex Jones, Presenter, BBC One TV Programme, The One Show (2010–)
Melih Kibar, Turkish composer
Alun Lewis, Second World War writer, poet
Caryl Lewis, novelist
Rick Lloyd, musician (Y Blew, Flying Pickets)
Hayley Long, fiction writer
Sharon Maguire, film director, Bridget Jones's Diary
Matt McCooey, actor
Alan Mehdizadeh, actor, Billy Elliot the Musical
Robert Minhinnick, poet, essayist, novelist, translator
Amy Parry-Williams (1910–1988), singer, writer
Esther Pilkington, performance artist
Jan Pinkava, Oscar-winning animated film director
Rachel Roberts, actress
Lisa Surihani, Malaysian actress
Richard Roberts, theologian, pacifist
Aberystwyth (Welsh: [abɛˈrəstʊɨθ] (About this soundlisten)) is a university town and community in Ceredigion, Wales. Historically in the historic county of Cardiganshire, the literal meaning of the Welsh: Aberystwyth is the mouth of the Ystwyth. In one form or another, Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location in Wales since the establishment of University College Wales in 1872.
The town is situated on Cardigan Bay on the west coast of Wales, near the confluence of the River Ystwyth and Afon Rheidol. Following the reconstruction of the harbour, the Ystwyth skirts the town. The Rheidol passes through the town.
The seafront, with a pier, stretches from Constitution Hill at the north end of the Promenade to the harbour at the south. The beach is divided by the castle. The town is divided into five areas: Aberystwyth Town; Llanbadarn Fawr; Waunfawr; Llanbadarn; Trefechan; and the most populous, Penparcau.
At the 2001 census, the population of the town was 15,935.[2] This reduced to 13,040 at the 2011 Census. During nine months of the year, there is an influx of students.[3][citation needed]
Including the suburbs of Llanbadarn Fawr, the population is 16,420, the built-up area having a population of 18,749.[4]
Aberystwyth Bay from a 1748 survey by Lewis Morris (1701–1765)
The distance to Swansea is 55 miles (89 km); to Shrewsbury 60 miles (97 km); to Wrexham 63 miles (101 km); to Cardiff 76 miles (122 km); and to London 180 miles (290 km).
Main features of the town
Aberystwyth is a university town and tourist destination, and forms a cultural link between North Wales and South Wales. Constitution Hill, scaled by the Aberystwyth Cliff Railway, gives access to panoramic views and to other attractions at the summit, including a camera obscura. Scenic Mid Wales landscape within easy reach of the town includes the wilderness of the Cambrian Mountains, whose valleys contain forests and meadows which have changed little in centuries. A convenient way to access the interior is by the preserved narrow-gauge Vale of Rheidol Railway.
Although the town is relatively modern, there are a number of historic buildings, including the remains of the castle and the Old College of Aberystwyth University nearby. The Old College was originally built and opened in 1865 as a hotel, but after the owner's bankruptcy the shell of the building was sold to the university in 1867.[5]
The new university campus overlooks Aberystwyth from Penglais Hill to the east of the town centre. The station, a terminus of the main railway, was built in 1924 in the typical style of the period, mainly in a mix of Gothic, Classical Revival, and Victorian architecture.
The town is the unofficial capital of Mid Wales, and several institutions have regional or national offices there. Public bodies located in the town include the National Library of Wales, which incorporates the National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales, one of six British regional film archives. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales maintains and curates the National Monuments Record of Wales (NMRW), providing the public with information about the built heritage of Wales. Aberystwyth is also the home to the national offices of UCAC and Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (Welsh Language Society), and the site of the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, the Welsh Books Council and the offices of the standard historical dictionary of Welsh, Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru. A purpose built Welsh Government office and an adjoining office of Ceredigion County Council are also located in the town.
Climate
Aberystwyth experiences an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb) similar to almost all of the United Kingdom. This is particularly pronounced due to its west coast location facing the Irish Sea. Air undergoes little land moderation and so temperatures closely reflect the sea temperature when winds are coming from the predominant onshore (westerly) direction. The nearest Met Office weather station is Gogerddan, 3 miles to the northeast, and at a similar elevation.
The absolute maximum temperature is 34.6 °C (94.3 °F),[6] set during July 2006. This is also the July record maximum for all of Wales, suggesting that the area's low lying situation, aided by a possible föhn effect when winds are offshore can act to achieve high temperatures on occasion. Typically the warmest day will average 28.0 °C (82.4 °F)[7] and 5.6 days[8] will achieve a maximum of 25.1 °C (77.2 °F) or above.
The absolute minimum temperature is −13.5 °C (7.7 °F),[9] set in January 2010. Typically 39.8 days will register an air frost.
Rainfall averages 1,112 mm (44 in) a year,[10] with over 1mm recorded on 161 days.[11] All averages refer to the 1981–2010 period.
Climate data for Gogerddan, elevation 31m, 1981–2010, extremes 1960–
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Record high °C (°F)16.1
(61.0)17.8
(64.0)22.8
(73.0)26.2
(79.2)27.5
(81.5)31.7
(89.1)34.6
(94.3)32.8
(91.0)31.1
(88.0)23.9
(75.0)18.1
(64.6)15.5
(59.9)34.6
(94.3)
Average high °C (°F)8.1
(46.6)8.2
(46.8)10.0
(50.0)12.4
(54.3)15.5
(59.9)17.6
(63.7)19.4
(66.9)19.2
(66.6)17.4
(63.3)14.2
(57.6)10.9
(51.6)8.6
(47.5)13.5
(56.2)
Average low °C (°F)2.5
(36.5)2.1
(35.8)3.7
(38.7)4.7
(40.5)7.3
(45.1)10.1
(50.2)12.4
(54.3)12.2
(54.0)10.2
(50.4)7.9
(46.2)4.9
(40.8)2.4
(36.3)6.7
(44.1)
Record low °C (°F)−13.5
(7.7)−11.1
(12.0)−9.4
(15.1)−5.1
(22.8)−2.6
(27.3)0.6
(33.1)2.8
(37.0)2.8
(37.0)0.0
(32.0)−4.3
(24.3)−11.9
(10.6)−12.4
(9.7)−13.5
(7.7)
Average precipitation mm (inches)94.6
(3.72)71.4
(2.81)84.1
(3.31)60.6
(2.39)59.7
(2.35)73.6
(2.90)81.8
(3.22)86.6
(3.41)92.4
(3.64)130.5
(5.14)122.5
(4.82)116.9
(4.60)1,074.7
(42.31)
Mean monthly sunshine hours51.173.7101.8166.1206.0183.1183.7169.4131.098.657.245.91,467.4
Source 1: KNMI[12]
Source 2: Met Office[13]
History
Mesolithic
There is evidence that during the Mesolithic Age the area of Tan-y-Bwlch at the foot of Pen Dinas (Penparcau) was used as a flint knapping floor for hunter-gatherers making weapons from flint that was deposited as the ice retreated.[14]
Bronze and Iron Ages
The remains of a Celtic fortress on Pen Dinas (or more correctly 'Dinas Maelor'), a hill in Penparcau overlooking Aberystwyth, indicates that the site was inhabited before 700 BC.[15][16] On a hill south of the present town, across the River Ystwyth, are the remains of a medieval ringfort believed to be the castle from which Princess Nest was abducted. This rare survival is now on private land and can only be accessed by arrangement.[17]
Middle Ages
Site of original Aberystwyth Castle at Tan y Castell
The recorded history of Aberystwyth may be said to date from the building of a fortress in 1109 by Gilbert Fitz Richard (grandfather of Richard de Clare, known as Strongbow, the Cambro-Norman lord notable for his leading role in the Norman invasion of Ireland). Gilbert Fitz Richard was granted lands and the lordship of Cardigan by Henry I, including Cardigan Castle. The fortress built in Aberystwyth was located about a mile and a half south of today's town, on a hill over the south bank of the Ystwyth River, thus giving the settlement of Aberystwyth its name. The location is now known as Tan-Y-Castell.[18]
Aberystwyth was usually under the control of the princes of Deheubarth, but its position close to the border with Gwynedd and Powys left it vulnerable to attacks from the leaders of those polities. The town was attacked by Gwenwynwyn ab Owain in 1197, an assault in which Maelgwn ap Rhys was captured. Llywelyn the Great attacked and seized the town in late 1208, building a castle there before withdrawing.
Edward I replaced Strongbow's castle in 1277,[19] after its destruction by the Welsh.[20] His castle was, however, built in a different location, at the current Castle Hill, the high point of the town. Between the years 1404 and 1408 Aberystwyth Castle was in the hands of Owain Glyndŵr but finally surrendered to Prince Harry (the future King Henry V of England). Shortly after this, the town was incorporated under the title of Ville de Lampadarn (the ancient name of the place being Llanbadarn Gaerog or the fortified Llanbadarn, to distinguish it from Llanbadarn Fawr, the village one mile (1.6 km) inland. It is thus styled in a Royal charter granted by Henry VIII but, by Elizabeth I's time, the town was invariably named Aberystwyth in all documents.[21]
Early modern era
Aberystwyth at around 1840. Crane, W., fl. ca. 1835–1850, lithographer.
