17/08/2026
A look back at the Balloch Chessmen, a set we devised for a castle near Loch Tay. There are nine unique bronze figures, sculpted by the incredibly talented .artist and cast by
The 1500s. A bitter feud rages between Clan Gregor and Clan Campbell. The powerful Colin Campbell of Glenorchy, Grey Colin as he came to be known by virtue of his white hair and long, flowing beard, resided in the nascent tower house of Balloch Castle, on lands from which he had evicted Clan Gregor.
Gregor Roy MacGregor was chief of a clan on the cusp of being outlawed. Through subterfuge or ill fortune, he found himself in the clutches of Grey Colin, who imprisoned him at Balloch and, before long, secured permission for his ex*****on. It was carried out a short walk from the tower house, where this chess set now resides, and some would have you believe that Grey Colin carried out the ex*****on personally.
The Balloch Chessmen offer another try at history, a mimetic duel in miniature, where two clans face off once more across the chequered floor and, as before, victory is sealed with guile and defeat with blunder.
The chessboard is inlaid into an elm burr slab, with squares of sycamore and walnut.
If there’s a conflict you would like to resettle, we are taking commissions to reimagine this idea in any way you like. Perhaps you’d like to give the Romans another go at beating Hannibal at Cannae. Maybe the shield wall of Harold Godwinson’s housecarls holds back the Normans. Perchance Napoleon snatches victory at Waterloo. It could even be that you’re locked in a generational feud with another family and would like to pit yourselves against them.
