Balconie Castle

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Balconie Castle lay in the parish of Kiltearn, about half a mile east of the village of Evanton^[1] in the Highlands of Scotland. It was an old seat of the Mormaers and Earls of Ross, chiefs of Clan Ross.

The castle was later held by their successors, the Clan MacDonald, Earls of Ross. The castle was also held at various times by the Clan Munro, as well as having a period of Clan MacKenzie ownership and an interlude of ownership under the Clan Fraser, which saw the nearby village of Evanton laid out. However, after the Earls of Ross, the most frequent owners were the Munros of Balconie.

Alterations and additions were documented in 1891 by architects Andrew Maitland & Sons.^[2]

By the start of the Second World War, the castle was owned by one George Banks and used as a summer home. During the War, the building was requisitioned by the army and used as a billet. After the war, the castle was bought by A.J.M. Munro, a timber merchant from Alness, and lay empty for some years, dry rot being only one of the problems.

The building fell into disrepair and by the 1960s was unsafe. To prevent a serious accident - local children were prone to explore the place - it was demolished and the rubble used in the construction of the new aluminium smelter a few miles away at Invergordon.

Nothing is left of the building - it is just a field. The location was approximately Ordnance Survey grid reference NH615657. However, the castle's walled garden survives and is privately owned.