Balfour Castle is a historic building on the southwest of Shapinsay, Orkney Islands.[J. Gunn. 1932] Though built around an older structure that dates at least from the 18th century, the present castle was built in 1847, commissioned by Colonel David Balfour, and designed by Edinburgh architect David Bryce. It is a Category A listed building and the landscape and formal gardens are listed in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland.
History
The small island of Shapinsay has been inhabited since prehistoric times, the most notable evidence being the extant Broch of Burroughston, located not far from Balfour Castle to the northeast. The
Mor Stein standing stone dating to the Neolithic is found also to the east of Balfour Castle, indicating the length of human activity in the area.
[C. Michael Hogan. 2007] On the site of Balfour Castle was originally part of the Estate of Sound, which included a stately home that was destroyed by British Hanoverian soldiers during the Jacobite rising of 1745. In 1782, the area was sold to Major
Thomas Balfour, who built a new house on the site. By 1846, all of the land on the island around the castle, including the nearby ruins of
Linton Chapel, had been purchased by Balfour's grandson, David Balfour.
Balfour then constructed Balfour Castle to the designs of the architect
David Bryce in Bryce's first large commission.
It was built as an L shaped house The gardens were also installed by the gardener Craigie Inglis Halkett.
In the 1850s, the castle was landscaped to give it a mock portcullis and parapets with the walled garden being renovated.
During the Second World War, the Balfour family opened the castle to the public during the summer as a way to raise funds for the war effort.
See also
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Balfour, Orkney
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Mill Dam, Shapinsay
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Vasa Loch
Line notes
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J. Gunn, Orkney, the Magnetic North, Thomas Nelson and Sons, Edinburgh (1932)
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C. Michael Hogan. Burroughston Broch, The Megalithic Portal, ed. Andy Burnham, October 7, 2007
