Castles · Central Scotland
Balvaird Castle
In or near Gateside.
Balvaird Castle — castle in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, UK.
Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 1.5 h–3 h
- Free entry
- Family-friendly
- Limited wheelchair access
Getting there & planning your visit
To visit Balvaird Castle, use the postcode KY14 7SW for sat-nav coordinates. Entry details are not specified, but accessibility is limited for wheelchair users.
About
Balvaird Castle is a castle in the United Kingdom — fortified architecture from the medieval, Tudor, or Victorian-revival period. Heritage designation: scheduled monument. Wikidata describes it as: "castle in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, UK". Coordinates: 56.2889°, -3.3428°.
Photo gallery
Heritage listing
Balvaird Castle in Perthshire is a traditional late medieval Scottish tower house. It is located in the Ochil Hills, around five kilometres (three miles) south of Abernethy. The name Balvaird is from Baile a' Bhàird, 'Township of the Bard' in Gaelic. Balvaird Castle is a scheduled monument, and is in the care of Historic Environment Scotland. The spelling of its name has many variations, including Balverd, Balverde, Balward, Balwaird and Baleward.
From Historic Environment Scotland under OGL v3.
From Historic Environment Scotland
Read a brief overview of Balvaird Castle, the comfortable 1500s tower house that was home to the Murrays of Balvaird. Visit the site, or contact us today for more information.
Read more on the official property page.
From the Wikipedia article
Balvaird Castle in Perthshire is a traditional late medieval Scottish tower house. It is located in the Ochil Hills, around five kilometres (three miles) south of Abernethy. The name Balvaird is from Baile a' Bhàird, 'Township of the Bard' in Gaelic. Balvaird Castle is a scheduled monument, and is in the care of Historic Environment Scotland. The spelling of its name has many variations, including Balverd, Balverde, Balward, Balwaird and Baleward.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
History
Balvaird was built around the year 1495 for Sir Andrew Murray, a younger son of the family of Murray of Tullibardine. He acquired the lands of Balvaird through marriage to the heiress Margaret Barclay, a member of a wealthy family and daughter of James Barclay of Kippo. It is likely that Balvaird Castle was built on the site of an earlier Barclay family castle. Substantial remnants of earthwork fortifications around the Castle may survive from earlier defences. Balvaird is first mentioned in the written historical record in 1498 as 'the place of Balward' in the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland.
Architecture
Balvaird is notable among Scottish castles of its date for its refined architectural detail. Features include corbels in the form of carved heads supporting the corner-roundels of the wall-walk, an unusually elaborate aumbry (wall-cupboard) in the first-floor hall and a cap-house above the stair in the form of a miniature tower-house. The ornamentation and dressing throughout are made of red sandstone. It has been suggested that some or all of these carved stone features may have been brought to Balvaird for re-use from an ecclesiastical building. The inclusion of a kitchen on the ground floor is unusual for a building built in this period, and the inverted keyhole gun-holes clearly date…
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 56.2889, -3.3428
- District
- Perth and Kinross
- Postcode
- KY14 7SW
- Parliamentary constituency
- Perth and Kinross-shire
- Opening
- Open all year round
- Official site
- www.historicenvironment.scot
Sources
- wikidata: Q3938333 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Balvaird Castle (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- commons: Balvaird Castle.jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Balvaird Castle?
- Balvaird Castle is in central Scotland, United Kingdom (postcode KY14 7SW).
- What is Balvaird Castle?
- Balvaird Castle — castle in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, UK.
- How do I get to Balvaird Castle?
- Drivers can use postcode KY14 7SW.
- Who owns Balvaird Castle?
- Balvaird Castle is owned by Brady Brim-DeForest.
- Is Balvaird Castle a listed building?
- Balvaird Castle is officially recognised as scheduled monument listed.
- Does Balvaird Castle charge admission?
- Balvaird Castle typically charges admission. Check the official site for current ticket prices and opening hours.
- How do I get to Balvaird Castle?
- Drivers can navigate to postcode KY14 7SW. It sits within the Perth and Kinross-shire parliamentary constituency.