Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Taktsang Lhakhang, also known as the “Tiger’s Nest”.
Bhutan • 11 days, 10 nights
Festivals & Temples of Bhutan
from
Macchu Picchu
Peru • 10 days, 9 nights
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
This set is inspired by a Roman arena.
Bozdağ Film Platolari
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The truth is out there—somewhere.
The Truth Is Out There at the Dreamland Resort (or Should We Say ‘Area 51?’)
18 days ago
Edward Payson Weston
How the 6-Day Race Became an American Spectator Obsession
20 days ago
Alresford Spy Toilet
This Public Bathroom in a Sleepy English Village Was an Epicenter for Cold War Espionage
22 days ago
Manhattan Well
The Manhattan Well: How Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton United to Solve a Murder Mystery
23 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom Wales Aberystwyth University of Aberystwyth Old College

University of Aberystwyth Old College

A real-life Professor Snape once taught in this Welsh university building, which students of course nicknamed “Hogwarts.”

Aberystwyth, Wales

Added By
E Capemarsh
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
The building’s King Street side, as viewed from Laura Place.   Ian Capper/CC BY-SA 2.0
The building’s King Street side, as viewed from Laura Place.   Ian Capper/CC BY-SA 2.0
The Old College’s mural of Old Father Time.   Bruce Ruston/CC BY-SA 2.0
A stormy day at the Old College.   Jeff Thomas/CC BY-SA 2.0
Yr Hen Goleg (The Old College in Welsh).   Ian Medcalf/CC BY-SA 2.0
The main entrance to the Old College.   Julian Nitzsche/CC BY-SA 3.0
The quad.   Ian Capper/CC BY-SA 2.0
An elaborate interior staircase.   Ian Capper/CC BY-SA 2.0
The main entrance.   Ian Capper/CC BY-SA 2.0
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
“Darkness”   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
“Error”   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
July 2018- sunny afternoon   jmorris9979 / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Dominating the skyline of the small university town and seaside resort of Aberystwyth, Wales, the Old College began life in 1791 as an ornate Italianate holiday home called “Castle House,” built for the wife of a wealthy English landowner. A combination of fire, bankruptcy, and serendipity helped the evolution of this bizarre fairytale university building perched precariously on a sea wall.

By 1865, Aberystwyth had a new railway line bringing tourists in from the English Midlands. Entrepreneur Thomas Savin hired a gothic revival architect named John Seddon to turn the elaborate house into an even more elaborate hotel by building gothic extensions along the sea wall and furnishing it with turrets, crenellations, fake arrow slits, and ecclesiastical vaulted ceilings.

Unfortunately, a year into its construction, a grave recession left whimsical hotels in distant seaside resorts way down the list of Victorian priorities. Savin became bankrupt and the unfinished “Castle House Hotel” began to fall into ruin.

As luck would have it, at that time, a committee of London-based Welshmen were planning to start a university in Wales, the first to offer degrees in the Welsh language. The existence of an intriguing yet rotting hotel on the seafront of Aberystwyth caught their attention. The building certainly had the necessary architectural grandeur they craved to rival the ancient English colleges at Oxford and Cambridge. The consortium quickly agreed the failed hotel would make a fitting home for the new educational institution. They parted with £10,000 pounds for the decaying gothic shell and hired Seddon to once again work on the building and repurpose it into the most senior academic institution in Wales.

The University of Wales (which is known today as Aberystwyth University) began teaching in the building in 1872. Unfortunately, shortly afterward in 1885, a terrible fire broke out in the chemistry laboratory which killed three people and gutted the fledgling university campus. Seddon stepped into the breach again and took the opportunity to completely remodel the whole north wing in a slightly different style, finally giving the building the bizarre, anarchic fantasy appearance it retains today.

Not long after the fire, the college’s old chemistry professor died and was replaced by a new master of "potions," one Professor Snape. This real Professor Snape, whose first name was Henry and not Severus, died in 1933. He was described as energetic, keen, and devoted in his obituary.

The Old College ceased to be the main focus of the university when a large new campus was constructed just on the edge of town in the 1960s.  It continued to be the university’s administrative headquarters until relatively recently. It's now destined to become the new postgraduate center. 

