Balvaird Castle, Medieval tower house in Perth and Kinross, Scotland.
Balvaird Castle is a medieval defensive tower in Perth and Kinross, featuring a four-storey L-shaped structure with a main block, a wing, and a stair tower meeting at right angles. The arrangement creates distinct sections that served different functions within the fortified building.
The castle was built around 1495 for Sir Andrew Murray, who gained control of the lands through marriage to Margaret Barclay, the daughter of James Barclay of Kippo. This union connected two important local families and shaped the property's ownership for generations to come.
The name comes from the Gaelic 'Baile a' Bhàird', meaning 'Township of the Bard'. Visitors walking around the grounds can sense this connection to Scotland's spoken heritage through the landscape itself.
You can view the outside of the castle year-round, but the interior remains closed for safety reasons. Plan to spend time exploring the exterior and walking around the surrounding grounds.
The castle has a clever drainage system where toilet vents pass through a single shaft that rainwater from the roof flushes clean. This design shows how medieval builders solved practical problems with ingenuity.
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