#flintshire

Hi again. Once every six weeks, we head back home across the border to Cymru (Wales). A popular stop off point for us is Doc Maes Glas (Greenfield Dock). So what on earth has Greenfield and the Flintshire Coast got to do with Cotton Town Photography? Quite a lot really.

Greenfield has been associated with fabrics and yarn spinning for a long time; not cotton but a fabric which is closely linked: RAYON. Rayon, also known as Viscose is a yarn made from plant cellulose. Yarns are manufactured from wood pulp or cotton waste. This is an organic and sustainable fabric. I love it. I have a beautiful navy blue summer dress made of it.

Courtaulds, an illustrious yarn spinning company founded in the 1700's had a Rayon spinning mill here at Greenfield until the 1980's. Greenfield Dock was at one time one of the busiest ports on the Afon Dyfrdwy (The River Dee).

Courtaulds was a well known company in 1970's UK and made fine fabrics. Any young girl like myself who learned to make her own dresses back then has worked with yarns and fabrics from Courtaulds. Number 1 and Number 2 mills here in Greenfield supplied British home-dressmakers and garment manufacturers with high class fabrics and thread that lasted, in contrast to what we see today.

The mills finally closed during the 80's as I was growing up into a young woman. They were replaced with other industries. The Dock itself remains; a beautiful coastal gem. These days, only a few fishing boats work out of this once busy port.

Elsewhere in the Dock, old vessels lie high and dry in various states of disrepair, quietly rusting. They make fascinating subjects for a girl black and white photographer however as you can see below. Neglected now, there is something fascinating in the air of decay in this once busy location.

Greenfield Dock is not a deep water harbour. Though the Dyfrdwy (Dee) itself has a dredged and buoyed deep water channel, the dock itself dries out at low water leaving mud and silt. Once again, this is a fascinating environment for a black and white photographer to work. On a sunny Winter day like this (14/02/2026) the light was bright and fairly contrasty. The contrast was dampened even so by the low elevation of the sun, softening the shadows and bringing down the highlights. The raking Winter light makes photographing the mud and silt an interesting exercise.

The North Wales Coastal Path comes through here too as it threads its way along this beautiful and underrated stretch of coastline. The path gives fine views across the Afon Dyfrdwy and out to sea. Across the water lies an adjacent country, Lloegr (England). Wild seabirds call, geese honk and curlews give their haunting, whistling call.

I hope that you have enjoyed this pictorial visit to Greenfield Dock. Greenfield lies a little West of the town of Fflint in Flintshire, Wales. The Flintshire coastal road passes close by and the dock is down a signposted little road from the centre of the village.

All shots were made on an old, used Canon 350D (gifted to me by my husband) with a second-hand Yongnuo f1.8 50mm lens. The ISO was set to 200 and the final shots were produced using Canon Digital Photo Professional 4. The camera's own yellow filter was also employed. Resolution was reduced to screen capable to allow them to post on Tumblr without problem.

If you like my shots, please support me by liking my blog and sharing my posts. I welcome messages from other black and white photographers and will usually respond quite quickly to questions or requests.

Much love,

Earlier this month, we headed out to the Deeside Coast. On the very eastern border of Wales, lies the Dee Estuary. This wide river, beginning its life in the mountains of Powys, meanders along the border between the countries of England and Wales. The very wide estuary provides a natural barrier between them. You can reach England by boat, but it is across a wide area of ever changing sands and channels; only for those with local knowledge. England is often distant and hazy, across the treacherous mud and seawater.

Few people, apart from birdwatchers and the locals, come here. A former industrial area, most bypass it on their way to the splendours of the Welsh Mountains. It is a mistake. Here the beautiful, understated coastline, teeming with wild seabirds makes great walking; naked or clothed. Everywhere, there are leftovers of former industry and commerce, hidden in the scrubby maritime grass and by the wayside.

I always carry a camera. In this case an old Canon 350D my husband gifted me over the holidays. I was using a cheap 'nifty fifty' Yongnuo f1.8 lens I picked up for £30 in a a second hand camera shop.

Unknown to me, there was a hair on the sensor. You can see it in the top right hand corner of this shot. My husband kindly cleaned it later! When the tide goes out here (Doc Maesglas), it leaves acres of stippled and corrugated mud.

It was keen and cold, there was frost on the ground and snow on the distant hills. I love the way that the frost textures things, elevating the ordinary to something ephemeral but beautiful.

A good subject is always worth that second shot!

Enjoy your photography (preferably naked),

Emral Hall country house in Flintshire, North Wales

Congratulations to Flintshire, Wales for winning the United Kingdom Cross Flag Wars!

It won in a very close poll against Isle of Skye with 51.8 percent of the vote! This is the flag’s blazon: “Argent a cross engrailed sable between four Cornish choughs proper”

The flag was adopted in 2015 but is a historic design, based on the attributed arms of Edwin of Tegeingl. It is also known as Edwin's Cross or Tegeingl Banner. The cross in this flag is a black engrailed fleury cross, and the four birds are Red-billed choughs.