Flint, Flintshire

Flint is located in north-east Wales, adjoining the estuary of the River Dee, to the north of the town of Mold. Across the estuary, the Wirral can be seen from Flint and views to the south of the town include Halkyn Mountain. As the crow flies, Flint is located less than 12 miles from the English urban area of Liverpool, and even closer to its metro area. However, the two estuaries in between make the distance travelling on land almost twice as long.

File:Joseph Mallord William Turner - Flint Castle.jpg by William Turner]]

File:Wales, Pays de Galles, par John Speed, 1610, BNF Gallica.jpg

File:Flint Town Hall (geograph 5280867).jpg]]

The name refers to the stony platform on which the castle was built, and was first recorded in 1277 in the French form le Chaylou (cf modern French caillou, "gravel").{{cite book|author1=Hanks, Patrick|author2=Hodges, Flavia|author3=Mills, David|author4=Room, Adrian|title=The Oxford Names Companion|date=2002|location=Oxford|publisher=the University Press|isbn=0198605617|page=1036}}

Edward I began to build Flint Castle in 1277, during his campaign to conquer Wales. Both castle and town were attacked by the forces of Madog ap Llywelyn during the revolt of 1294–95; the defenders of the town burnt it in order to deny its use to the Welsh.

Richard II was handed over to his enemy Henry Bolingbroke in the castle in 1399. As a consequence, it is the setting for Act III, Scene III of the Shakespeare play Richard II. The castle was the first of Edward I's 'iron ring' of royal castles to be built in Wales, and the design served as the basis for larger castles such as Harlech Castle and Rhuddlan Castle. Owain Glyndŵr unsuccessfully assaulted it at the commencement of his revolt in 1400.

The town did not have a wall, but a protective earthen and wooden palisaded ditch. The outline of this remained visible in the pattern of streets until the mid-1960s, and the medieval boundary can still be traced now. This can be seen in John Speed's map of Flintshire.

Flint Town Hall, the home of Flint Town Council, was erected in 1840.{{Cite web|url=http://www.fflint.co.uk/townhall.html|title=Flint Town Hall|website=www.fflint.co.uk}} Until 1935 the Constable of Flint Castle served ex officio as Mayor of Flint.

In 1969 Flint hosted the National Eisteddfod, and so the town has a circle of Gorsedd stones in the field adjacent to Gwynedd County Primary School. In July 2006 the stones were centre stage in the National Eisteddfod Proclamation Ceremony which formally announced Mold as the 2007 host town of the event.{{citation|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/northeast/sites/slideshows/pages/nat-eist.shtml?1 |title=National Eisteddfod Proclamation|publisher=BBC Wales|access-date=27 August 2006}} The Urdd National Eisteddfod was held in Flint in 2016.

Flint Town Council consists of 15 councillors who are elected from four wards; 2 from Oakenholt{{r|r={{cite web|url=https://www.flinttowncouncil.gov.wales/person-category/oakenholt-ward/|title=Oakenholt Ward|website=Flint Town Council|access-date=10 May 2023}}}}, 3 from Castle{{r|r={{cite web|url=https://www.flinttowncouncil.gov.wales/person-category/castle-ward/|title=Castle Ward|website=Flint Town Council|access-date=10 May 2023}}}} and 5 each from Coleshill{{r|r={{cite web|url=https://www.flinttowncouncil.gov.wales/person-category/coleshill-ward/|title=Coleshill Ward|website=Flint Town Council|access-date=10 May 2023}}}} and Trelawny{{r|r={{cite web|url=https://www.flinttowncouncil.gov.wales/person-category/trelawny-ward/|title=Trelawny Ward|website=Flint Town Council|access-date=10 May 2023}}}} wards. For elections to Flintshire County Council, three councillors are elected from Flint: Coleshill and Trelawny, and one each from Flint: Castle and Flint: Oakenholt. {{r|r={{cite web|url=https://www.flintshire.gov.uk/en/Resident/Council-and-Democracy/Elections-and-Electoral-Registration/Electoral-Arrangements-for-Flintshire.aspx|title=Electoral Arrangements for Flintshire|website=Flintshire County Council|access-date=7 May 2023}}}} Flint is part of the Alyn and Deeside constituency and North Wales region for the Senedd, and of the Alyn and Deeside constituency for parliament.

