Balta Island

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Balta is an uninhabited island in Shetland, Scotland, lying east of Unst and Balta Sound. It has an area of 0.8 km².

Historic remains on the island include the ruins of a broch and of a Norse chapel dedicated to Saint Sunniva. There are no census records of more recent inhabitation<ref name="haswell">Haswell-Smith, Hamish. The Scottish Islands. ISBN 1-84195-454-3.</ref>.

An early concrete lighthouse designed by David A. Stevenson, was built in 1895 at the southern tip of the island. This structure was demolished in 2003 when it was replaced by a small solar powered light<ref name="news">Marter, Hans J.. "Historic lighthouse to go", shetland-news.co.uk, 10 November 2003.</ref>.

A natural arch is located on the eastern side of the island.