What is recorded here

Balfour Castle stands on Shapinsay as an L shaped house built in 1847 for Colonel David Balfour, though it still casts a shadow over older stones and forgotten lives. David Bryce designed the building, Craigie Inglis Halkett shaped the gardens, and later owners changed its use from family home to hotel and back again. The castle is not merely a mansion; it is a layer of human ambition set among Neolithic memory and Orkney’s open sky.

Scotland's National Record of the Historic Environment records Balfour Castle as Dyke(s) (post Medieval). The official map says its point is accurate as follows: NGR given to the nearest 1m. The record does not by itself mean that the public may enter the place.

Balfour Castle was built by the Balfour family in the 16th century. It is remembered as a historic family seat and an example of Scottish medieval architecture.

The historic-place record does not grant public access. Check current conditions and ownership before entering land or a building.