This term we are learning about David Balfour and the impact he had on Shapinsay. He built Balfour Castle in 1847-1848, but he did a lot more to improve Shapinsay. We can still see a lot of the things he did today, including Shapinsay’s square fields.

Sheila Garson (a local historian and author) came in to talk to us about him, and about how Shapinsay has changed since David Balfour’s time.

Then we went to the Shapinsay Heritage Centre where we looked at lots of evidence from the Victorian times. We had been learning about primary sources of evidence and it was great to see them in person.

We also went to Balfour Castle, where we even saw some things from David Balfour’s time in the castle.