The owners of a Machynlleth hotel are calling for the town’s iconic clock tower to stop chiming overnight after receiving “regular” complaints.

The Wynnstay Hotel sits metres from the 152-year-old clock, which was repaired in 2023 after sitting silent for three years.

The £55,000 repairs fixed the clock and programmed it to chime every 15 minutes, 24 hours a day.

This has left the Wynnstay owners bereft, with customers in the front rooms complaining they can’t sleep, to the point where they leave bad reviews naming the chimes as the cause.

A TripAdvisor review left in June 2024 for the Wynnstay Hotel describes the clock as "keeping us awake all night!!" Photo: TripAdvisor
A TripAdvisor review left in June 2024 for the Wynnstay Hotel describes the clock as "keeping us awake all night!!" Photo: TripAdvisor (TripAdvisor)

Owners Gail Jenkins and Huw Morgan wrote to Machynlleth Town Council requesting that the clock be programmed to be silent between 11.30pm-7am, something the repair contractors stated would be easy to do.

The letter read: “As owners of the Wynnstay, we are dependent on tourism for our business, and we value the town clock and its central role in conveying the historical character of the town.

“We recognise and appreciate the effort and resources given by the council to renovate and maintain the clock and tower.

“Unfortunately, we are facing difficulties in our business due to the chiming of the clock throughout the night.

“We receive frequent complaints from guests... for some customers, this has spoiled their visit to Machynlleth and has led to negative reviews online.”

The request received mixed responses, with some councillors describing the request as “reasonable”, whilst others stated the clock always chimed overnight and was part of the town's identity.

One councillor stated that multiple residents had spoken to him, concerned that the overnight chimes would stop.

The council resolved to ask for more information from the Wynnstay.

Before the Wynnstay was taken over by Huw and Gail, former Wynnstay owner Charles Dark also wrote to the council to request that the chimes be stopped overnight. In response, resident Phil Dowse wrote this limerick.
Before the Wynnstay was taken over by Huw and Gail, former Wynnstay owner Charles Dark also wrote to the council to request that the chimes be stopped overnight. In response, resident Phil Dowse wrote this limerick. (Cambrian News)

The issue is made worse by the town being designated a conservation area and the fronts of high street buildings listed, meaning installing additional glazing is costly.

Despite the Wynnstay having secondary glazing on its windows, they state this “makes no difference”.

This is not the first time complaints have been sent to the council about overnight chimes - former Wynnstay owner Charles Dark sent the same request, as well as other residents who did not want to be named.

One resident who lives next to the clocktower said: “While I recognise it’s an iconic part of the town, [the overnight chimes] really affect my ability to sleep, especially when I’m suffering from insomnia.

“It drives me, and anyone who comes to stay, a bit mad!

“When the chimes were being fixed, I spoke to one of the contractors working on the mechanism.

“They told me it’s actually quite straightforward to programme the chimes to pause overnight, and suggested I contact the town council about it.

“I did write to the council, but haven’t received any response about the issue.

“When I’ve mentioned to people that our clock tower chimes through the night, they laugh, who needs to know it’s 3.45am?!

“It’s 2025, we should be able to preserve the heritage of our town, while also making sure it doesn’t disturb people’s sleep.”