The Old Court House, Flint
The Old Court House, Church Street, Flint
This building dates from the 17th century, with a frontage from the 19th century. The upper floor was once a courthouse while the ground floor was used for markets.
The staircase inside reputedly came from Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s steamship Great Eastern, the world’s largest ship when it was launched in 1858. In the 1860s it laid the first telegraph cable across the Atlantic. It was scrapped in Birkenhead in the late 1880s.
Judges came to the courthouse for assizes sessions, when suspects charged during the preceding months would be tried. By the 1790s the assizes court had moved from Flint to Mold (which still has the modern equivalent, the Crown Court). Prisoners were held at the county jail at Flint Castle from 1785 until 1878, when a modern new prison opened in Ruthin. Until the mid-17th century, Flint jail was in the castle's Great Tower.
The former courthouse had many uses after its judicial use ended. In the 1890s it was occupied by draper and outfitter John Jones. In the second half of the 20th century it was home to Tom Bithell’s electrical shop, after which it was boarded up. It was in a decayed state when it was bought by Clwyd Alyn Housing Association in 2013.
The building was refurbished at a cost of £490,000, helped by grants from the Welsh Government, European Union, Flint Town Council, Flintshire County Council and Heritage Lottery Fund. It reopened to the public in September 2015, with a conference room and office space on the first floor and The Old Court House Café on the ground floor.
Postcode: CH6 5AE View Location Map
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