Scalloway Castle
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Scalloway Castle by Gerald England as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk
Scalloway Castle
Image: © Gerald England Taken: 1 May 2026
Built in 1599 by Earl Patrick Stewart who had succeeded his father, Robert, to the earldom of Orkney and lordship of Shetland in 1592. Earl Patrick's rule was an unpopular one, and Scalloway Castle became a symbol of his ruthless oppression of the Shetland people. He was arrested in 1609, and executed along with his son Robert in Edinburgh in 1615. At his trial, Patrick was accused of forcing the inhabitants of Orkney and Shetland to labour on the construction of his residences. Scalloway Castle served as both a residence and a courthouse. Situated on a natural promontory, its surviving tower house would originally have been surrounded by ancillary buildings and yards. https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/scalloway-castle/history/ (Historic Environment Scotland).
Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
Image Location
Latitude
60.135608
Longitude
-1.274354