Tag Archives: river Dee

The conqueror’s ruined castle in north Wales

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THESE DAYS WE ARE so preoccupied with the Russian invasion of Ukraine that the English invasion of Wales is not in the forefront of our minds. In the 13th century, King Edward I of England (reigned 1272-1307) decided to conquer Wales. To do this, he built a series of castles from which his armies could enter Wales. One of these was built at Flint on the left bank of the River Dee not far from Chester, from which supplies could be easily carried either by land or by water (sea and river).

The castle at Flint was designed by Richard L’engenour and built between 1277 and 1278. Its form was based on Savoyard models. One of its circular towers was built larger than the others and separated from the rest of the castle – it served as the ‘donjon’ or keep.

Many of those who constructed the castle – English people – stayed on in the area to become the inhabitants of the new fortified, walled town of Flint. They felt safe within the town’s walls, but this sense of security was soon to be disturbed. For in 1294, the Welshman Madog ap Llywelyn led a revolt of the Welsh against their English rulers, and attacked Flint. Rather than letting the town fall into the hands of the Welsh, the Constable of Flint Castle ordered that the town be burned to the ground so that the Welsh rebels would be denied shelter and food.

The castle remained functional until the Civil War, when it, along with other strongholds, was destroyed following orders issued by Oliver Cromwell, soon after 1647.

Today, the impressive ruins are open to the public and well maintained by CADW, a Welsh Government body that looks after sites of historic interest. In 1838, JMW Turner created a watercolour painting showing the castle with a beautiful sunset behind it. We visited it on a rainy day in May 2024. Despite the inclement weather, seeing the castle gave us great pleasure.

An almost abandoned dock by the River Dee

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WHEN I WAS A child, I had a jigsaw puzzle, whose pieces were shaped like the counties of England and Wales, as they were in the 1960s. When you put the pieces together correctly, you ended up with a map of England and Wales. The county of Flintshire always fascinated me because it was then divided into two separated parts. Today, the 27th of May 2024, we made our first ever visit to Flintshire. Amongst the places we looked at was Connahs Quay, which is on the Welsh bank of the River Dee.

In the early 18th century, the Dee silted up. This put an end to Chester being used as a port. Instead, Connahs Quay, which is close to the mouth of the Dee became an important port and a place where ships were built. The place was also an important fishing port. You can still see fishing vessels at Connahs Quay. We watched two of them setting out to catch shellfish as the tide came rushing furiously up the river.

The advent of the railway in the 19th century, brought industry and prosperity to the area, and the town grew. In recent years, industry has declined in the district, and Connahs Quay has lost its former prosperity. However, there is still a large power station nearby and the Shotton steelworks, now owned by the Tata company, provide some employment.

With a fine view of the recently constructed (1998), elegant suspension bridge over the mouth of the Dee and a promenade along the river Bank, Connahs Quay is a pleasant place to linger.