Methven Castle

Methven Castle

Methven Castleis a privately owned 17th-century house situated east ofMethven,inPerth and Kinross,Scotland.

History

The lands of Methven were owned by the Mowbray family from the 12th century. The Mowbrays supported the claim ofJohn BalliolagainstRobert the Bruce,and on the latter's victory Methven was confiscated by the crown, and given toWalter Stewart,the Bruce's son-in-law. His descendant,Walter Stewart, Earl of Atholl,was deprived of the lands following his involvement in a plot to killKing James I.The castle sustained a siege in 1444, and was visited byKing James IIin 1450.King James IVvisited several times in the 1490s.

Methven Castle was given toMargaret Tudor(1489–1541), queen ofJames IV,King of Scots, and daughter ofHenry VII of England,on 29 May 1503 as part of her marriage gift.She lived at Methven after her third marriage toHenry Stewart, 1st Lord Methven,in 1528. Margaret Tudor died here on 18 October 1541. After the third Lord Methven died without heir in 1584,King James VIgave Methven to his favourite, theDuke of Lennox.In 1664 the estate was purchased by Patrick Smythe of Braco.

The present building is dated 1664, and was designed and built by the mason-architectJohn Mylne.It may incorporate older work including the central spine wall. An early drawing for Methven by Patrick Smythe shows a plan with similarities toPitreavie Castlenear Dunfermline. The architectJames Smithmay have been involved in the project.

The Smythe family remained in possession throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, making additions to the castle and the grounds. In 1923 the castle was sold, and changed hands several times until 1984, when owner and architect Kenneth Murdoch began extensive restoration work.The east wing was demolished, following the west wing which was pulled down in the 1950s, leaving only the 17th-century house, which was given a new roof. The castle is currently owned by David Murdoch, and is a category Alisted building.

Architecture

It comprises a square, four-storey main block, with narrow circular towers at each corner. These haveogee-shaped roofs, and the whole building isharled.The north front has a pair ofcrow-stepped gables,linked by a balustrade. An east wing was added first, then a western extension with abay window,built around 1815, probably byJames Gillespie Graham.Graham produced designs for rebuilding the whole structure, but this was never carried out.The building also had a clock tower, but this was demolished around 1965. Inside, the building was remodelled in 1800, and only a stair remains of the original interiors.

Grounds

Parkland was laid out around the castle from the late 18th century.David Smythe, Lord Methvenplanted many of the woodlands, and awalled gardenwas constructed in 1796. In 1830 a pinetum, anarboretumconsisting of conifers, was established, and is considered the first in Scotland. David's son William continued to expand the estate and constructed glasshouses. Although the woodlands continued to be managed into the 20th century, the gardens were neglected and numerous trees felled, including much of the pinetum, in the 1950s. The largest surviving tree is the Pepperwell Oak, with a girth of 22 feet 10 inches (6.96 m), as measured in 1985.In 1883 this tree was thought to be already 400 years old.The parks and gardens are listed in theInventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland,the national listing of significant gardens.