Methven Castle, Category A listed building in Perth and Kinross, Scotland
Methven Castle is a four-storey building with a square main block and circular towers at each corner, featuring traditional ogee-shaped roofs and roughcast exterior walls. The grounds include woodlands and garden areas that connect the main structure to the surrounding landscape.
Margaret Tudor, daughter of King Henry VII of England, came to the castle in 1528 following her marriage to Henry Stewart and remained there until her death in 1541. The building was later reconstructed around 1664 into its current form, receiving its distinctive appearance at that time.
The Smythe family shaped the castle during the 18th and 19th centuries through major building additions and improvements to the surrounding parklands. The visible changes to both the structure and gardens show how successive generations reshaped the place according to their preferences.
Reaching the building requires walking across grassland, so suitable footwear is recommended. The best seasons to visit are spring and summer, when the gardens appear greener and the grounds are easy to navigate.
David Smythe had extensive woodlands planted and a walled garden constructed in the late 1700s, shaping the landscape visible today. This deliberate transformation of the grounds into organized parkland reflects the influence of enlightened landscape thinking of that era.
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