There are also three notable gargoyle figures to keep a keen eye out for, they are all located on the eastern front side entrance. Two reptilian-like creatures are located on each side of the arched doorway. They are named "Error" and "Darkness," symbolizing that science will triumph over the former and light will conquer the latter. The other is a depiction of a woman wearing a tall stovepipe hat, she is perched near the roof. It's not clear if she was meant to represent any particular individual, but rather a homage to the traditional costume worn by Welsh women from a bygone era.

Update as of May 2022: The building is undergoing major renovation works.

Related Tags

Universities Architecture Architectural Oddities History

Know Before You Go

The Old College is hard to miss as it dominates the town. The main entrance is on King Street, but it is worth taking in the whole building by walking along New Promenade and Pier Street. There is also a good view of the Old College from the ruined castle and war memorial grounds. As the college serves as a educational institution, it's possible to access the interior. The building is usually open 10 a.m.-3 p.m., closed on Sundays and observed holidays. The Old College, like much of Aberystwyth, is only a short walk from the train station.

Community Contributors

Added By

Capemarsh

Edited By

SEANETTA, jooniur, jmorris9979

  • SEANETTA
  • jooniur
  • jmorris9979

Published

July 25, 2017

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/news/archive/2015/12/title-177672-en.html
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Pollard_Seddon
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_College,_Aberystwyth
  • https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/oldcollege/
  • https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/events/access-all-areas/programme/activities/old-college/
  • https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/the-welsh-hogwarts-that-was-home-to-the-real-professor-snape-1.2466089
  • Old College Aberystwyth, The Evolution of a High Victorian Building. By J.Roger Webster, University of Wales Press, Cardiff 1995. URL - https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Old_College_Aberystwyth.html?id=40ZNAAAAYAAJ&redir_esc=y
  • http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/12070925/Real-life-Professor-Snape-taught-chemistry-at-Welsh-college-in-the-late-19th-century.html
  • http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-12-22/a-real-potions-master-called-professor-snape-actually-taught-at-a-welsh-university-in-the-19th-century
  • https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/oldcollege/ new development plans for the Old College
University of Aberystwyth Old College
Yr Hen Goleg
King St
Aberystwyth, Wales
United Kingdom
52.415027, -4.088144
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Constitution Hill

Aberystwyth, Wales

miles away

The Ancient Books of Wales

Aberystwyth, Wales

miles away

Forest of Borth

Borth, Wales

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Aberystwyth

Aberystwyth

Wales

Places 3

Nearby Places

Constitution Hill

Aberystwyth, Wales

miles away

The Ancient Books of Wales

Aberystwyth, Wales

miles away

Forest of Borth

Borth, Wales

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Aberystwyth

Aberystwyth

Wales

Places 3

Related Places

  • Pavilion.

    Edinburgh, Scotland

    Moray House Garden Pavilion

    This unassuming shed was the stage for a monumental event in British history.

  • Harvard Lampoon building.

    Cambridge, Massachusetts

    Harvard Lampoon Building

    The headquarters of one of the world’s longest-running humor magazines bears a noticeable resemblance to a head wearing a Prussian helmet.

  • Rosalie Sharp Centre for Design in the iconic Toronto cityscape.

    Toronto, Ontario

    Rosalie Sharp Centre for Design

    This buzzy, award-winning building hovers 85 feet above the ground on a dozen colorful stilts.

    Sponsored by Destination Toronto
  • Hereford, England

    Black and White House Museum

    This iconic Tudor home-turned-museum offers a unique glimpse into the everyday life of a prosperous family during the early modern period.

  • Haus zum Goldenen Ochsen oriel window

    Schaffhausen, Switzerland

    Haus zum Goldenen Ochsen (House of the Golden Ox) Oriel

    Explore the five senses depicted on this protruding Gothic window.

  • A colorful apartment building behind green trees shown at an angle.

    Berlin, Germany

    Unité d'Habitation of Berlin

    After local authorities changed the design, the building's architect, Le Corbusier, wanted nothing to do with it.

  • Parts of the Berlin Wall just outside of the Morean Center for Clay in St. Petersburg, Florida.

    St. Petersburg, Florida

    Berlin Wall Section in St. Petersburg

    History is hiding at the Morean Center for Clay.

  • The Big Worm.

    Brasília, Brazil

    The Big Worm

    This kilometer-long university building is an unexpected architectural delight.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.