In 2001 only 18% of the local population identified as Welsh, although this census controversially had no "Welsh" tick box.{{cite news |title=Census results 'defy tickbox row' |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/2288147.stm |access-date=12 September 2021 |date=30 September 2002}}

In the census of 2011, 57.1% stated they had Welsh, or Welsh and other combined, identity.{{NOMIS2011|id=W04000186|title=Flint statistics|access-date=4 June 2019}} Many people in Flint have some knowledge of the Welsh language, although competence varies. Implementation of the European Union's freedom of movement provisions has led to a noticeable increase in the numbers of Polish-language speakers in Flint. Several retail businesses display information in Polish as well as in English and Welsh and the town has a number of Polskie sklepy (Polish shops) specialising in Polish products.

The Flint accent is frequently misidentified with that of Liverpool, although it has arisen in fact as a unique blending of the speech patterns of the area's Welsh speakers, earlier Irish settlers, and the residents of nearby Cheshire, Wirral, and the wider Merseyside region.{{citation|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/voices/recordings/group/wales-flint.shtml |title=The Voices Recordings: Male voice choir members|publisher=BBC|access-date=27 August 2006}}

There are several songs associated with Flint.{{Cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/northeast/sites/flintshire/pages/flintsongs.shtml |title=BBC - North East Wales Flintshire history - Flint songs |access-date=16 October 2010 |archive-date=17 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717050005/http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/northeast/sites/flintshire/pages/flintsongs.shtml |url-status=dead }} The most widely sung is "The Yard". Another popular song is "50 German bombers over Flint", which tells the story of a wartime bombing raid over nearby Liverpool that accidentally targeted the town of Flint instead. Verses describe the arrival of the bombers over Flint, and how they were shot down by the "Bagillt Navy". Eventually, the ill-fated German aircrew were fished out by the "Greenfield Fishers". The song is often sung in a drunken, friendly manner to the accompaniment of much hand clapping and revelry.

Flint railway station lies on the North Wales Coast Line and is served by Transport for Wales services from Manchester Piccadilly to Llandudno. A north-south service between Cardiff and Holyhead also calls,{{r|r={{cite web|url=https://tfw.wales/ways-to-travel/rail/where-we-go/rail-network-map|title=Wales Railway Map and Train Routes|website=TfW|access-date=10 May 2023}}}} as do some Avanti West Coast services between London Euston and Holyhead.{{cite web |url=https://www.avantiwestcoast.co.uk/-/media/avanti-timetables/may-2023-to-december-2023-timetable-book.pdf |page=19{{ndash}}27|title=May 2023 to December 2023 timetable book|access-date=10 May 2023|website=Avanti West Coast}} Bus services are operated by Arriva Buses Wales.

The town has three high schools: St Richard Gwyn Catholic High School, Flint High School and Ysgol Maes Hyfryd. Primary schools in Flint include the Gwynedd School, Cornist Park School, Ysgol Croes Atti (Welsh medium), St Mary's Catholic Primary School and Ysgol Pen Coch.

File:Footplate sculpture at Flint Station. - geograph.org.uk - 384656.jpg, designed by Brian Fell.]]

Flint once had its own low-powered television relay transmitter, designed to provide improved coverage of Welsh channels in an area that would otherwise receive only English television signals. Since 2009, signals have been transmitted digitally from Storeton transmitting station on the Wirral.

Perhaps one of the town's most striking images, in addition to the castle, is the group of three tower blocks of flats near the town centre. The first two blocks were built in the 1960s and named Bolingbroke Heights and Richard Heights, with a third, Castle Heights, added shortly afterwards.

Flint's football team is Flint Town United. They play in the Cymru Premier, the top division of Welsh football following promotion from the Cymru North in 2023/24. Nicknamed "the Silkmen", they play their home games at Cae-y-Castell.

