Flintshire (Welsh: Sir y Fflint) is a county in north-east Wales, on the Dee estuary and the English border. It covers 170 square miles (440 km2), had a population of 154,962 at the 2021 census, and is run by Flintshire County Council from County Hall in Mold.
It is the most populous county in north Wales. Connah’s Quay is the largest town, Mold the county town, and the Deeside industrial belt along the estuary is one of the biggest manufacturing clusters in Wales.
| Country | Wales, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Welsh name | Sir y Fflint |
| Area | 170 sq mi (440 km2) |
| Population (2021) | 154,962 |
| Density | 352 people per km2 (912 per sq mi) |
| Welsh speakers | 11.6% (2021 census) |
| Largest town | Connah’s Quay |
| County town | Mold (Yr Wyddgrug) |
| Highest point | Moel Famau, 554 m (1,818 ft) |
| Council | Flintshire County Council |
Towns and Villages in Flintshire
The county has 126 named towns, villages and hamlets, listed alphabetically from Afon-wen to Ysceifiog. Connah’s Quay, Buckley, Flint, Mold, Shotton, Holywell, Queensferry, Saltney, Caergwrle and Caerwys are the towns; the rest are villages of the Halkyn plateau, the Alyn valley and the coastal strip.
- Afon-wen
- Alltami
- Aston
- Axton
- Babell
- Bagillt
- Bedlwyn
- Berth-ddu
- Berthengam
- Big Mancot
- Blaenau
- Bretton
- Broughton
- Bryn y Castell
- Brynford
- Buckley
- Burntwood Pentre
- Cadole
- Caer Estyn
- Caergwrle
- Caerwys
- Calcoed
- Cefn
- Cefn-y-bedd
- Cei Connah
- Celyn-Mali
- Cilcain
- Coed-Talon
- Connahs Quay
- Croes-wian
- Cymau
- Ddol
- Deeside
- Dobs Hill
- Drury
- Ewloe
- Ffrith
- Ffynnongroyw
- Flint
- Gadlys
- Glan-yr-afon
- Gorsedd
- Greenfield
- Gronant
- Gwaenysgor
- Gwern Estyn
- Gwernaffield-y-Waun
- Gwernymynydd
- Gwespyr
- Halkyn
- Hawarden
- Hendre
- Higher Kinnerton
- Holywell
- Hope
- Kinnerton Green
- Leeswood
- Little Mancot
- Little Mountain
- Lixwm
- Llanasa
- Llanfynydd
- Llannerch-y-môr
- Lloc
- Llong
- Maes Maelor
- Mancot Royal
- Marian
- Moel-y-crio
- Mold
- Mostyn
- Mynydd Isa
- Mynydd-llan
- Nannerch
- Nant Alyn
- Nant-bâch
- Nerquis
- Northop
- Northop Hall
- Oakenholt
- Old Warren
- Padeswood
- Pant
- Pant-glâs
- Pant-y-buarth
- Pantasaph
- Pantymwyn
- Pen-Ucha’r Plwyf
- Pen-y-cefn
- Pen-y-ffordd
- Pentre
- Pentre Halkyn
- Penyffordd
- Picton
- Pont-newydd
- Pontblyddyn
- Pontybodkin
- Pwll-melyn
- Queensferry
- Rhes-y-cae
- Rhosesmor
- Rhydtalog
- Rhydymwyn
- Rhŷd-y-ceirw
- Rockcliffe
- Saith Ffynnon
- Saltney
- Sandycroft
- Sarn
- Sealand
- Shotton
- Sychdyn
- Talacre
- Talwrn
- Tanlan Banks
- Tre-lan
- Trelawnyd
- Trelogan
- Treuddyn
- Waen
- Waen-trochwaed
- Walwen
- Wern
- Whelston
- Whitford
- Ysceifiog
Geography
The county faces the Dee estuary along its whole northern edge, from Saltney and Sealand round to Talacre and the Point of Ayr, where the estuary opens into Liverpool Bay. The estuary’s saltmarshes and mudflats are internationally important for wading birds.
Inland the ground climbs to the Halkyn Mountain limestone plateau, riddled with old lead workings, and then to the Clwydian Range along the western boundary with Denbighshire. Moel Famau, at 554 metres, sits on that boundary and is the highest point in the county.
The River Alyn cuts through the middle past Mold and Caergwrle. Wrexham lies to the south, and Cheshire and the city of Chester to the east across the English border.
Demographics
The 2021 census counted 154,962 residents, roughly level with 2011 and the largest population of any north Wales county. Most people live in the Deeside conurbation, which runs almost continuously from Saltney through Queensferry, Shotton and Connah’s Quay to Flint.
Welsh is spoken by 11.6% of residents aged three and over. The share is lower here than in western Wales, reflecting centuries of cross-border movement with Cheshire and Merseyside, though Welsh-medium schools operate in Mold, Flint and Connah’s Quay.
Connah’s Quay is the largest town at around 16,800 people, followed by Buckley, Flint, Mold, Shotton and Holywell.
Economy and Local Life
Deeside is an advanced manufacturing corridor. The Airbus plant at Broughton builds the wings for every Airbus airliner and is among the largest private employers in Wales. Toyota’s engine plant at Deeside, the Tata steelworks at Shotton and Iceland Foods’ head office at Deeside Industrial Park are the other major sites.
Mold holds the county administration, a twice-weekly street market and Theatr Clwyd, the largest producing theatre in Wales. Buckley grew on brick and pottery clays, and Holywell on textiles and the copper works in the Greenfield valley.
A large number of residents commute east to Chester, Ellesmere Port and Merseyside, and the county sits inside the Mersey Dee travel-to-work area rather than looking to Cardiff.
History
Flint Castle, begun in 1277, was the first of Edward I’s Welsh castles and the place where Richard II surrendered to Henry Bolingbroke in 1399, a scene Shakespeare set on its walls.
St Winefride’s Well at Holywell has drawn pilgrims since the seventh century and is the only shrine in Britain with an unbroken record of pilgrimage. Lead and limestone from Halkyn Mountain, coal around Buckley and Point of Ayr, and the Dee’s shipbuilding yards drove the county’s industrial growth.
The historic county of Flintshire included a detached portion around Overton, and lost Prestatyn and Rhyl when the modern boundaries were drawn. The present county council was created in 1996 from the Delyn and Alyn and Deeside districts of Clwyd.
Getting There
The A55 expressway crosses the county from Chester towards the coast, and the A494 and A548 serve the Deeside estates and the estuary road. The A5104 and A541 link Mold to Chester and Denbigh, and the M56 is a short drive over the border.
Flint, Shotton and Hawarden Bridge are on the North Wales Coast Line, with fast trains to Chester, Crewe and London Euston. The Borderlands Line runs from Wrexham through Caergwrle, Hope, Buckley and Shotton to Bidston on Merseyside. Liverpool John Lennon and Manchester airports are both within about an hour.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of Flintshire?
154,962 at the 2021 census, the largest of any county in north Wales.
What is the largest town in Flintshire?
Connah’s Quay, with about 16,800 people. Buckley, Flint and Mold follow.
How many villages are there in Flintshire?
This directory lists 126 named towns, villages and hamlets.
Where is the county council based?
At County Hall in Mold, the county town, with further offices at Ewloe.
How many people in Flintshire speak Welsh?
11.6% of residents aged three and over at the 2021 census.