Flint Castle
Flint Castle
Flint Castle.Aerial video of Flint castle Flintshire, North Wales.Flintshire, United Kingdom.Above: Approaching the castle from the south. From left to right: the South West Tower, the Great Tower, and the North East Tower. The surviving mound of the outer bailey is to the left.Below: Approaching the Inner Gatehouse with modern bridge over the inner ditch. The castle's Great Tower is to the right. Looking north.Overshadowed by its larger and more celebrated sisters to the west, Flint Castle stands at the eastern doorway into North Wales. The encroachment of the industrialized city and the sandy marshes of the Dee Estuary give Edward I's stronghold an image of desolation and solitude, and remind us of the stark contrast between our modern world and the Middle Ages. Rarely recognized for its unique contribution to castle-building as well as Britain's history, this marvelous structure awaits your discovery and careful exploration.There is much to see at Flint Castle, if you look closely - views across the estuary bring us in contact with England, and the Wirral; the remains of the outer ditch, revetted with stonework, can be followed along the road before the castle, and, with a little imagination, can be quite easily reconstructed in your mind's eye; the waters of the adjoining estuary once ran up to the slopes of the castle's bailey, covering the car park, and would have provided an excellent defensive barrier; the great keep, or donjon, is a remarkable structure, unlike any other in Britain; and, most interesting, the scratches of mason's marks can be detected on stone blocks throughout the castle. While Flint Castle is under the care of CADW: Welsh Historic Monuments, it is freely open to the public, which not only makes it available for visiting at virtually any moment, but also makes it vulnerable to vandalism. Flint Castle needs our special attention. It is a masterful work of architectural genius that gives tribute to Edward I's master mason, James of St. George, and deserves the attention given to its greater sisters - Caernarfon, Conwy, Harlech, and Beaumaris - the "Big Four" in the northwest.Below: View of the castle from the outer ditch. The small fragment in the foreground is the remains of the outer gatehouse. In the background (from left to right) is the North West Tower, the South West Tower, The North East Tower and the Great Tower. www.castlewales.com Flint Castle (Welsh: Castell y Fflint) located in Flint, Flintshire, was the first of a series of castles built during King Edward I's campaign to conquer Wales. The site was chosen for its strategic position in North East Wales. The castle was only one day's march from Chester, supplies could be brought along the River Dee and there was by a ford across to England that could be used at low tide.
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