Editing Machynlleth (section)

=== {{lang|cy|Plas Machynlleth}}, the Londonderry family and the Clock Tower ===
[[File:Clock tower, Machynlleth NLW3363564.jpg|thumb|Machynlleth Clock Tower, circa 1885]]
[[File:Y Plas, Machynlleth.jpg|thumb|Y Plas, Machynlleth]]
In 1846 Mary Cornelia, the daughter of a local landowner [[Sir John Edwards, 1st Baronet, of Garth|Sir John Edwards]] married [[George Vane-Tempest, 5th Marquess of Londonderry|Viscount Seaham]], the second son of the [[Charles Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry|third Marquess of Londonderry]] and they set up home at [[Plas Machynlleth]]. Seaham became Earl Vane on the death of his father and the fifth Marquess on the death of [[Frederick Stewart, 4th Marquess of Londonderry|his half-brother]].

To celebrate the 21st birthday of the Seahams’ eldest son, [[Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 6th Marquess of Londonderry|Viscount Castlereagh]], the townspeople paid for the clock tower which stands at the town's main road intersection. Erected on the site of the old town hall, it has become the symbol of the town. The foundation stone was laid on 15 July 1874 amid great festivities. The clock tower, designed by [[Henry Kennedy (architect)|Henry Kennedy]] of Bangor and now a [[Grade II listed]] monument, cost £800; the townspeople raised £1,000, of which the remainder was spent planting trees along nearby streets.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-66090235 |title=Twitter: The town clock that only chimes on social media |website=BBC News Wales |date=8 July 2023 }}</ref> Meanwhile, a new town hall was erected on the east side of Penrallt Street in 1872; after becoming unsafe, it was demolished in 1968.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://historypoints.org/index.php?page=site-of-town-hall-machynlleth  |title=Site of Town Hall|publisher=History Points|access-date=27 May 2024}}</ref>

Another son, [[Lord Herbert Vane-Tempest]], was the last member of the family to live at the Plas and was killed in the [[Abermule train collision]] on the [[Cambrian Railways]], of which he was a director.

The house was given to the townspeople in December 1948 under the stewardship of the then Machynlleth Urban District Council.

====Celtica====
Various local government re-organisations saw responsibility for the Plas pass first to Montgomeryshire District Council, who in 1995 converted it into the [[Celtica (visitor centre)|Celtica visitor centre]]. Celtica interpreted the history and culture of the Celts with a walk-through audio-visual exhibition housed in a purpose-built addition to the house. The £3 million attraction was part-funded by the [[European Union]]. The centre had a high-profile in the Welsh media, with opera singer [[Bryn Terfel]] officially opening the attraction in October 1995.

[[Powys County Council]] took over Celtica and the house when it was formed as a [[unitary authority]] in 1997. The centre was successful in attracting tourists, school groups and conferences for a number of years; however initial predictions of visitor numbers proved to be too ambitious, and the council was unwilling to prolong its subsidy. With little scope for alternative investment, Celtica closed in March 2006, and the house stood empty while Powys County Council sought to relinquish responsibility for it in line with their policy of selling many of their publicly owned buildings.

On 1 April 2008, in a move thought to be unprecedented for a community council of its size, Machynlleth Town Council took ownership of the Plas and its parkland and facilities. It has reopened the restaurant by leasing it to a local licensee, and the 1st and 2nd floors of the main building are rented out as office space. Medium-sized meeting rooms and conference space are also offered for hire.