From 1639 to 1642, silver coins were minted at Aberystwyth Castle on behalf of the Royal Mint, using silver from local mines. £10,500 in currency was produced, equivalent to 2.5 million silver pennies.[22]
In 1649, Parliamentarian troops razed the castle,[23] although portions of three towers still exist. In 1988, an excavation within the castle area revealed a complete male skeleton, deliberately buried. Though skeletons rarely survive in Wales' acidic soil, this skeleton was probably preserved by the addition of lime from the collapsed building. Affectionately known as "Charlie" and now housed in the Ceredigion Museum in the town, he probably dates from the English Civil War period, and is likely to have died during the Parliamentarian siege. His image is featured in one of nine mosaics created to adorn the castle's walls.[24]
Rural industries and craftsmen were an important part of life in a country town. The local trade directory for 1830 shows that there were in Aberystwyth: Twenty boot makers, eight bakers, two corn millers, eleven carpenters and joiners, one cooper, seven tailors, two dressmakers, two straw hat makers, two hat makers, three curriers, four saddlers, two tinsmiths, six maltsters, two skinners, four tanners, eight stonemasons, one brewer, four lime burners, three shipwrights, three wheelwrights, five cabinet makers, one nail maker, one rope maker and one sail maker.[25]
Victorian era
The Queen's Hotel, Aberystwith
The first Pier at Aberystwyth c.1865
The Cambrian Railways line from Machynlleth reached Aberystwyth in 1864, closely followed by rail links to Carmarthen, which resulted in the construction of the town's impressive station. The Cambrian line opened on Good Friday 1869, the same day that the new 292 metres (958 ft) Royal Pier (designed by Eugenius Birch) opened, attracting 7,000 visitors.[26]
The railway's arrival gave rise to something of a Victorian tourist boom; the town was once even billed as the "Biarritz of Wales".[27] During this time, a number of hotels and fine townhouses were built including the Queens Hotel, later renamed Swyddfa'r Sir (County Office) when used as offices by the town council, and most recently used as the external scenes of the police station in the television show Hinterland. One of the largest of these hotels, "The Castle Hotel", was never completed as a hotel but, following bankruptcy, was sold cheaply to the Welsh National University Committee, a group of people dedicated to the creation of a Welsh University. The University College of Wales (later to become Aberystwyth University) was founded in 1872 in this building.
Aberystwyth was a contributory parliamentary borough until the Third Reform Act, which merged its representation into that of the county in 1885.
In 1895, various businessmen who had been behind the Aberystwyth New Harbour Company formed the Aberystwyth Improvement Company (AIC) to take over the works of the defunct Bourne Engineering & Electrical. In 1896, the AIC completed three projects: the new landside pavilion for the Royal Pier;[28] built the Cambria Hotel (later the United Theological College) and formed Constitution Hill Ltd, to develop a Victorian theme park. Chief engineer George Croydon Marks designed all the AIC developments, including the United Kingdom's second longest funicular railway,[29] which takes passengers up a 50% gradient to a park and camera obscura.
Modern history
Aberystwyth Harbour
Aberystwyth hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1865, 1916, 1952 and 1992.[30]
On the night of Friday, 14 January 1938, a storm with estimated wind speeds of up to 90 mph (140 km/h) struck the town. Most of the promenade was destroyed, along with 200 feet (60 m) of the pier. Many properties on the seafront were damaged, with every property from the King's Hall north affected; those on Victoria Terrace suffered the greatest damage. Work commenced on a protective coffer dam which continued into 1940, with total costs of construction coming to £70,000 (equivalent to £2.5 million today).[31]
Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (Welsh language Society) held their historic first protest on Trefechan Bridge in Aberystwyth, on 2 February 1963.[32] The first independent Welsh Evangelical Church was established in Aberystwyth (see Evangelical Movement of Wales).
On 1 March 2005, Aberystwyth was granted Fairtrade Town status.[33]
In March 2009 mayor Sue Jones-Davies, who had played the role of Judith Iscariot in the film Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979), organised a charity screening of the film. Principal actors Terry Jones and Michael Palin also attended. There is a popular, but incorrect, urban myth that the town had banned the film (as some authorities did) when it was first released.[34]
During the aftermath storms from Cyclone Dirk on Friday 3 January 2014, the town was one of the worst hit in Wales, with enormous swells uprooting boulders from the sea walls, leaving roads and pavements along the promenade buried under a mass of paving stones, bricks, shale and twisted metal.[35][36] Properties on the adjoining promenade were then evacuated for the next five days, including 250 students from the University.[37] Ceredigion Council appealed to the Welsh Assembly Government for funds, whilst Natural Resources Wales undertook surveys and emergency preventative measures.[38]
North Parade, Aberystwyth was reported to be the most expensive street in Wales in 2018, based on property prices.[39]
Governance
Aberystwyth's local government administration has a two-tier structure consisting of two separate councils. As local government is a devolved matter in Wales, the legislation for both Councils is a responsibility of the Senedd.
Town Council
Aberystwyth Town Council is the first tier of local government, which is the closest to the general public; there are 19 elected town councillors from five wards. The last elections were held on the 4 May 2017. The council is responsible for cycle paths, public footpaths, CCTV, public Wi-Fi, bus shelters, parks, gardens (including the castle grounds and the skateboard park) and allotments. The council is a statutory body which is consulted regarding planning decisions in the town area and makes recommendations to the planning authority, Ceredigion County Council. The Town Council is also involved in leisure, tourism, business[40] (through providing more than half of Menter Aberystwyth's funding in grants), licence applications, wellbeing [41] and environmental health, recycling and refuse collection.
A borough council existed in Aberystwyth from 1832 and the Aberystwyth School Board was established in 1870.
County Council
Ceredigion County Council is another statutory body incorporated by Act of Parliament. It is the second tier of local government in the area and is a unitary authority with a wide range of powers and responsibility. The Council deals with roads (except trunk roads), street lighting, some highways, social services, children and family care, schools and public libraries. Aberystwyth elects six of the 42 councillors in five separate wards (Bronglais, Central, North and Rheidol wards elect one councillor each while Penparcau ward elects two).
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament
Aberystwyth has five Senedd members, one of whom (Elin Jones) was elected as a constituency MS for Ceredigion, and four who are elected on the regional list for Mid and West Wales.
UK Parliament
The town is in the Ceredigion constituency for elections to the House of Commons. Since June 2017, Aberystwyth's MP has been Plaid Cymru's Ben Lake.
Culture
Town library
The first ever public library in Aberystwyth was opened in Compton House, Pier Street on 13 October 1874. In 1882 the library was moved to the Assembly Rooms which were leased to the council for 21 years. The lease expired in 1903 and the library returned to Pier Street, this time to the Old Banking Library at the corner with Eastgate Street, although this was short lived.[42]
A Carnegie library was built in Aberystwyth in 1905, with a grant of £3,000. Located in Corporation Street, it was designed by the architect Walter Payton of Birmingham, who was one of 48 who entered the competition to design the building. It was formally opened on 20 April 1906 by Mrs Vaughan Davies, wife of the local MP.[42]
The Town Library moved to the old Town Hall, now known as Canolfan Alun R. Edwards, Queen's Square, in 2012, following the building's refurbishment. The County Council vacated the Town Hall in a move to their purpose built offices on Boulevard de Saint-Brieuc in 2009.[citation needed]
National Library of Wales
National Library of Wales
Main article: National Library of Wales
The National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth, is the national legal deposit library of Wales. Established in 1907, it is a Welsh Government sponsored body. According to Cyril Evans, the library's centenary events co-ordinator, "The library is considered to be one of the world's greatest libraries, and its international reputation is certainly something that all Welsh men and women are intensely ... proud of".[43] Welsh is the main medium of communication within the organisation; it aims to deliver all public services in Welsh and English.[44]
Arts
The Arts Centre
Main article: Aberystwyth Arts Centre
Aberystwyth Arts Centre is one of the largest and busiest arts centres in Wales.[45] It encompasses a 312-seat theatre, 900-seat concert hall, 125-seat cinema, and has accompanied studio, galleries, plus public spaces which include cafes and a bar.[46]
Arad Goch is an Arts Council funded community theatre and art gallery based in the town. The premises holds a theatre, gallery, several art studios and meeting rooms, and a darkroom.
Music
Aberystwyth has a live music scene which has produced bands and artists such as:
The Crocketts
The Hot Puppies
Murry the Hump
The Lowland Hundred
The University Music Centre promotes a varied programme for instrumentalists, singers and listeners from the university and the wider community.
The University chamber choir, The Elizabethan Madrigal Singers, have been singing in the town since 1950 and continue to hold a number of concerts throughout the year.
Aberystwyth gives its name to a well known hymn tune composed by Joseph Parry.[citation needed]
Sport
Aberystwyth RFC is the local rugby union club and acts as a feeder club to professional side Scarlets. It was formed in 1947 and for the 2017/18 season played in the WRU Division One West.[47]
Aberystwyth Town F.C. is a semi-professional football club that was formed in 1884. The team currently compete in the Cymru Premier, Wales' top division.[48]
The town also has a cricket club which plays in local leagues,[49] an athletics club (founded 1955),[50] and boxing club in Penparcau.[51] The town's golf course opened in 1911.[52]
Welsh language
Ceredigion, the county in which Aberystwyth is located, is one of the four most Welsh-speaking counties in Wales and remained majority Welsh speaking until the 2011 census.[53][54]
However, since the town's growth as a seaside resort in the Victorian era, it has been more anglicised than its hinterland and the rest of the county in general. The university has also attracted many English-speaking students from England, non-Welsh speaking parts of Wales and elsewhere. The 1891 census recorded that, of the 6635 inhabitants who completed the language section, 3482 (52.5%) were bilingual, 1751 (26.4%) were Welsh monoglots, and 1402 people (21.1%) were returned as English monoglots. Ceredigion (then named Cardiganshire) as a whole was 95.2% Welsh-speaking and 74.5% monoglot Welsh.[55] Although the town remained majority Welsh-speaking for many more decades, English had already replaced Welsh in certain domains, such as entertainment and tourism.
By 1961, only 50.0% of the town's population could speak Welsh, compared to 79.5% for Cardiganshire as a whole;[56] by 1971, these numbers had fallen to 44.9% and 67.6% respectively.[57]
The 2001 census reported that, in the seven wards of Aberystwyth, 39% of the residents self-identified as able to speak or read or write Welsh. This is lower than Ceredigion as a whole (54%) but higher than Wales overall (19%).[58]
Education
Schools
Aberystwyth has two comprehensive schools serving the town and a wide rural area: Ysgol Gyfun Gymunedol Penweddig and Ysgol Penglais School. Ysgol Gyfun Gymunedol Penweddig uses Welsh as the primary language of tuition; Ysgol Penglais School teaches in English and in Welsh as a subject.
