Balintore Castle is a

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...

Category A listed building in Scotland. Balintor Castle2

The castle occupies an elevated site in moorland above Balintore village, a few miles north of the

Loch of Lintrathen Loch of Lintrathen is a man-made loch occupying a glacial basin at the southern end of Glen Isla, approximately west of town of Kirriemuir in Angus, Scotland. The small village of Bridgend of Lintrathen lies on the southern shore of the loch, w ...

, near Kirriemuir,

Angus Angus may refer to: Media * ''Angus'' (film), a 1995 film * ''Angus Og'' (comics), in the ''Daily Record'' Places Australia * Angus, New South Wales Canada * Angus, Ontario, a community in Essa, Ontario * East Angus, Quebec Scotland * Angu ...

. A tower house named Balintor existed on the site in the late 16th century, according to Timothy Pont's maps. It was designed in 1859 by the architect William Burn. A typical example of the Scottish Baronial style, it features an abundance of turreted towers and gables, and a gone

oriel window An oriel window is a form of bay window which protrudes from the main wall of a building but does not reach to the ground. Supported by corbels, bracket (architecture), brackets, or similar cantilevers, an oriel window is most commonly found pro ...

. The main tower is topped by a balustraded viewing platform similar to that of Buchanan Castle. The centrepiece of the interior is the

great hall A great hall is the main room of a royal palace, castle or a large manor house or hall house in the Middle Ages, and continued to be built in the country houses of the 16th and early 17th centuries, although by then the family used the great ...

, and there is also a gallery, bedrooms, dinner service room, women servant's sitting room, brushing room, beer cellar, lumber room, butler's pantry, dining room, and a library. Balintore Castle was commissioned as a sporting lodge by David Lyon, MP, who had inherited a fortune made by his family through investments in the East India Company. Latterly the castle was used only during the shooting season. In the 1960s it was decided not to repair the extensive dry rot, and it was abandoned. The castle then stood empty until 2007, during which time its condition deteriorated to point of endangering the structure. Balintore Castle has been listed in the

Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland The Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland records buildings of national architectural or historic interest which are considered to be under threat. The list is maintained by Historic Environment Scotland (HES). The register was established in 1 ...

since it started in 1990. Angus Council used its compulsory purchase powers to buy it from its absentee Far Eastern owners, and it is now in the hands of a Scotsman who is restoring it and residing there.

References

External links

Balintore Castle at Geograph British IslesBalintore Castle Restoration ProjectBalintore Castle Restoration Project BlogBalintore Castle Holiday Accommodation Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Balintore Castle Houses completed in 1859 Category A listed buildings in Angus, Scotland Castles in Angus, Scotland Listed houses in Scotland