Scottish Castles

Local information

Scalloway Castle, Hebrides & Isles

Location: Shetland Islands, ZE1 0TQ (map and directions)

Scalloway Castle is located in the town centre, off Castle Road, 5 miles west of Lerwick, on the A970. It was built in the then-capital of Shetland, Scalloway, in 1599 by Patrick Stewart, 2nd Earl of Orkney. A man notorious for his power-hungry cruelty, the purpose of the castle was not to protect against foreign invaders, but rather to tighten his hold on Shetland. This Scottish fortified house was built by forced labour.

Scalloway Castle

History of Scalloway Castle

Designed by Andrew Crawford (who also designed Muness Castle), Scalloway Castle would have included an tower house, an exhibition area and kitchen, complete with a well, and a porters lodge which doubled as a prison where 17th centuries ‘witches’ condemned to die on nearby Gallows Hill awaited their fate.

Scalloway’s grand main staircase in the main hall led up to two more floors which would have been the location of luxury accommodation for the castle’s most important residents. One of two spiral staircases remains, leading to upper floor of the south wing of the castle, and this is open to visitors.

Today, Scalloway Castle is in the hands of Historic Scotland.

Map and directions

Other castles in Hebrides & Isles