Aberystwyth University
Main article: Aberystwyth University
Aberystwyth is home to Aberystwyth University (Welsh: Prifysgol Aberystwyth) whose predecessor, University College Wales, was founded in 1872[19] and renamed the 'University of Wales, Aberystwyth' in the mid-1990s. Prior to the college's establishment, Wales had very limited academic-degree capability through St David's College, Lampeter (founded in 1822, now the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David).
Tourism and local economy
View of Aberystwyth and Cardigan Bay from the National Library of Wales
As well as having two cinemas and a golf course, the town's attractions include:
The Aberystwyth Cliff Railway, a funicular railway
A Victorian camera obscura at the top of Constitution Hill.
The Vale of Rheidol steam railway (Aberystwyth to Devil's Bridge)
Aberystwyth Arts Centre.
The Parc Penglais nature reserve
The Ystwyth Trail cycle path
National Library of Wales
Park Avenue. Football stadium home to Aberystwyth Town F.C.
The all organic dairy unit of Rachel's Organic is based in Glan yr Afon, and is the largest private sector employer in Aberystwyth.[59][60]
The Cambrian News newspaper came to Aberystwyth from Bala in 1870, after it was purchased by Sir John Gibson. Printed in Oswestry, in May 1880 the paper integrated operations in a former Malthouse in Mill Street. Owned by the Read family from 1926, in 1993 printing was contracted out, enabling the move of editorial staff to the current open-plan offices on Llanbadarn Fawr Science Park. On the death of Henry Read, the paper was purchased in 1999 by Sir Ray Tindle, whose company owns more than 200 weekly newspapers in Britain. Now printed in tabloid format, Cambrian News is the second-largest weekly-print circulation newspaper in Wales, with 24,000 copies in six regional editorial versions, read by 60,000 weekly readers. The circulation area of mid, west and north Wales covers 3,000 square miles (7,800 km2).[61]
Since the TV series Hinterland has been filmed in and around Aberystwyth, the area is being promoted as an opportunity for tourists to visit filming locations; many are well publicised.[62][63]
Transport
Rail
An Arriva Trains Wales service awaiting departure from Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth railway station is situated in the town centre and is the terminus of the scenic Cambrian Line. Transport for Wales Rail operate a mostly hourly service (with some two-hour intervals) to Shrewsbury via Machynlleth and Mid Wales, with nearly all trains continuing to Birmingham International. Connecting services from Dovey Junction provide a link to Gwynedd's west coast as far as Pwllheli, along the Cambrian Coast Line. There is no longer a southbound connection: the Carmarthen–Aberystwyth line was closed in 1965 as part of the Beeching cuts.
The Vale of Rheidol Railway runs through the spectacular Rheidol Valley
Aberystwyth station is also the terminus of the Vale of Rheidol Railway, a steam-operated narrow gauge heritage railway. Constructed between 1901 and 1902, it was intended to ship mineral cargo, primarily lead, from Devil's Bridge down to Aberystwyth for trans-shipment. By the time it was finished, lead mining was in a deep downturn and—thanks to the Aberystwyth Improvement Company—the railway came to rely largely on the tourist industry, opening for passengers in December 1902. It still remains open for the summer season, with a journey of 12 miles (19 km).
In 1896, the Aberystwyth Improvement Company formed Constitution Hill Ltd which, under the direction of chief engineer George Croydon Marks, developed the United Kingdom's second longest funicular railway, the Aberystwyth Cliff Railway, which takes passengers up a 50% gradient.[28][29]
Bus
A TrawsCymru T1 service on the A4120 in Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth is a hub for the TrawsCymru bus network, with four routes serving the town:
T1 - hourly service to Carmarthen (connects with T1S to Swansea, Monday-Saturday) via Aberaeron and Lampeter - with one service a day (Monday-Saturday) extended to Cardiff [64]
T1C - daily express coach service to Cardiff, via Aberaeron, Camarthen (connects with T1S to Swansea, Monday-Saturday), Swansea (Sunday & Bank Holidays only), Port Talbot Parkway and Bridgend [65]
T2 - every 1–2 hours to Bangor via Machynlleth, Dolgellau (connects with T3 to Barmouth and Wrexham), Porthmadog and Caernarfon [66]
T5 - hourly service to Haverfordwest via Aberaeron, New Quay, Cardigan and Fishguard [67]
(TrawsCymru services run less-frequently on Sundays.)
There is a daily National Express coach, service 409 to London via Birmingham, along with local bus services within the town and into the surrounding area.[68]
Road
The A44 and A487 meet with much traffic between North Wales and South West Wales passing through the town. The A4120 links the A44 and A487 between Llanbadarn Fawr and Penparcau, allowing through traffic to bypass the town centre.
The B4574 mountain road linking the town to Rhayader is described by the AA as one of the ten most scenic drives in the world.[69][70]
Port
The port of Aberystwyth, although it is small and relatively inconsequential today, used to be an important Atlantic Ocean entryway. It was used to ship locally, to Ireland and as a transatlantic departure point. Commercially, the once important Cardiganshire lead mines exported from this location.[19]
The importance of maritime trade in the 19th century is reflected in the fact that a lifeboat has been based at Aberystwyth since 1843, when a 27 ft (8.2 m) boat powered by six oars was funded by public subscription and placed under the control of the harbourmaster. The RNLI took over the service in 1861 and established Aberystwyth Lifeboat Station which celebrated 150 years in 2011. The station uses the Atlantic 85-class inshore lifeboat Spirit of Friendship.
Notable people
Main category: People from Aberystwyth
In fiction
Literature
Aberystwyth (albeit an alternative universe version) is the setting for the cult Louie Knight series by Malcolm Pryce, which transfers Chandleresque "noir" stories and dialogue to this small seaside town.[71] This alternative reality features many landmarks of Aberystwyth, such as the University and the National Library of Wales, but the social situation is radically altered to more closely resemble the pulp/noir stereotypical "Dirty Town" that the narrative plays off. Most of the humour in the books is derived from the almost seamless juxtaposition of the real Aberystwyth and the fictional, noir Aberystwyth. Various aspects of Welsh culture are reflections of what you might expect to see in reality, but with a pulp twist – for example, prostitutes wear Welsh stovepipe hats.[72]
Stripping Penguins Bare, the book 2 of Michael Carson's Benson Trilogy of comic novels, is set in the town and university in the 1960s.
The local writer Niall Griffiths has set many of his novels here and reflects local slang, settings, and even individuals. Grits and Sheepshagger are set wholly in Aberystwyth, which also features prominently in his other novels such as Kelly and Victor and Stump. He portrays a more gritty side of Aberystwyth.
Y Llyfrgell (2009) is Welsh language novel by Fflur Dafydd. It was the winner of the 2009 Daniel Owen Memorial Prize presented at the National Eisteddfod. The book is set in the National Library of Wales and in Aberystwyth town. This was made into a film of the same name in Welsh, and in English as The Library Suicides.[73][74]
Television
Y Gwyll (2013–2016), a Welsh television programme, known as Hinterland in English, broadcast on S4C, BBC One Wales, BBC Four and Netflix in North America, is set in Aberystwyth. It is filmed in and around the town, often in rural locations.[63][75]
Freedom of the Town
The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Town of Aberystwyth.[76]
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.
Individuals
1912 – Sir John Williams
1912 – David Davies
1912 – Stuart Rendel
1922 – David Lloyd George
1923 – Lewis Pugh Evans
1923 – Matthew Vaughan-Davies
1923 – Sir Herbert Lewis
1928 – Stanley Baldwin
1934 – Sir David Charles Roberts
1936 – Ernest Vaughan
1951 – Winston Churchill
1956 – Sir David James
2011 – Fritz Pratschke
2015 – Jean Guezennec
Military Units
1955 – The Welsh Guards
Twinning
Arklow in Wicklow, Republic of Ireland Ireland[77]
Kronberg im Taunus in Hesse Hesse, Germany Germany
Saint-Brieuc in Brittany Brittany, France France[78]
Esquel in Patagonia, Argentina Argentina[79]
Architecture, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales. Aberystwyth University (Welsh: Prifysgol Aberystwyth) is a public research university in Aberystwyth, Wales. Aberystwyth was a founding member institution of the former federal University of Wales. The university has over 8,000 students studying across 3 academic faculties and 17 departments.
Founded in 1872 as University College Wales, Aberystwyth, it became a founder member of the University of Wales in 1894, and changed its name to the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth. In the mid-1990s, the university again changed its name to become the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. On 1 September 2007, the University of Wales ceased to be a federal university and Aberystwyth University became independent again.[3]
In 2019, it became the first university to be named "University of the year for teaching quality" by The Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide for two consecutive years.[4] It is the first university in the world to be awarded Plastic Free University status (for single-use plastic items).[5]
History
Old College
The University for Wales, Aberystwyth, c.1870
Old College Building from the Castle
In the middle of the 19th century, eminent Welsh people were advocating the establishment of a university in the Principality, one of these, Thomas Nicholas, whose book Middle and High Class Schools, and University Education for Wales (1863) is said to have "exerted great influence on educated Welshmen".[6]
Funded through public and private subscriptions, and with five regional committees (London, Manchester, Liverpool, North and South Wales) guaranteeing funds for the first three years' running costs, the university opened in October 1872 with 26 students. Thomas Charles Edwards was the Principal. In October 1875, chapels in Wales raised the next tranche of funds from over 70,000 contributors.[7] Until 1893, when the college joined the University of Wales as a founder member, students applying to Aberystwyth sat the University of London's entrance exams.[8] Women were admitted in 1884.
In 1885, a fire damaged what is now known as the Old College, Aberystwyth, and in 1897 the first 14 acres of what would become the main Penglais campus were purchased.[9] Incorporated by Royal Charter in 1893, the university installed the Prince of Wales as Chancellor in 1896, the same year it awarded an honorary degree to the British Prime Minister William Gladstone.
The university's coat of arms dates from the 1880s. The shield features two red dragons to symbolise Wales, and an open book to symbolise learning. The crest, an eagle or phoenix above a flaming tower, may signify the College's rebirth after the 1885 fire.[10] The motto is Nid Byd, Byd Heb Wybodaeth (a world without knowledge is no world at all).
