THE original clock dials which once sat at the top of the 62 foot tower at the top of Great Darkgate Street, Aberystwyth, have been held safely in store at Ceredigion Museum for the past 30 or so years.

There are four dials and one of these has been restored and displayed publicly once again as part of the New Approaches project at the museum.

Carrie Canham, curator at the museum, is pleased to be able to add that the dial is displayed inside the new museum and tourist information building.

The five-foot cast iron dial is displayed above the new mosaic staircase at the entrance to the Coliseum.

The original clock workings have been displayed in the museum for years.

The 12-foot pendulum can be seen swinging in the middle window of the Coliseum so passers-by will now be able to see part of the clock displayed together.

The town clock originally stood in the square at the top of Great Darkgate Street.

It was erected in 1858 to mark the spot where the Guildhall had stood for two centuries.

It was erected by local builder Mr Roderick Williams & Son, and the majority of the structure was built with Welsh stone from a local quarry.

The clock tower was dressed in Bath stone.

The previous town clock had been incorporated into the Guildhall itself. This can also be seen at Ceredigion Museum.

When the Guildhall was demolished the powerful Pryse family of Gogerddan, descended from the 16th century Lord of Cardigan and owners of a large estate near Aberystwyth, made a gesture to the town and gifted the people a new clock mechanism.

However, the building of the clock tower itself was funded by public subscription and cost £1,250.

It stood for 98 years but was deemed unsafe in 1956 and removed.

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