Balfour, Orkney facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Balfour |
|
|---|---|
 Balfour Harbour, quay and slipway |
|
 Balfour
|
|
| OS grid reference | HY479164 |
| Civil parish | |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ORKNEY |
| Postcode district | KW17 |
| Dialling code | 01856 |
| Police | Northern |
| Fire | Highlands and Islands |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament |
|
| Scottish Parliament |
|
Balfour is a small village on Shapinsay island in Orkney, Scotland. It sits on Elwick Bay. This bay was once used by Haakon IV of Norway, a Viking king. He sailed from here in 1263 before a big battle.
Today, Balfour still has a harbour. It has walls that look like old castle defenses. These were built at the same time as the castle. A car ferry sails from the harbour to Kirkwall. This ferry service became a modern roll-on/roll-off service in 1990.
History of Balfour Village
Balfour was first known as Shoreside. It was built in the 1780s by Thomas Balfour. He was a farmer who became wealthy. Thomas bought the Sound estate. Its old house had been burned down. In 1782, Thomas cleared out some farmers to build a new home. He also used part of the common land. He built Shoreside village to house the people who had to move. Thomas borrowed money from his brother John. John had made a lot of money working for the British East India Company.
In 1846, Thomas's grandson, David Balfour, took over the estate. By then, it covered the whole island. The next year, David hired an architect named David Bryce. He wanted Bryce to change Cliffdale House into the grand Balfour Castle. This castle is built in the Scottish Baronial style.
At the same time, many changes came to the village. It was renamed Balfour. Some parts of the village were taken down. This was done to make the view from the castle better. But many improvements were also made. David Balfour added a large gatehouse. This building is now the village pub. It is also home to the local football team. He also built a water mill and a gas works. The gas works kept running until the 1920s.
To supply water to the mill, a river was dammed. This created a wetland called Mill Dam. Today, Mill Dam is an important place for birds. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) looks after it. Many bird species live here. You can see water rails, pintails, and black-headed gulls. Sometimes, whooper swans also breed here.
In 1960, a Polish Cavalry officer named Tadeusz Zawadzki bought the castle. It now operates as a hotel. Electricity came to Balfour in the 1970s. It arrived through an undersea cable.
Buildings You Can See
Balfour's old smithy, where metal was worked, is now the Shapinsay Heritage Centre. It also has a craft shop and a cafe. The village also has a local shop. It is home to the island's only petrol pump.