In the early 1900s the university added courses that included Law, Applied Mathematics, Pure Mathematics, and Botany. The Department for International Politics, which Aberystwyth says is the oldest such department in the world, was founded in 1919.[11] By 1977, the university's staff included eight Fellows of the Royal Society, such as Gwendolen Rees, the first Welsh woman to be elected an FRS.
The Department of Sports and Exercise Science was established in 2000. Joint honours Psychology degrees were introduced in September 2007, and single honours Psychology in 2009.
The chancellor of the university is The Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, who took up the position in January 2018. The visitor of the university is an appointment made by the Privy Council, under the Royal Charter of the university. Since July 2014, the holder of this office is Mr Justice Sir Roderick Evans QC.
In 2011 the university appointed a new vice chancellor[12] under whom the academic departments were restructured as larger subject-themed institutes.
Organisation and administration
Departments and Faculties
The University's academic departments, as well as the Arts Centre, International English Centre, and Music Centre are organised in three faculties:
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
School of Art
Arts Centre
School of Education
Department of English and Creative Writing
Department of History and Welsh History
International English Centre
Department of International Politics
Department of Law and Criminology
Department of Modern Languages
Music Centre
Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies
Department of Welsh and Celtic Studies
Faculty of Business and Physical Sciences
Aberystwyth Business School
Department of Computer Science
Department of Information Studies
Department of Mathematics
Department of Physics
Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences
Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences
Department of Geography and Earth Sciences
Department of Psychology
Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences
The Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) is a research and teaching centre which brings together staff from the Institutes of Rural Sciences and Biological Sciences and the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research (IGER). Around 360 research, teaching and support staff conduct basic, strategic and applied research in biology.[13]
The Institute is located in two areas; one at the main teaching Penglais campus and another rural research hub at the Gogerddan campus.[14]
Aberystwyth Business School
In 1998. the Department of Economics (founded in 1912), the Department of Accounting and Finance (founded in 1979) and the Centre for Business Studies merged to create the School of Management and Business. In 2013, the School joined the Department of Information Studies and the Department of Law and Criminology at a new campus at Llanbadarn Fawr. The School was shortlisted for ‘Business School of the Year Times Higher Education Awards (2014).[15] In 2016 the Institute, minus the Department of Information Studies, was renamed the Institute of Business and Law, the remaining departments being renamed Aberystwyth Business School and Aberystwyth Law School.
Cledwyn Building, former home of the School of Economics
Department of Computer Science
The Llandinam Building
The Department of Computer Science (founded in 1970), conducts research in automated reasoning, computational biology, vision graphics and visualisation, and intelligent robotics.
AberMUD, the first popular internet-based MUD, was written in the department by then-student Alan Cox. Jan Pinkava, another graduate, won an Oscar for his short animated film Geri's Game. Students in the department were also involved in the creation of the award-winning service robot librarian named Hugh (robot)[16] and Kar-go, the autonomous delivery vehicle.[17]
Department of Geography and Earth Sciences
The Department of Geography and Earth Sciences (IGES) was formed, in 1989, from the former Departments of Geography (established in 1918) and Geology. houses the E. G. Bowen map library, containing 80,000 maps and 500 atlases.[18]
Department of Information Studies
CLW Library, Llanbadarn - later named the Thomas Parry Library
The College of Librarianship Wales (CLW) was established at Llanbadarn Fawr in 1964, in response to a recommendation for the training of bilingual librarians that was made in the Bourdillon Report on Standards of public library service in England (HMSO, 1962). The College grew rapidly, developing close links to the Welsh speaking and professional communities, acquiring an international reputation and pioneering flexible and distance learning courses. It claimed to be Europe's largest institution for training librarians.[19] The independent college merged with the university (in August 1989) and the department moved to the Penglais campus a quarter of a century later. Following the merger, the new department took over responsibility for existing offerings in archives administration and modern records management.
Department of International Politics
International Politics building
The Department of International Politics was founded, shortly after World War I (in 1919), with the stated purpose of furthering political understanding of the world in the hope of avoiding such conflicts in the future. This goal led to the creation of the Woodrow Wilson Chair of International Politics.[20] The department has over 700 students from 40 countries studying at undergraduate, masters and PhD levels. It achieved a 95% score for student satisfaction in the 2016 National Student Survey, placing it as the highest-ranking politics department in Wales and within the UK's top ten.[21]
The department has hosted various notable academic staff in the field including E. H. Carr, Leopold Kohr, Andrew Linklater, Ken Booth, Steve Smith, Michael Cox, Michael MccGwire, Jenny Edkins and Colin J. McInnes.
Department of Law and Criminology
The Department of Law and Criminology (founded in 1901) is housed in the Hugh Owen Building on the Penglais campus, and includes the Centre for Welsh Legal Affairs, a specialist research centre. All academic staff are engaged in research, and the International Journal of Biosciences and the Law and the Cambrian Law Review are edited in the department. In 2013, the department joined the Department of Information Studies and the School of Management and Business at a new campus at Llanbadarn Fawr, as part of a newly created Institute of Management, Law and Information Studies. As of September 2018, the department has since relocated back to the Hugh Owen Building, based in the Penglais campus, and its name changed from Aberystwyth Law School to the Department of Law and Criminology.[22]
The Guardian University Guide 2018 currently ranks Law Department at 69th in the UK,[23] and "The Times" Higher Education Guide ranks it as 300th globally.[24]
Department of Modern Languages
Aberystwyth has taught modern languages since 1874. French, German, Italian and Spanish courses are taught at both beginners' and advanced levels, in a research-active academic environment. One of its research projects is the Anglo-Norman Dictionary,[25] based in Aberystwyth since 2001 and available online since 2005.
Department of Physics
Physics was first taught at Aberystwyth as part of Natural Philosophy, Astronomy, and Mathematics under N. R. Grimley, soon after the foundation of the University College.[26] It became a department in 1877, under the leadership of F. W. Rudler.[26] The department was located in the south wing of what is now the Old College,[26] but later relocated to the Physics Building on the Penglais Campus. The first Chair in Physics was offered to D. E. Jones in 1885.[26] Prior to World War I, much of the early research in the department was undertaken in Germany. Early research in the 1900s was concerned with electrical conductivity and quantum theory, later moving into thermal conductivity and acoustics.[26] In 1931, the department hosted the Faraday Centenary Exhibition.[26] E. J. Williams was appointed Chair of Physics in 1938 where he continued his research into sub-atomic particles using a cloud chamber.[27] Following World War II, research was concerned with mechanical and nuclear physics, later moving into the fields of air density, experimental rocket launching equipment, and radar.[26]
Arts Studio
Department of Psychology
In 2007, Aberystwyth established the subject as a 'Centre for Applied Psychology' within the Department of International Politics. By 2011, Psychology had moved into their current premises in Penbryn 5 on the Penglais Campus. The department is home to over 300 undergraduate students - with degrees accredited by the British Psychological Society.
Campuses
Old College east entrance
Penglais
The main campus of the University is situated on Penglais Hill, overlooking the town of Aberystwyth and Cardigan Bay, and comprises most of the University buildings, Arts Centre, Students’ Union, and many of the student residences. Just below Penglais Campus is the National Library of Wales, one of Britain's five legal deposit libraries. The landscaping of the Penglais Campus is historically significant and is listed.[9] The CADW listing states,
"The landscaping of the University of Wales, Aberystwyth campuses, particularly the earlier Penglais campus, is of exceptional historic interest as one of the most important modern landscaping schemes in Wales...One section of the Penglais campus was designed by the well known landscape architect Brenda Colvin and is one of the very few of her schemes to have survived. A number of women have played a key role in the development and planting of the whole site."
Llanbadarn
The Llanbadarn Centre is located approximately one mile to the east of the Penglais Campus, near Llanbadarn Fawr, overlooking the town and Cardigan Bay to the west, with the backdrop of the Cambrian Mountains to the east. Llanbadarn Centre hosted Aberystwyth Law School and Aberystwyth Business School, which together formed the Institute of Business and Law. The Department of Information Studies is also based there. Additionally, the Llanbadarn Campus is the site of the Aberystwyth branch of Coleg Ceredigion (a further education college, and not part of the University).
Goggerddan
At Gogerddan, on the outskirts of town is located the University's major centre for research in land based sciences and the main centre for the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Science.
School of Art, Edward Davies Building
Edward Davies Building
The School of Art is located between the Penglais Campus and the centre of Aberystwyth, in what was originally the Edward Davies Chemical Laboratory. A listed building, the Edward Davies Building is one of the finest examples of architecture in Aberystwyth.
Old College
The site of the original university is the 'Old College', currently the subject of the 'New Life for Old College' project which aims to transform it into an integrated centre of heritage, culture, learning and knowledge exchange. The university opened an international campus in Mauritius in 2016 operating as Aberystwyth University (Mauritian Branch Campus) and registered with the Tertiary Education Commission of Mauritius, but closed it to new enrolments two years later due to low enrolment numbers.[28]
Student residences
Most of the student residences are on campus, with the rest in walking distance of the campus and Aberystwyth town centre. Accommodation ranges from 'traditional' catered residences to en-suite self-catered accommodation, and from budget rooms to more luxurious studio apartments. All have wired access to the University's computer network and a support network of residential tutors.
Penglais Campus
Cwrt Mawr (self-catered flats, single rooms, capacity 503)[29]
Neuadd Pantycelyn [cy] (Welsh speaking traditional catered hall, refurbished in 2020, capacity 200)[30]
Penbryn (Welsh-speaking traditional catered hall, capacity 350)[31]
Rosser (self-catered en-suite flats, capacity 336),
Rosser G (postgraduate flats following 2011 expansion to Rosser, capacity 60)[32]
Trefloyne (self-catered flats, capacity 147)[33]
Pentre Jane Morgan (Student Village)
Almost 200 individual houses arranged in closes and cul-de-sacs. Each house typically accommodate 5 or 6 students. (total capacity 1003)[34]
Fferm Penglais Student Residence
Purpose-built student accommodation with studio apartments and en-suite bedrooms (total capacity 1000). An area of accommodation within the Fferm Penglais Student Residence is set aside for students who are Welsh learners or fluent Welsh speakers, and wish to live in a Welsh speaking environment.