Brian Fell's sculpture footplate{{cite web|url=http://www.pmsa.org.uk/pmsa-database/11509/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303220311/http://www.pmsa.org.uk/pmsa-database/11509/|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 March 2016|title=Footplate|work=National Recording Project|publisher=Public Monuments and Sculpture Association|access-date=1 August 2012}} can be seen at Flint railway station. Initially it was thought to be an imitation of the famous Monty Python foot drawn by Terry Gilliam.

The town has a library which was extensively refurbished in 2020,{{cite news |last1=Craddock |first1=Steve |title=Take a look inside Flint Library after £360,000 transformation |url=https://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/18206616.flint-library-transformed-360-000-worth-upgrades/ |access-date=1 June 2023 |work=The Leader |date=3 February 2020 |language=en}} and a leisure centre named the Jade Jones Pavilion to honour the town's Olympian.{{cite web |title=Jade Jones Pavilion Leisure Centre |url=https://aura.wales/leisure-centres/jade-jones-pavilion-flint/ |publisher=Aura Wales |access-date=1 June 2023 |date=28 January 2021 |quote=named in honour of the town’s Tae Kwon-Do gold medal winning Olympian}} {{As of|February 2023}} Flint Retail Park was undergoing expansion,{{cite news |title=Flintshire Retail Park expanding to meet growing demand for trade counters |url=https://www.deeside.com/flintshire-retail-park-gets-a-makeover-to-meet-growing-demand-for-trade-counters/ |access-date=1 June 2023 |work=Deeside.com |date=13 February 2023 |language=en}} The town centre has been the subject of a regeneration scheme which began in 2012.{{cite web |last1=Budden |first1=Clare |title=Regeneration - Sharp ideas for Flint |url=https://whq.org.uk/the-magazine/issue/103/regeneration-sharp-ideas-for-flint/ |website=WHQ |access-date=1 June 2023}}

A lifeboat station was established in Flint in 1966, operated by the RNLI.{{cite web|title=RNLI: Flint|url=http://rnli.org/findmynearest/station/Pages/Flint-Lifeboat-Station.aspx|access-date=16 February 2016}}

• Paul Draper (born 1970), songwriter and musician, went to school in Flint.
• Ian Puleston-Davies (born 1958), actor and writer, plays Owen Armstrong in Coronation Street.{{citation|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2005/09_september/27/funland_puleston.shtml |title=Press Office: Ian Puleston-Davies, Funland|publisher=BBC|access-date=25 March 2008}}
• Julie Roberts (born 1963) painter who works in acrylics, oils and watercolours.

• Enoch Bagshaw (1884–1930), an American football player and coach.
• Ron Hewitt (1928–2001), footballer with over 500 club caps and 5 for Wales.
• Allan Jones (1940–1993), footballer with 249 caps with Brentford F.C.
• Brian Godfrey (1940–2010), footballer with over 590 club caps and 3 for Wales.
• Andy Holden (born 1963), footballer with over 170 club caps, nephew of Ron Hewitt
• Jade Jones (born 1993), 2012 and 2016 Olympic taekwondo gold medalist, attended Flint High School.
• Ian Rush (born 1961), footballer with 602 club caps and 73 for Wales, went to school in Flint; some family live in the area.
• Dylan Levitt (born 2000) footballer who came through Manchester United F.C. Academy, but now plays for Scottish Premiership football club Hibernian F.C.

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Flint, Wales}}

• [http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/northeast/sites/flint_town/ BBC Wales's Flint website]
• [http://www.cefnpennar.com/flint/ www.cefnpennar.com : Flint historical & genealogical records list]
• [https://www.geograph.org.uk/search.php?i=3396226 www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Flint and surrounding area]
• [http://www.cpat.org.uk/ycom/flint/flipre.htm Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust - Flint in the prehistoric, Roman and early medieval periods]

{{Flintshire}}

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Category:Former county towns in Wales

Category:Towns in Flintshire