There are few castles in Shetland, the northernmost of the Northern Isles which lie off the coast of Scotland. Shetland is well known for its prehistoric heritage including several well-preserved brochs and iron-age promontory forts, and the islands were later a centre of Viking culture. In the Middle Ages when stone castles became more common in Scotland and elsewhere, few were built in Shetland: the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland record only one such site, the ruins on Castle Holm on an islet within Loch of Strom. The two surviving castles were both built around the same time, by the Stewart and Bruce families who were initially allies but later feuded with one another. The much later Vaila Tower is a 19th-century folly, elaborated by the laird of Vaila from an existing watch tower.
List
edit| Name | Type | Date | Condition | Ownership | Location | Notes | Picture |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castle Holm | 12th century | Loch of Strom HU 3953 4753 |
The remains of a 12th-century castle stand on this islet, linked to the shore by a causeway. The ruin measures approximately 5.5 by 6.5 metres (18 by 21 ft).[1] It is a scheduled monument.[2] | 
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| Muness Castle | 1598 | Unst HP 6295 0116 |
Scheduled monument.[3] | 
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| Scalloway Castle | 1600 | Scalloway HU 4043 3923 |
Scheduled monument.[4] | 
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| Vaila Tower or Mucklaberry Tower[5] | 19th century | Vaila HU 2212 4679 |
This small, two-storey tower is said to have been a watch tower, built in the early 19th century by the laird of Vaila House to oversee smuggling operations. The tower was rebuilt around 1900 as a gothic folly. Category B listed building.[6] | 
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See also
editNotes
edit- ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Castle Holm (679)". Canmore. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
- ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Castle Holm, castle 180m ESE of Churchtown (SM2100)". Retrieved 28 March 2019.
- ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Muness Castle (SM90224)". Retrieved 28 March 2019.
- ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Scalloway Castle (SM90273)". Retrieved 28 March 2019.
- ^ "Mucklaberry Tower". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
- ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Vaila, Vaila Tower (Category B Listed Building) (LB18607)". Retrieved 28 March 2019.