Town accommodation
Seafront Residences (self-catered flats located on the seafront and Queen's Road, overall capacity 361). The original Seafront residences, Plyn' and Caerleon, were destroyed by fire in 1998.[35][36]
Seafront residences include Aberglasney, Balmoral, Blaenwern, Caerleon, Carpenter, Pumlumon, Ty Glyndwr, and Ty Gwerin Halls.[37]
The University also owns several houses, such as Penglais Farmhouse (Adjacent to Pentre Jane Morgan) and flats in Waun Fawr, which are let on an Assured Shorthold Tenure to students with families. Disabled access rooms are available within the existing student village.
Reputation and academic profile
Rankings
National rankings
Complete (2021)[38]58
Guardian (2021)[39]49
Times / Sunday Times (2021)[40]42
Global rankings
QS (2021)[41]
432=
THE (2021)[42]401-500
British Government assessment
Teaching Excellence Framework[43]Gold
Aberystwyth University is placed in the UK’s top 50 universities in the main national rankings. It is ranked 48th for 132 UK university rankings in The Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide for 2019 [44] and the first university to be given the prestigious award "University of the year for teaching quality" for two consecutive years (2018 and 2019).[4]
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings placed it in the 301—350 group for 800 university rankings, compared with 351—400 the previous year,[45] and the QS World University Rankings placed it at the 432th position for 2019, compared with 481—490 of the previous year.[46] In 2015, UK employers from “predominantly business, IT and engineering sectors” listed Aberystwyth equal 49th in their 62-place employability rankings for UK graduates, according to a Times Higher Education report.[47]
Aberystwyth University was rated in the top ten of UK higher education institutions for overall student satisfaction in the 2016 National Student Survey (NSS).[48]
Aberystwyth University was shortlisted in four categories in the Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Awards (THELMAs) (2015).[49]
Aberystwyth University has been awarded the Silver Award under the Corporate Health Standard (CHS), the quality mark for workplace health promotion run by Welsh Government.[50]
The University has been awarded an Athena SWAN Charter Award, recognising commitment to advancing women's careers in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) in higher education and research.[51]
In 2007 the University came under criticism for its record on sustainability, ranking 97th out of 106 UK higher education institutions in that year's Green League table.[52] In 2012 the university was listed in the table's "Failed, no award" section, ranking equal 132nd out of 145.[53] In 2013 it ranked equal 135th out of 143, and was listed again as "Failed, no award".[54]
Following the University's initiatives to address sustainability,[55] it received an EcoCampus[56] Silver Phase award in October 2014.
In October 2015, the University’s Penglais Campus became the first University campus in Wales to achieve the Green Flag Award.[57] The Green Flag Award is a UK-wide partnership, delivered in Wales by Keep Wales Tidy with support from Natural Resources Wales, and is the mark of a high quality park or green space.
In 2013, the University and College Union alleged bullying behaviour by Aberystwyth University managers, and said staff were fearful for their jobs. University president Sir Emyr Jones Parry said in a BBC radio interview, "I don't believe the views set out are representative and I don't recognise the picture." He also said, "Due process is rigorously applied in Aberystwyth." Economist John Cable resigned his emeritus professorship, describing the university's management as "disproportionate, aggressive and confrontational". The singer Peter Karrie resigned his honorary fellowship in protest, he said, at the apparent determination to "ruin one of the finest arts centres in the country", and because he was "unable to support any regime that can treat their staff in such a cruel and appalling manner."[58]
Officers and Academics
Presidents and Chancellors
1872–95 Henry Austin Bruce, 1st Lord Aberdare[citation needed]
1895–1913 Stuart, Lord Rendel
1913–26 Sir John Williams, 1st Bt
1926–44 Edmund Davies, Lord Edmund-Davies
1944–54 Thomas Jones (T. J.)
1955–64 Sir David Hughes Parry
1964–76 Sir Ben Bowen Thomas
1977–85 Cledwyn Hughes, Lord Cledwyn of Penrhos
1985–97 Melvyn Rosser
1997–2007 Elystan Morgan, Lord Elystan-Morgan
2007–17 Sir Emyr Jones Parry
2018–present John, Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd
Principals and Vice-Chancellors
See also: Category: Vice-Chancellors of Aberystwyth University
1872–91 Thomas Charles Edwards
1891–1919 Thomas Francis Roberts
1919–26 John Humphreys Davies
1927–34 Sir Henry Stuart-Jones
1934–52 Ifor Leslie Evans
1953–57 Goronwy Rees
1958–69 Sir Thomas Parry
1969–79 Sir Goronwy Daniel
1979–89 Gareth Owen
1989–94 Kenneth, Lord Morgan
1994–2004 Derec Llwyd Morgan
2004–11 Noel Lloyd
2011–16 April McMahon
2016–17 John Grattan (acting)
2016–present Elizabeth Treasure[59]
Academics
See also: Category:Academics of Aberystwyth University
Henry Bird, Lecturer in Art History (1936–41)
Ken Booth, Professor of International Politics
Edward Carr, Historian, Woodrow Wilson Professor of International Politics
Sir Henry Walford Davies, Master of the King's Music
John Davies, Welsh historian
Hannah Dee, Lecturer in Computer Science
R. Geraint Gruffydd, Chair of Welsh Language and Literature (1970–79)
David Russell Hulme, Director of Music (1992–), conductor, musicologist
Robert Maynard Jones, Chair of Welsh Language (1980)
D. Gwenallt Jones, poet, Welsh Lecturer
Leopold Kohr, Economist, Political Scientist
Dennis Lindley, Professor of Statistics (1960–67)
David John de Lloyd, Gregynog Professor of Music, composer
Alec Muffett, Systems Programmer (1988–92)
Lily Newton, Professor of Botany
Ian Parrott, Gregynog Professor of Music (1950–83), composer, musicologist
Joseph Parry, Professor of Music, composer, conductor
Sir Thomas Herbert Parry-Williams, poet, Professor of Welsh (1920–52)
F. Gwendolen Rees FRS Professor of Zoology
Huw Rees FRS (1923–2009), Geneticist [60]
William Rubinstein, Professor of History
Marie Breen Smyth, Reader in Political Violence, International Politics
Richard Marggraf Turley, Professor of Engagement with the Public Imagination
Dame Marjorie Williamson, Principal, Royal Holloway, London (1962–73)
Richard Henry Yapp, botanist
Alumni
See also: Category:Alumni of Aberystwyth University
Royalty
Charles, Prince of Wales
Tunku Muhriz Ibni Almarhum Tunku Munawir, 11th Yang Di Pertuan Besar (Grand Ruler) of Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia (2008–present)
Tunku Naquiyuddin, Tunku Laxamana (Regent) of Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia (1994–99)
Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, 3rd President of Sierra Leone (1996–7)
Academia
E. G. Bowen, Geographer
Sir Edward Collingwood, mathematician, scientist
Alan Cox, Programmer (major contributor to the Linux kernel, 1980s)
D. J. Davies, economist, socialist, Plaid Cymru activist
Natasha Devon, writer, mental health activist
Andrew Gordon naval historian
Sir Deian Hopkin, historian
David Russell Hulme, Director of Music (from 1992), conductor
David Gwilym James Vice-Chancellor, University of Southampton 1952–65
Emrys Jones, Professor of Geography, London School of Economics
T. Harri Jones, poet
Roy Kift, dramatist, writer
Mary King, political scientist
Michael MccGwire, international relations specialist, Naval Commander
Twm Morys, poet
Tavi Murray, glaciologist, Polar Medallist
Ernest Charles Nelson, botanist
David Hughes Parry, Vice-Chancellor, University of London (1945–48)
T. H. Parry-Williams, poet, author, academic
Frederick Soddy, Nobel Prize Winner in Chemistry (1921)
Sir John Meurig Thomas FRS, chemist, professor, author
Paul Thomas, founding Vice-Chancellor, University of the Sunshine Coast
Sir Nigel Thrift, Geographer, Vice Chancellor, University of Warwick
David John Williams, writer
Sir Glanmor Williams, historian
Rev. John Tudno Williams, theologian
Waldo Williams, poet
Rev. William Richard Williams, theologian
Christine James, first female Archdruid of Wales
Gethin Glyn, Zoologist
Aron Dafydd, UMCA Leader
Law
Tun Salleh Abas, Lord President of the Federal Court, Malaysia (1984–88)
Belinda Ang, Judge, Supreme Court of Singapore (2003–)
Sir Alun Talfan Davies, judge, publisher
Sir Ellis Ellis-Griffith, 1st Bt, barrister, Liberal politician
Iris de Freitas Brazao, first female prosecuting lawyer in the Caribbean
Sir Samuel Thomas Evans, barrister, judge, Liberal politician
Elwyn, Lord Elwyn-Jones, Lord Chancellor (1974–79)
John, Lord Morris of Aberavon, Attorney General (1997–99)
Civil Servants
Timothy Brain, Chief Constable for Gloucestershire (2001–10)
Sir Goronwy Daniel, civil servant, academic
Politics
Joe Borg, European Union Oceans and Fisheries Commissioner (2004–10)[61]
Captain Roderic Bowen, Liberal MP, Deputy Commons Speaker
Nicholas, Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth, Welsh Conservative Leader (1999–2011)
Rehman Chishti, Conservative MP (2010–), Special Envoy (2019–20)
Dr Stephen Clackson Independent Councillor, Orkney Islands Council [62]
David, 1st Lord Davies, Liberal politician, philanthropist [63]
Glyn Davies, Conservative MP
Gwilym Prys Davies, Lord Prys-Davies, Labour peer (1982–2015)
Gwynfor Evans, first Plaid Cymru MP
Steve Gilbert, Liberal Democrat MP (2010–15)
Siân Gwenllian, Plaid Cymru AM
Neil Hamilton, Conservative MP and AM, barrister
Sylvia, Lady Hermon, Ulster Unionist politician
Emlyn, Lord Hooson, Liberal politician
Cledwyn Hughes, Lord Cledwyn of Penrhos, Labour politician
Dato' Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, Foreign Minister, Malaysia, (2020–)
Dan Jarvis, Labour MP
Bethan Jenkins, Plaid Cymru AM for South Wales West
Carwyn Jones, First Minister of Wales (2009–18), AM for Bridgend
