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Balfour Castle is a mansion on the southwest of Shapinsay, Orkney Islands, built in 1847 in the Scottish Baronial style. The present-day building incorporates part of the earlier Clifford House that previously occupied the site. The castle was commissioned by Colonel David Balfour, whose family had acquired the Estate of Sound (West Shapinsay) on which the castle sits. It was designed by the Edinburgh architect David Bryce, and is a Category A listed buildingStructure of particular architectural and/or historic interest deserving of special protection..[1] Its grounds and formal gardens are also listed in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland.[2]
The nearby village of Balfour was built to provide accommodation for the craftsmen and islanders engaged in the construction of the castle.[3]