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Plas House & Gardens |
| The mansion house of Plas Machynlleth was for many generations a family seat of the Londonderryfamily. The building of the house stretches over 200 years, with the oldest parts dating back to the 1600s while the front was added in 1853. The house was called Greenfields for many years. |
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Sir George Vane-Tempest became Earl Vane in 1854 and 5th Marquess of Londonderry in 1872. He sat in the House of Commons as an MP for 26 years and died in 1884.
His eldest son Charles, who inherited the estate of Plas Machynlleth, became the 6th Marquess of London- derry. |
| The famous clock tower in the centre of Machynlleth was built in 1874 to mark his 'coming of age' at 21 years old.
There were many famous visitors to Plas Machynlleth during the Victorian years including the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, on the death of Queen Victoria.
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The mansion house and grounds were given to the town of Machynlleth by the 7th Marquess in 1948 and were used as council offices for many years. Today the Plas is in the control of Powys County Council, having been administered firstly by the then Urban District Council, and then by the, now defunct, Montgomeryshire District Council. Since the closure of the Celtica Project, the day to day management of the building and its grounds, and the accompanying costs, have been borne by Powys County Council. |
Under the PCC Asset Management Strategy, the aim is to generate capital receipts from the disposal of property not required for service delivery. Therefore, the risk that the building and land might be sold away from the Town is actual.
During much of the time since the 1948 bequest the wishes of the population have for the most part been overlooked. Indeed, when reading Town Council minutes from the past one could almost say that there have been times when Machynlleth’s interests have been ignored to the point of insult.
In the spirit of the 1948 bequest, Machynlleth Town Council has entered into negotiations with Powys CC with a view to bringing the property back under the jurisdiction of locally elected officers representing the community to whom the Plas was bequeathed in perpetuity. |
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Things are looking promising. However, it will be a daunting undertaking that will necessitate changes in town and a steady hand at the tiller. Nonetheless, the Town Council is committed to the project and looks forward to the time when the Plas returns to the rightful ownership of the people of Machynlleth and the Dyfi Valley, to whom the property was originally bequeathed. |
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