Gerry MacLochlainn Sinn Féin politician
John Morris, Lord Morris of Aberavon, Labour politician
Elystan Morgan, Lord Elystan-Morgan, Labour MP
Roland Moyle, Labour MP, Parliamentary Private Secretary to Clement Attlee
Will Quince, Conservative MP
Dan Rogerson, Liberal Democrat MP
Liz Saville Roberts, Plaid Cymru MP, Plaid Cymru Leader (2017–)
Molly Scott Cato, Green Party MEP
Ahmed Shaheed, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Maldives
Virginijus Sinkevičius, European Union Environment Commissioner (2019–)[64]
Bob Stewart, Conservative MP
Gareth Thomas, Labour MP
Gareth Thomas, Labour MP
Mark Williams, Liberal Democrat MP, Welsh LD Leader (2016–17)
Mike Wood, Conservative MP
Steven Woolfe, UK Independence Party MEP
Business
Lance Batchelor, CEO, Domino's Pizza and Saga
Geoff Drabble, CEO, Ashtead
Belinda Earl, CEO, Debenhams and Jaeger
David Prosser, CEO, Legal & General[65]
Tom Singh, owner and CEO, New Look
Sports
Cath Bishop, professional rower, civil servant
John Dawes, Rugby player, Captain of Wales and British Lions
Carwyn James, Wales and British and Irish Lions Rugby Coach (1949?–51)
Leigh Richmond Roose, International footballer
Berwyn Price, Gold Medal Commonwealth Games (1978)
Angela Tooby, Silver Medal, World Cross-Country Championships (1988)
Arts and Entertainment
Dorothy Bonarjee, Indian poet, artist
Neil Brand, writer, composer, silent film accompanist
Seth Clabough, American novelist, academic
Shân Cothi, operatic singer, actress
Jane Green, author
Sarah Hall, writer, poet
David Russell Hulme, conductor, musicologist
Aneirin Hughes, actor
Emrys James, actor
Eveline Annie Jenkins (1893–1976), botanical artist
Alex Jones, Presenter, BBC One TV Programme, The One Show (2010–)
Melih Kibar, Turkish composer
Alun Lewis, Second World War writer, poet
Caryl Lewis, novelist
Rick Lloyd, musician (Y Blew, Flying Pickets)
Hayley Long, fiction writer
Sharon Maguire, film director, Bridget Jones's Diary
Matt McCooey, actor
Alan Mehdizadeh, actor, Billy Elliot the Musical
Robert Minhinnick, poet, essayist, novelist, translator
Amy Parry-Williams (1910–1988), singer, writer
Esther Pilkington, performance artist
Jan Pinkava, Oscar-winning animated film director
Rachel Roberts, actress
Lisa Surihani, Malaysian actress
Richard Roberts, theologian, pacifist
Aberystwyth (Welsh: [abɛˈrəstʊɨθ] (About this soundlisten)) is a university town and community in Ceredigion, Wales. Historically in the historic county of Cardiganshire, the literal meaning of the Welsh: Aberystwyth is the mouth of the Ystwyth. In one form or another, Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location in Wales since the establishment of University College Wales in 1872.
The town is situated on Cardigan Bay on the west coast of Wales, near the confluence of the River Ystwyth and Afon Rheidol. Following the reconstruction of the harbour, the Ystwyth skirts the town. The Rheidol passes through the town.
The seafront, with a pier, stretches from Constitution Hill at the north end of the Promenade to the harbour at the south. The beach is divided by the castle. The town is divided into five areas: Aberystwyth Town; Llanbadarn Fawr; Waunfawr; Llanbadarn; Trefechan; and the most populous, Penparcau.
At the 2001 census, the population of the town was 15,935.[2] This reduced to 13,040 at the 2011 Census. During nine months of the year, there is an influx of students.[3][citation needed]
Including the suburbs of Llanbadarn Fawr, the population is 16,420, the built-up area having a population of 18,749.[4]
Aberystwyth Bay from a 1748 survey by Lewis Morris (1701–1765)
The distance to Swansea is 55 miles (89 km); to Shrewsbury 60 miles (97 km); to Wrexham 63 miles (101 km); to Cardiff 76 miles (122 km); and to London 180 miles (290 km).
Main features of the town
Aberystwyth is a university town and tourist destination, and forms a cultural link between North Wales and South Wales. Constitution Hill, scaled by the Aberystwyth Cliff Railway, gives access to panoramic views and to other attractions at the summit, including a camera obscura. Scenic Mid Wales landscape within easy reach of the town includes the wilderness of the Cambrian Mountains, whose valleys contain forests and meadows which have changed little in centuries. A convenient way to access the interior is by the preserved narrow-gauge Vale of Rheidol Railway.
Although the town is relatively modern, there are a number of historic buildings, including the remains of the castle and the Old College of Aberystwyth University nearby. The Old College was originally built and opened in 1865 as a hotel, but after the owner's bankruptcy the shell of the building was sold to the university in 1867.[5]
The new university campus overlooks Aberystwyth from Penglais Hill to the east of the town centre. The station, a terminus of the main railway, was built in 1924 in the typical style of the period, mainly in a mix of Gothic, Classical Revival, and Victorian architecture.
The town is the unofficial capital of Mid Wales, and several institutions have regional or national offices there. Public bodies located in the town include the National Library of Wales, which incorporates the National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales, one of six British regional film archives. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales maintains and curates the National Monuments Record of Wales (NMRW), providing the public with information about the built heritage of Wales. Aberystwyth is also the home to the national offices of UCAC and Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (Welsh Language Society), and the site of the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, the Welsh Books Council and the offices of the standard historical dictionary of Welsh, Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru. A purpose built Welsh Government office and an adjoining office of Ceredigion County Council are also located in the town.
Climate
Aberystwyth experiences an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb) similar to almost all of the United Kingdom. This is particularly pronounced due to its west coast location facing the Irish Sea. Air undergoes little land moderation and so temperatures closely reflect the sea temperature when winds are coming from the predominant onshore (westerly) direction. The nearest Met Office weather station is Gogerddan, 3 miles to the northeast, and at a similar elevation.
The absolute maximum temperature is 34.6 °C (94.3 °F),[6] set during July 2006. This is also the July record maximum for all of Wales, suggesting that the area's low lying situation, aided by a possible föhn effect when winds are offshore can act to achieve high temperatures on occasion. Typically the warmest day will average 28.0 °C (82.4 °F)[7] and 5.6 days[8] will achieve a maximum of 25.1 °C (77.2 °F) or above.
The absolute minimum temperature is −13.5 °C (7.7 °F),[9] set in January 2010. Typically 39.8 days will register an air frost.
Rainfall averages 1,112 mm (44 in) a year,[10] with over 1mm recorded on 161 days.[11] All averages refer to the 1981–2010 period.
Climate data for Gogerddan, elevation 31m, 1981–2010, extremes 1960–
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Record high °C (°F)16.1
(61.0)17.8
(64.0)22.8
(73.0)26.2
(79.2)27.5
(81.5)31.7
(89.1)34.6
(94.3)32.8
(91.0)31.1
(88.0)23.9
(75.0)18.1
(64.6)15.5
(59.9)34.6
(94.3)
Average high °C (°F)8.1
(46.6)8.2
(46.8)10.0
(50.0)12.4
(54.3)15.5
(59.9)17.6
(63.7)19.4
(66.9)19.2
(66.6)17.4
(63.3)14.2
(57.6)10.9
(51.6)8.6
(47.5)13.5
(56.2)
Average low °C (°F)2.5
(36.5)2.1
(35.8)3.7
(38.7)4.7
(40.5)7.3
(45.1)10.1
(50.2)12.4
(54.3)12.2
(54.0)10.2
(50.4)7.9
(46.2)4.9
(40.8)2.4
(36.3)6.7
(44.1)
Record low °C (°F)−13.5
(7.7)−11.1
(12.0)−9.4
(15.1)−5.1
(22.8)−2.6
(27.3)0.6
(33.1)2.8
(37.0)2.8
(37.0)0.0
(32.0)−4.3
(24.3)−11.9
(10.6)−12.4
(9.7)−13.5
(7.7)
Average precipitation mm (inches)94.6
(3.72)71.4
(2.81)84.1
(3.31)60.6
(2.39)59.7
(2.35)73.6
(2.90)81.8
(3.22)86.6
(3.41)92.4
(3.64)130.5
(5.14)122.5
(4.82)116.9
(4.60)1,074.7
(42.31)
Mean monthly sunshine hours51.173.7101.8166.1206.0183.1183.7169.4131.098.657.245.91,467.4
Source 1: KNMI[12]
Source 2: Met Office[13]
History
Mesolithic
There is evidence that during the Mesolithic Age the area of Tan-y-Bwlch at the foot of Pen Dinas (Penparcau) was used as a flint knapping floor for hunter-gatherers making weapons from flint that was deposited as the ice retreated.[14]
Bronze and Iron Ages
The remains of a Celtic fortress on Pen Dinas (or more correctly 'Dinas Maelor'), a hill in Penparcau overlooking Aberystwyth, indicates that the site was inhabited before 700 BC.[15][16] On a hill south of the present town, across the River Ystwyth, are the remains of a medieval ringfort believed to be the castle from which Princess Nest was abducted. This rare survival is now on private land and can only be accessed by arrangement.[17]
Middle Ages
Site of original Aberystwyth Castle at Tan y Castell
The recorded history of Aberystwyth may be said to date from the building of a fortress in 1109 by Gilbert Fitz Richard (grandfather of Richard de Clare, known as Strongbow, the Cambro-Norman lord notable for his leading role in the Norman invasion of Ireland). Gilbert Fitz Richard was granted lands and the lordship of Cardigan by Henry I, including Cardigan Castle. The fortress built in Aberystwyth was located about a mile and a half south of today's town, on a hill over the south bank of the Ystwyth River, thus giving the settlement of Aberystwyth its name. The location is now known as Tan-Y-Castell.[18]
Aberystwyth was usually under the control of the princes of Deheubarth, but its position close to the border with Gwynedd and Powys left it vulnerable to attacks from the leaders of those polities. The town was attacked by Gwenwynwyn ab Owain in 1197, an assault in which Maelgwn ap Rhys was captured. Llywelyn the Great attacked and seized the town in late 1208, building a castle there before withdrawing.
