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South walls of Balvaird Castle in the early morning light.
Photograph by Jim Bain. Some rights reserved. (view image details)
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Balvaird Castle
Photograph by Peter Gordon. Some rights reserved. (view image details)
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Balvaird Castle, Origins are late 15th Century much reworked in the 16th century for the Murray family
Photograph by Brian D Osborne. Some rights reserved. (view image details)
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BALVAIRD CASTLE FACTS
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Location
near Gateside, Perth and Kinross
Description
Balvaird Castle is situated on a hilltop in the Ochil Hills. Balvaird is a traditional late Scottish tower house, built around the year 1500 for Sir Andrew Murray. It is likely that Balvaird Castle was built on the site of an earlier castle. Balvaird has some fine architectural features including corbels supporting the corner-roundels of the wall-walk. The kitchen is on the ground floor, and there is a pit prison within the wall. The accommodation has a number of rooms in the main block and wing with the main staircase between them. Accommodation on the first floor extends over the gatehouse. There is a walkway around the main block at roof level, with a lookout tower at the top of the main staircase. The Castle is now owned by Historic Scotland who have done some restoration work. The site is open to the public, but the tower-house is only open on summer weekends
Architecture
tower house
History
A gatehouse was built in 1567 with an outer courtyard was attached to the main gate Another courtyard was a added to the south was a garden, and a large walled garden was built to the north-east. The Murray family continued to live at Balvaird until 1658 when they moved to Scone Palace, near Perth. The castle continued to be inhabited, but not by its owners.
Date
16th century
Other Castles in the Area
Aberdour Castle
Airth Castle
Balgonie Castle
Balhousie Castle
Ballinbreich Castle
Blackness Castle
Broughty Castle
Burleigh Castle
Castle Campbell
Claypotts Castle
Dairsie Castle
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