Flint Castle

Flint was the first castle of what would later become known as Edward I's "Iron Ring". A chain of fortresses designed to encircle North Wales and oppress the Welsh. Its construction began almost immediately after Edward I began the First Welsh War in 1277. Five years later Welsh forces under the command of Dafydd ap Gruffydd, brother of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, besieged the castle in an attempted uprising against the English Crown. In 1294 Flint was attacked again during the revolt of Madog ap Llywelyn; this time the constable of the castle was forced to set fire to the fortress to prevent its capture by the Welsh. The castle was later repaired and partly rebuilt. With the conclusion to the…

Building work began in 1277 initially under Richard , who would later become Mayor of Chester in 1304. The castle and its earthworks were built by 18,000 labourers and masons using local Millstone Grit ashlar and sandstone. Savoyard master mason James of Saint George was assigned "ad ordiandum opera castorum ibidem" (to undertake the works of the same castle works (referring to all Welsh castle building projects) in April 1278. November 1280 saw him beginning directly overseeing construction at Flint for Edward I as the initially very slow construction pace was accelerated. He remained at the castle for 17 months. James of Saint George then moved onto Rhuddlan to oversee its completion.…

Flint Castle is maintained by Cadw, a Welsh-government body that protects, conserves and promotes the building heritage of Wales. Access is free and via a path. Most parts of the castle, such as the isolated keep, are open to the public. A spiral staircase was installed in the north east tower in 2017, from where a platform gives views over the Dee Estuary. A giant iron ring sculpture was due to be placed in the castle grounds but was seen as divisive and the project was shelved — the architects said the sculpture represented the "unstable nature of the crown", but critics interpreted the symbol as representing the subjugation of the Welsh people. Since 2024, Cadw are to standardise the…