Edward I replaced Strongbow's castle in 1277,[19] after its destruction by the Welsh.[20] His castle was, however, built in a different location, at the current Castle Hill, the high point of the town. Between the years 1404 and 1408 Aberystwyth Castle was in the hands of Owain Glyndŵr but finally surrendered to Prince Harry (the future King Henry V of England). Shortly after this, the town was incorporated under the title of Ville de Lampadarn (the ancient name of the place being Llanbadarn Gaerog or the fortified Llanbadarn, to distinguish it from Llanbadarn Fawr, the village one mile (1.6 km) inland. It is thus styled in a Royal charter granted by Henry VIII but, by Elizabeth I's time, the town was invariably named Aberystwyth in all documents.[21]
Early modern era
Aberystwyth at around 1840. Crane, W., fl. ca. 1835–1850, lithographer.
From 1639 to 1642, silver coins were minted at Aberystwyth Castle on behalf of the Royal Mint, using silver from local mines. £10,500 in currency was produced, equivalent to 2.5 million silver pennies.[22]
In 1649, Parliamentarian troops razed the castle,[23] although portions of three towers still exist. In 1988, an excavation within the castle area revealed a complete male skeleton, deliberately buried. Though skeletons rarely survive in Wales' acidic soil, this skeleton was probably preserved by the addition of lime from the collapsed building. Affectionately known as "Charlie" and now housed in the Ceredigion Museum in the town, he probably dates from the English Civil War period, and is likely to have died during the Parliamentarian siege. His image is featured in one of nine mosaics created to adorn the castle's walls.[24]
Rural industries and craftsmen were an important part of life in a country town. The local trade directory for 1830 shows that there were in Aberystwyth: Twenty boot makers, eight bakers, two corn millers, eleven carpenters and joiners, one cooper, seven tailors, two dressmakers, two straw hat makers, two hat makers, three curriers, four saddlers, two tinsmiths, six maltsters, two skinners, four tanners, eight stonemasons, one brewer, four lime burners, three shipwrights, three wheelwrights, five cabinet makers, one nail maker, one rope maker and one sail maker.[25]
Victorian era
The Queen's Hotel, Aberystwith
The first Pier at Aberystwyth c.1865
The Cambrian Railways line from Machynlleth reached Aberystwyth in 1864, closely followed by rail links to Carmarthen, which resulted in the construction of the town's impressive station. The Cambrian line opened on Good Friday 1869, the same day that the new 292 metres (958 ft) Royal Pier (designed by Eugenius Birch) opened, attracting 7,000 visitors.[26]
The railway's arrival gave rise to something of a Victorian tourist boom; the town was once even billed as the "Biarritz of Wales".[27] During this time, a number of hotels and fine townhouses were built including the Queens Hotel, later renamed Swyddfa'r Sir (County Office) when used as offices by the town council, and most recently used as the external scenes of the police station in the television show Hinterland. One of the largest of these hotels, "The Castle Hotel", was never completed as a hotel but, following bankruptcy, was sold cheaply to the Welsh National University Committee, a group of people dedicated to the creation of a Welsh University. The University College of Wales (later to become Aberystwyth University) was founded in 1872 in this building.
Aberystwyth was a contributory parliamentary borough until the Third Reform Act, which merged its representation into that of the county in 1885.
In 1895, various businessmen who had been behind the Aberystwyth New Harbour Company formed the Aberystwyth Improvement Company (AIC) to take over the works of the defunct Bourne Engineering & Electrical. In 1896, the AIC completed three projects: the new landside pavilion for the Royal Pier;[28] built the Cambria Hotel (later the United Theological College) and formed Constitution Hill Ltd, to develop a Victorian theme park. Chief engineer George Croydon Marks designed all the AIC developments, including the United Kingdom's second longest funicular railway,[29] which takes passengers up a 50% gradient to a park and camera obscura.
Modern history
Aberystwyth Harbour
Aberystwyth hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1865, 1916, 1952 and 1992.[30]
On the night of Friday, 14 January 1938, a storm with estimated wind speeds of up to 90 mph (140 km/h) struck the town. Most of the promenade was destroyed, along with 200 feet (60 m) of the pier. Many properties on the seafront were damaged, with every property from the King's Hall north affected; those on Victoria Terrace suffered the greatest damage. Work commenced on a protective coffer dam which continued into 1940, with total costs of construction coming to £70,000 (equivalent to £2.5 million today).[31]
Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (Welsh language Society) held their historic first protest on Trefechan Bridge in Aberystwyth, on 2 February 1963.[32] The first independent Welsh Evangelical Church was established in Aberystwyth (see Evangelical Movement of Wales).
On 1 March 2005, Aberystwyth was granted Fairtrade Town status.[33]
In March 2009 mayor Sue Jones-Davies, who had played the role of Judith Iscariot in the film Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979), organised a charity screening of the film. Principal actors Terry Jones and Michael Palin also attended. There is a popular, but incorrect, urban myth that the town had banned the film (as some authorities did) when it was first released.[34]
During the aftermath storms from Cyclone Dirk on Friday 3 January 2014, the town was one of the worst hit in Wales, with enormous swells uprooting boulders from the sea walls, leaving roads and pavements along the promenade buried under a mass of paving stones, bricks, shale and twisted metal.[35][36] Properties on the adjoining promenade were then evacuated for the next five days, including 250 students from the University.[37] Ceredigion Council appealed to the Welsh Assembly Government for funds, whilst Natural Resources Wales undertook surveys and emergency preventative measures.[38]
North Parade, Aberystwyth was reported to be the most expensive street in Wales in 2018, based on property prices.[39]
Governance
Aberystwyth's local government administration has a two-tier structure consisting of two separate councils. As local government is a devolved matter in Wales, the legislation for both Councils is a responsibility of the Senedd.
Town Council
Aberystwyth Town Council is the first tier of local government, which is the closest to the general public; there are 19 elected town councillors from five wards. The last elections were held on the 4 May 2017. The council is responsible for cycle paths, public footpaths, CCTV, public Wi-Fi, bus shelters, parks, gardens (including the castle grounds and the skateboard park) and allotments. The council is a statutory body which is consulted regarding planning decisions in the town area and makes recommendations to the planning authority, Ceredigion County Council. The Town Council is also involved in leisure, tourism, business[40] (through providing more than half of Menter Aberystwyth's funding in grants), licence applications, wellbeing [41] and environmental health, recycling and refuse collection.
A borough council existed in Aberystwyth from 1832 and the Aberystwyth School Board was established in 1870.
County Council
Ceredigion County Council is another statutory body incorporated by Act of Parliament. It is the second tier of local government in the area and is a unitary authority with a wide range of powers and responsibility. The Council deals with roads (except trunk roads), street lighting, some highways, social services, children and family care, schools and public libraries. Aberystwyth elects six of the 42 councillors in five separate wards (Bronglais, Central, North and Rheidol wards elect one councillor each while Penparcau ward elects two).
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament
Aberystwyth has five Senedd members, one of whom (Elin Jones) was elected as a constituency MS for Ceredigion, and four who are elected on the regional list for Mid and West Wales.
UK Parliament
The town is in the Ceredigion constituency for elections to the House of Commons. Since June 2017, Aberystwyth's MP has been Plaid Cymru's Ben Lake.
Culture
Town library
The first ever public library in Aberystwyth was opened in Compton House, Pier Street on 13 October 1874. In 1882 the library was moved to the Assembly Rooms which were leased to the council for 21 years. The lease expired in 1903 and the library returned to Pier Street, this time to the Old Banking Library at the corner with Eastgate Street, although this was short lived.[42]
A Carnegie library was built in Aberystwyth in 1905, with a grant of £3,000. Located in Corporation Street, it was designed by the architect Walter Payton of Birmingham, who was one of 48 who entered the competition to design the building. It was formally opened on 20 April 1906 by Mrs Vaughan Davies, wife of the local MP.[42]
The Town Library moved to the old Town Hall, now known as Canolfan Alun R. Edwards, Queen's Square, in 2012, following the building's refurbishment. The County Council vacated the Town Hall in a move to their purpose built offices on Boulevard de Saint-Brieuc in 2009.[citation needed]
National Library of Wales
National Library of Wales
Main article: National Library of Wales
The National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth, is the national legal deposit library of Wales. Established in 1907, it is a Welsh Government sponsored body. According to Cyril Evans, the library's centenary events co-ordinator, "The library is considered to be one of the world's greatest libraries, and its international reputation is certainly something that all Welsh men and women are intensely ... proud of".[43] Welsh is the main medium of communication within the organisation; it aims to deliver all public services in Welsh and English.[44]
Arts
The Arts Centre
Main article: Aberystwyth Arts Centre
Aberystwyth Arts Centre is one of the largest and busiest arts centres in Wales.[45] It encompasses a 312-seat theatre, 900-seat concert hall, 125-seat cinema, and has accompanied studio, galleries, plus public spaces which include cafes and a bar.[46]
Arad Goch is an Arts Council funded community theatre and art gallery based in the town. The premises holds a theatre, gallery, several art studios and meeting rooms, and a darkroom.
Music
Aberystwyth has a live music scene which has produced bands and artists such as:
The Crocketts
The Hot Puppies
Murry the Hump
The Lowland Hundred
The University Music Centre promotes a varied programme for instrumentalists, singers and listeners from the university and the wider community.
The University chamber choir, The Elizabethan Madrigal Singers, have been singing in the town since 1950 and continue to hold a number of concerts throughout the year.
