Balfour Castle

http://portal.historic-scotland.gov.uk/hes/web/f?p=PORTAL:DESIGNATIONS:0

Type of Site

A mid 19th century designed landscape with formal gardens and Orkney's largest woodland, complementing a Scots baronial castle, and incorporating earlier features.

Location and Setting

Shapinsay is a flattish island about 4km east of mainland Orkney. Balfour Castle stands in the south-west corner of Shapinsay, directly on the coast, on the west side of Elwick Bay. It is a prominent landmark on arrival by ferry at Elwick. The woodlands and the Castle form distinctive components of the landscape, identifiable from a considerable distance.

The designed landscape occupies gentle south facing slopes, with views across to mainland Orkney. The general orientation of the designed landscape follows the pattern of the north-south/east-west gridiron of fields laid out over the whole of Shapinsay.

The designed landscape forms the nucleus of an extensive improvement landscape laid out on Shapinsay. By 1819 a designed landscape existed around Cliffdale, Major Balfour's seat, which included the existing policy woodlands (Matheson, 1819). The current extent of the designed landscape of 29ha (72 acres) laid out 1846-50 remains unchanged in extent to the present day (1879-80, OS 6"; 1900, OS 6").

Landscape Components

Architectural Features

Balfour Castle, designed by David Bryce c 1846-50, and incorporating the earlier house of Cliffdale, is a large Scots Baronial mansion of three-storeys and garret with a four-storey tower rising above the main entrance. The offices are a single-storey range built of stugged ashlar. The Old Walled Garden with ruined lean-to buildings, relating to the House of Sound is situated at the western end of the policies close to the site of the original house. Adjoining this walled garden are a series of walled compartments dating from the 17th and early 18th centuries. A Garden Gateway, is dated 1674 and is a remnant of the House of Sound, converted to house an ornamental seat. The Terraced Gardens with retaining walls, steps and ha-ha were designed by Bryce, c 1850. Remnants of railings of the terraced gardens exist. The Gate Lodge designed by Bryce, c 1850, comprises an arch with mock portcullis flanked by twin lodges with a corbelled parapet topping the whole gateway. The Dishan Tower, a 17th century circular doocot, is positioned on the shore, and was adapted into a douche house in the 19th century. This was embellished by a corbelled and crenellated parapet and crow stepped cap house. It has been placed so as to act as an eyecatcher in the view from the Castle south-east towards Helliar Holm. Gate piers of dressed stone piers capped with pyramids, flank the north east approach and stand within Balfour village.

To the north-east of the Castle is the mid-19th century Walled Garden with glasshouses, offices and cottages. Drystone rubble free-standing walls define the perimeter of the policies and line some of the footpaths.

Drives and Approaches

Initially, the principal approach to Balfour Castle was from the east, via the Portcullis Gate which provides direct access to the harbour. After passing through the gate the east drive follows the ha-ha with views over pasture, to the south. It then swings to the north-west passing a series of grass terraces before reaching the Castle forecourt.

The secondary approach from the north-east, lies through a gateway, flanked by pyramidal capped piers. This north-east drive severs part of the village before passing through woodlands, to emerge into the parkland to the east of the Castle. Here it sweeps southwards to join up with the east drive. In its northernmost section this drive forms a straight diagonal axis (south-west to north-east) which extends beyond the Castle gateway to form the main village street.

Paths and Walks

Within the designed landscape other footpaths and drives take straight, predominantly east to west alignments. In the woodland there is a central, east-west route which forms a major design axis, linking the area of gardens associated with the House of Sound to the later Walled Garden. The eastern section of the path is known as the 'Ladies Walk'. An herbaceous border backed by a wall and by a clipped hawthorn hedge lines it. This footpath has an accentuated camber to provide a dry walking surface, and terminates at the glasshouse adjoining the Walled Garden. The western section is less formal, consisting of a woodland drive lined on its southern side by a drystone wall. It terminates at the western (Sound) boundary where it connects with a track running north-south.

Mid-point along this central axis there is a junction with a drive leading southwards to the Castle, and northwards to lead along the northern woodland boundary.

A Conservatory on the west front of the Castle links the drawing room with the garden. A raised walk leads westwards from the Conservatory, past the terraced gardens into a garden compartment originally associated with the House of Sound and terminated by a late 17th century gateway in the western boundary wall.

Parkland

The Castle and its lawns are separated from the parkland by a ha-ha, which defines the southern edge of the lawns. Two low, parapeted, bastions project southward from the ha-ha. The west bastion has an integral staircase providing access to the lower parkland. The east bastion, surmounted by a flagstaff, stands at the point at which the ha-ha changes from a straight to a curving section. South of the ha-ha an area of rough pasture extends across the south facing slopes to the shoreline. At its western end the pasture is enclosed by a spur of woodland and a sheepfold adjacent to the old Pier of Sound. The island of Helliar Holm, a partly sloping island lies to the south.

On the east front of the Castle there is a large, oval lawn with grass terraces on its south west side. The north side of the oval lawn was cut into woodland but this has recently been infilled by woodland planting. The eastern and southern boundaries of the lawn are defined by the north east drive. Beyond the drive the parkland extends eastwards to the 'Portcullis' Gate Lodge. This area is grazed.

South-west of the Castle is a series of formal rectangular lawns enclosed by footpaths, which are now overgrown. The western lawn is slightly sunken and was originally used as a bowling green. It is overlooked by the raised walk from the Conservatory.

Woodland

An important component of the landscape is the woodland, Orkney's largest mixed woodland, planted c 1800 and comprising sycamore, horse chestnut, alder (Alnus glutinosa), larch (Larix europaeus), rowan, Swedish whitebeam (Sorbus intermedia), white willow (Salix alba) and wych elm (Ulmus glabra). Later additions to the woodlands include beech and spruce. The woodlands have a singular wind-sheared form with dense contorted canopies, increasing in height towards the centre of the woodland. The shelter provided by the woodland is an essential characteristic of the Balfour designed landscape as it provides an amenable micro-climate for the Walled Garden and for walks through the policies.

The Gardens

A series of three sunken gardens are laid out to the west of the Castle. These are enclosed by formal earth embankments topped by paths with flights of stone steps leading down into the sheltered gardens. Each garden was formally laid out with a scheme of flower beds, some enclosed by low railings. These beds no longer exist and two of the gardens have been planted with spruce.

At the western end of the policies are a number of 17th century walled enclosures which survive from the gardens laid out around the House of Sound and later Cliffdale House. These are mainly overgrown and derelict with remnants of a Rhododendron shrubbery within the southernmost enclosure (traversed by the walkway terminating at the old gateway).

Walled Garden

The rectangular walled garden is oriented north-south and internally subdivided by a brick wall. The northern compartment is square and divided into quarters by axial footpaths. A glasshouse, since demolished, was set centrally against the north wall. The southern compartment is rectangular and bisected by a central footpath, which passes through an arched gate in the dividing wall.

A gardener's cottage forms part of the walled garden's eastern boundary. An ornamental glasshouse stands outside the garden, at its south eastern corner.

The walled garden is operational and is used to produce fruit and vegetables for the Castle Hotel. Notable horticultural features are the fine espalier trees, which still thrive on the garden walls. These demonstrate several forms of espalier training and are carefully maintained.