Machynlleth Town Council faces a race against time to have the town's clock working again before it strikes an historic milestone in 2024.

The 24-metre-tall clock tower in Machynlleth was first constructed in July, 1874, meaning it will be 150 years old in 2024.

But the Victorian clock, which stands on the intersection of the A487 and the A489, has been motionless since September 2020, and the town council are reportedly making increased efforts to repair it ahead of its landmark birthday.

Machynlleth Town Council has estimated that upwards of £40,000 would be needed to repair the clock mechanism, as well as related expenditures.

Town and county councillor Michael Williams said: “This clock is of huge importance to the people of Machynlleth and it would mean so much to see it working again, especially for a big event like marking 150 years since its construction.

“The clock was built using townspeople’s money. Stone was borrowed from surrounding areas like Wylfa, just to lay the foundations.

“All of this money and organisation was raised without any grants or outside donations, the money was raised by the townspeople.

“The clocktower is as important to the history of this town as the railway is, it’s part of our collective heritage.”

The clock was built by the residents of Machynlleth to celebrate the coming of age of the eldest son of the Fifth Marquess of Londonderry, who lived at Y Plas, Charles Stewart Vane-Tempest.

Despite turning 21 in July 1973, a family bereavement postponed the opening of the clock until July 1974, when the foundation stone was laid.

According to writer and historian David Wyn Davies, who chronicled the history of the structure in his 2007 book ‘Machynlleth Town Clock’, in 1873 the cost of building the clock tower was roughly £1,000, which is the equivalent of over £80,000 today.

Mr Williams added: “The fact they were willing to pay so much for this tribute to a member of their family showed the high esteem the Fifth Marquess of Londonderry were held in.

“They were huge employers around the town, they were massively important to the development and population of Machynlleth in the years they were here and much of that impact can still be seen today, so the clock ticking again would be a constant reminder of that importance.”