Aberystwyth gives its name to a well known hymn tune composed by Joseph Parry.[citation needed]
Sport
Aberystwyth RFC is the local rugby union club and acts as a feeder club to professional side Scarlets. It was formed in 1947 and for the 2017/18 season played in the WRU Division One West.[47]
Aberystwyth Town F.C. is a semi-professional football club that was formed in 1884. The team currently compete in the Cymru Premier, Wales' top division.[48]
The town also has a cricket club which plays in local leagues,[49] an athletics club (founded 1955),[50] and boxing club in Penparcau.[51] The town's golf course opened in 1911.[52]
Welsh language
Ceredigion, the county in which Aberystwyth is located, is one of the four most Welsh-speaking counties in Wales and remained majority Welsh speaking until the 2011 census.[53][54]
However, since the town's growth as a seaside resort in the Victorian era, it has been more anglicised than its hinterland and the rest of the county in general. The university has also attracted many English-speaking students from England, non-Welsh speaking parts of Wales and elsewhere. The 1891 census recorded that, of the 6635 inhabitants who completed the language section, 3482 (52.5%) were bilingual, 1751 (26.4%) were Welsh monoglots, and 1402 people (21.1%) were returned as English monoglots. Ceredigion (then named Cardiganshire) as a whole was 95.2% Welsh-speaking and 74.5% monoglot Welsh.[55] Although the town remained majority Welsh-speaking for many more decades, English had already replaced Welsh in certain domains, such as entertainment and tourism.
By 1961, only 50.0% of the town's population could speak Welsh, compared to 79.5% for Cardiganshire as a whole;[56] by 1971, these numbers had fallen to 44.9% and 67.6% respectively.[57]
The 2001 census reported that, in the seven wards of Aberystwyth, 39% of the residents self-identified as able to speak or read or write Welsh. This is lower than Ceredigion as a whole (54%) but higher than Wales overall (19%).[58]
Education
Schools
Aberystwyth has two comprehensive schools serving the town and a wide rural area: Ysgol Gyfun Gymunedol Penweddig and Ysgol Penglais School. Ysgol Gyfun Gymunedol Penweddig uses Welsh as the primary language of tuition; Ysgol Penglais School teaches in English and in Welsh as a subject.
Aberystwyth University
Main article: Aberystwyth University
Aberystwyth is home to Aberystwyth University (Welsh: Prifysgol Aberystwyth) whose predecessor, University College Wales, was founded in 1872[19] and renamed the 'University of Wales, Aberystwyth' in the mid-1990s. Prior to the college's establishment, Wales had very limited academic-degree capability through St David's College, Lampeter (founded in 1822, now the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David).
Tourism and local economy
View of Aberystwyth and Cardigan Bay from the National Library of Wales
As well as having two cinemas and a golf course, the town's attractions include:
The Aberystwyth Cliff Railway, a funicular railway
A Victorian camera obscura at the top of Constitution Hill.
The Vale of Rheidol steam railway (Aberystwyth to Devil's Bridge)
Aberystwyth Arts Centre.
The Parc Penglais nature reserve
The Ystwyth Trail cycle path
National Library of Wales
Park Avenue. Football stadium home to Aberystwyth Town F.C.
The all organic dairy unit of Rachel's Organic is based in Glan yr Afon, and is the largest private sector employer in Aberystwyth.[59][60]
The Cambrian News newspaper came to Aberystwyth from Bala in 1870, after it was purchased by Sir John Gibson. Printed in Oswestry, in May 1880 the paper integrated operations in a former Malthouse in Mill Street. Owned by the Read family from 1926, in 1993 printing was contracted out, enabling the move of editorial staff to the current open-plan offices on Llanbadarn Fawr Science Park. On the death of Henry Read, the paper was purchased in 1999 by Sir Ray Tindle, whose company owns more than 200 weekly newspapers in Britain. Now printed in tabloid format, Cambrian News is the second-largest weekly-print circulation newspaper in Wales, with 24,000 copies in six regional editorial versions, read by 60,000 weekly readers. The circulation area of mid, west and north Wales covers 3,000 square miles (7,800 km2).[61]
Since the TV series Hinterland has been filmed in and around Aberystwyth, the area is being promoted as an opportunity for tourists to visit filming locations; many are well publicised.[62][63]
Transport
Rail
An Arriva Trains Wales service awaiting departure from Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth railway station is situated in the town centre and is the terminus of the scenic Cambrian Line. Transport for Wales Rail operate a mostly hourly service (with some two-hour intervals) to Shrewsbury via Machynlleth and Mid Wales, with nearly all trains continuing to Birmingham International. Connecting services from Dovey Junction provide a link to Gwynedd's west coast as far as Pwllheli, along the Cambrian Coast Line. There is no longer a southbound connection: the Carmarthen–Aberystwyth line was closed in 1965 as part of the Beeching cuts.
The Vale of Rheidol Railway runs through the spectacular Rheidol Valley
Aberystwyth station is also the terminus of the Vale of Rheidol Railway, a steam-operated narrow gauge heritage railway. Constructed between 1901 and 1902, it was intended to ship mineral cargo, primarily lead, from Devil's Bridge down to Aberystwyth for trans-shipment. By the time it was finished, lead mining was in a deep downturn and—thanks to the Aberystwyth Improvement Company—the railway came to rely largely on the tourist industry, opening for passengers in December 1902. It still remains open for the summer season, with a journey of 12 miles (19 km).
In 1896, the Aberystwyth Improvement Company formed Constitution Hill Ltd which, under the direction of chief engineer George Croydon Marks, developed the United Kingdom's second longest funicular railway, the Aberystwyth Cliff Railway, which takes passengers up a 50% gradient.[28][29]
Bus
A TrawsCymru T1 service on the A4120 in Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth is a hub for the TrawsCymru bus network, with four routes serving the town:
T1 - hourly service to Carmarthen (connects with T1S to Swansea, Monday-Saturday) via Aberaeron and Lampeter - with one service a day (Monday-Saturday) extended to Cardiff [64]
T1C - daily express coach service to Cardiff, via Aberaeron, Camarthen (connects with T1S to Swansea, Monday-Saturday), Swansea (Sunday & Bank Holidays only), Port Talbot Parkway and Bridgend [65]
T2 - every 1–2 hours to Bangor via Machynlleth, Dolgellau (connects with T3 to Barmouth and Wrexham), Porthmadog and Caernarfon [66]
T5 - hourly service to Haverfordwest via Aberaeron, New Quay, Cardigan and Fishguard [67]
(TrawsCymru services run less-frequently on Sundays.)
There is a daily National Express coach, service 409 to London via Birmingham, along with local bus services within the town and into the surrounding area.[68]
Road
The A44 and A487 meet with much traffic between North Wales and South West Wales passing through the town. The A4120 links the A44 and A487 between Llanbadarn Fawr and Penparcau, allowing through traffic to bypass the town centre.
The B4574 mountain road linking the town to Rhayader is described by the AA as one of the ten most scenic drives in the world.[69][70]
Port
The port of Aberystwyth, although it is small and relatively inconsequential today, used to be an important Atlantic Ocean entryway. It was used to ship locally, to Ireland and as a transatlantic departure point. Commercially, the once important Cardiganshire lead mines exported from this location.[19]
The importance of maritime trade in the 19th century is reflected in the fact that a lifeboat has been based at Aberystwyth since 1843, when a 27 ft (8.2 m) boat powered by six oars was funded by public subscription and placed under the control of the harbourmaster. The RNLI took over the service in 1861 and established Aberystwyth Lifeboat Station which celebrated 150 years in 2011. The station uses the Atlantic 85-class inshore lifeboat Spirit of Friendship.
Notable people
Main category: People from Aberystwyth
In fiction
Literature
Aberystwyth (albeit an alternative universe version) is the setting for the cult Louie Knight series by Malcolm Pryce, which transfers Chandleresque "noir" stories and dialogue to this small seaside town.[71] This alternative reality features many landmarks of Aberystwyth, such as the University and the National Library of Wales, but the social situation is radically altered to more closely resemble the pulp/noir stereotypical "Dirty Town" that the narrative plays off. Most of the humour in the books is derived from the almost seamless juxtaposition of the real Aberystwyth and the fictional, noir Aberystwyth. Various aspects of Welsh culture are reflections of what you might expect to see in reality, but with a pulp twist – for example, prostitutes wear Welsh stovepipe hats.[72]
Stripping Penguins Bare, the book 2 of Michael Carson's Benson Trilogy of comic novels, is set in the town and university in the 1960s.
The local writer Niall Griffiths has set many of his novels here and reflects local slang, settings, and even individuals. Grits and Sheepshagger are set wholly in Aberystwyth, which also features prominently in his other novels such as Kelly and Victor and Stump. He portrays a more gritty side of Aberystwyth.
Y Llyfrgell (2009) is Welsh language novel by Fflur Dafydd. It was the winner of the 2009 Daniel Owen Memorial Prize presented at the National Eisteddfod. The book is set in the National Library of Wales and in Aberystwyth town. This was made into a film of the same name in Welsh, and in English as The Library Suicides.[73][74]
Television
Y Gwyll (2013–2016), a Welsh television programme, known as Hinterland in English, broadcast on S4C, BBC One Wales, BBC Four and Netflix in North America, is set in Aberystwyth. It is filmed in and around the town, often in rural locations.[63][75]
Freedom of the Town
The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Town of Aberystwyth.[76]
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.
Individuals
1912 – Sir John Williams
1912 – David Davies
1912 – Stuart Rendel
1922 – David Lloyd George
1923 – Lewis Pugh Evans
1923 – Matthew Vaughan-Davies
1923 – Sir Herbert Lewis
1928 – Stanley Baldwin
1934 – Sir David Charles Roberts
1936 – Ernest Vaughan
1951 – Winston Churchill
1956 – Sir David James
2011 – Fritz Pratschke
2015 – Jean Guezennec
Military Units
1955 – The Welsh Guards
Twinning
Arklow in Wicklow, Republic of Ireland Ireland[77]
Kronberg im Taunus in Hesse Hesse, Germany Germany
Saint-Brieuc in Brittany Brittany, France France[78]
Esquel in Patagonia, Argentina Argentina[79]