Balconie Castle

Balconie Castle once stood half a mile east of Evanton in the Highland parish of Kiltearn. It belonged to the Earls of Ross before passing to Clan Donald in the 15th century. Alexander MacDonald of Lochalsh gave a grand Christmas feast there in 1485, inviting Highland chiefs and their followers. Kenneth Mackenzie arrived with forty men and was lodged in a kiln, sparking a violent clash. The castle later became a seat of the Munros of Coul and Balconie for nearly two centuries. The building passed through Mackenzie and Fraser hands in the 19th century. Architects Andrew Maitland & Sons recorded alterations in 1891. During the Second World War it served as an army billet under George Bankes. After the war it was bought by timber merchant A.J.M. Munro but fell into ruin and was demolished in the 1960s. Only a small ice-house remains today, marked by a field grid reference. The castle’s walled garden and stables still survive, privately owned by a Maclean family. The site lies near Evanton, surrounded by quiet Highland countryside. Visitors can walk the old paths and see the remaining stone structures. The ice-house stands as the last trace of the grand castle. The surrounding field offers a peaceful view of where history once stood.