Oblique aerial view of Ballone Castle.

Description Oblique aerial view of Ballone Castle.

Date 9/1969

Collection John Dewar

Catalogue Number RC 2550

Category Photographs and Off-line Digital Images

Copies SC 1544682

Scope and Content Ballone Castle from the south-west, Highland Ballone Castle stands on the coast near Portmahomack. It is a Z-plan tower house built in the mid-16th century for the Dunbars of Easter Tarbet and later inhabited by the Mackenzie family from 1623. The castle had fallen into disrepair by the mid-18th century but was fully restored in the 1990s by architect Lachlan Stewart, and is now a family home. This shows the castle before restoration. The building is composed of a central rectangular block with a circular tower to the north-west, and a square tower to the south-east. Below the circular tower are the remains of vaulted cellars added in the 17th century, possibly servant's accommodation and stores. The rectangular enclosure on the shore (right) may have been a garden. Within the entrance in the south-east tower is a guard room and prison. Beyond this are three tunnel-vaulted rooms, probably the original kitchen and wine cellars. The whole of the first floor was occupied by a large hall, which would have been the focus of daily life in the castle. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

External Reference 5540/N2

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/50377