Trinity University College

Trinity University College (Coleg Prifysgol y Drindod) was a Church University College in Carmarthen, Wales. The institution was founded in 1848 as the South Wales and Monmouthshire Training College, a teacher-training college. It changed its name in 1931 to Trinity College, Carmarthen; and in 2009 to Trinity University College. In 2010, it merged with the University of Wales, Lampeter to become the new University of Wales Trinity Saint David, with the Trinity site becoming the UWTSD Carmarthen Campus. Trinity University College began life in 1848 as the South Wales and Monmouthshire Training College, making it the oldest teacher training college in continuous operation in Wales. The college's role was to train young men for teaching in Church primary schools. In the first year of operation, 22 students were recruited and were taught by three members of staff including the first Principal, William Reed. Walter Powell is recorded as the first student; he was 17, previously a draper and worked in a grocery store. The college required its students to follow a strict schedule which included getting up at half past six for a cold bath. Students were often recruited from humble backgrounds, and to remind them of this, the college curriculum included subjects such as gardening and woodwork. The students were expected to have a knowledge of grammar and arithmetic and received education in Latin and Greek. By 1936, the college also had an art block and a gym. The college also placed restrictions on interaction with the local townspeople, particularly women, and fines were issued for "girling" (interacting with local women). The strict regime of college life was however broken for activities such as smoking and reading newspapers in the common rooms, musical concerts and entertainment. In the late Victorian era, photography became a great hobby at the college. In the inter-war and post-war era, the college gained a strong reputation for sports. The principal sport played was rugby, in which many students went on to achieve considerable success; but other sports included badminton, tennis, and hockey.