Balfour Castle, Shapinsay, Orkney, 21 October 2011

AN evening out at an island castle was the stuff of fairy tales from the moment we stepped aboard the ferry to sail from Thomas Telford’s pier at Kirkwall Harbour.

THE late engineer himself – in Victorian costume – emerged from the deck as managing director of EMEC, Neil Kermode, got in role and cast off his 21st century marine renewables cloak. We heard how Kirkwall was just a sandy bay until Telford designed the harbour – a tiny job compared with his Caledonian Canal project.

We chugged on a flat calm night across to the isle of Shapinsay to celebrate the 200th birthday of David Balfour, the 4th laird of Balfour and Trenaby and coincidentally the 200th anniversary of Kirkwall Pier.

Music Balfour knew, and the story of his extraordinary life was promised.   In an act of pure showmanship, fireworks heralded our arrival as we sailed within view of Balfour Castle and all the house lights came on simultaneously.

Ghillies and the factor in tweed welcomed us as we made our way, with some excitement, up the dark path for a night of 19th century style music and drama in the gracious drawing room.  Bruce Mainland on recorder and tin whistle and Lesley Poulter on piano and recorder stylishly played a selection of sonata excerpts, hornpipes and minuets by Handel and Purcell, among others.

Dave Grieve narrated the programme as David Balfour – bewhiskered and every inch the laird, he was totally believable. He welcomed us to his home with the introduction to Songs from Ancient Orkney Melodies, which Balfour had collected and published in 1885: “To Orkney. These dying echoes of her old memories are inscribed by a loving son.”

Sarah Jane Gibbon learned and beautifully sang some of these rescued songs, including ‘Far o’er the Blue Water’, accompanied by Robert Gibbon on accordion.

The musicians came and went from the stage using the secret passage hidden behind a false set of bookshelves which leads to the conservatory. This was used by Balfour and his family to escape from unwelcome guests.

Balfour continued the drama, recounting his childhood as the third son which was shattered by the deaths of his two elder brothers and mother. After settling in Edinburgh for a life in the legal profession and being inspired by Burns, Scott and Mendelssohn, he returned to Orkney to do his duty.

He had great plans for the estate which led to clashes with the kirk. He introduced farming improvements which exist today. And his collecting of Orkney’s musical heritage is still studied and valued.

After marrying, he and his wife took the Grand Tour to Italy while craftsmen built Balfour Castle, designed by David Bryce in the Scottish baronial style. It was pure magic to sit in Balfour’s own drawing room among his European treasures and hear fiddler Fiona Driver and guitarist Graham Simpson play traditional dance tunes. And real Balfour estate factor Nic Thake did a convincing job of playing David Balfour’s own factor.

We enjoyed having a peek in the castle, especially the amazing bathrooms used for the ‘comfort breaks’ and also the haggis ball canapés served on silver platters.

The entertainment was superbly researched and directed by Sweyn Hunter, with David McCowan Hill, who hosted the event. Like Cinderella, we discovered all fairy tales come to an end eventually, but we took away with us an enduring memory of a magical evening at the castle and a glimpse into how David Balfour may once have greeted his own guests.

© Catherine Tunbull, 2011

Links

• Balfour Castle