What is recorded here
Balfour Castle and a seaside "folly" is a castle, fort or tower in Orkney Islands, Scotland. Perhaps the castle stood guard while the folly danced with the sea, one serious and one playful. Maybe residents moved between them, carrying bread to the tower and laughter to the shore. Imagine the coastline holding both shapes at once, a defence and a joke written in stone.
A named place photographed at this map point in Orkney Islands.
Balfour Castle, a 19th-century structure in the Orkney Islands, was built as a private residence by the Balfour family, who were prominent in Scottish politics and landownership. The castle and its associated seaside "folly" are remembered for their architectural interest and as a reflection of Victorian-era estate-building in the Northern Isles.
Places near here
Intricate stonework on Balfour coastal towerCastle, fort or tower · 31 yd
Ornate coastal tower by Balfour CastleCastle, fort or tower · 44 yd
Iona: Balfour Harbour, Shapinsay, Wide FirthMotor Vessel (20th Century) · 97 yd
Balfour HarbourHarbour (post Medieval) · 128 yd
BalfourBarrow (bronze Age)(possible), Cist (bronze Age), Cremation (bronze Age), Cinerary Urn (steatite)(bronze Age) · 308 yd
Shapinsay, Balfour Castle, GatewayGateway (19th Century) · 728 yd
Petrel: Holm Sound, Shapinsay Sound, North SeaCraft (19th Century) · 841 yd
War Memorial at ElwickHeritage place · 1257 yd
Carness BatteryNo Class (event) (21st Century) · 1.3 mi
Thieves HolmIslet · 1.3 mi
Bay of CarnessBay · 1.5 mi
Bay of FurrowendBay · 1.8 miOther information
Photo: Des Colhoun · CC BY-SA 2.0