Scone Palace

Scone is a place that breathes history like nowhere else in Scotland. Today, in the 21st century, it is the home of the Earls of Mansfield, and a major attraction to visitors from all over the world.

Fifteen hundred years ago, it was the capital of the Pictish kingdom and the centre of the ancient Celtic church. In the intervening centuries, it has been the seat of parliaments and the crowning place of Kings. It has housed the Stone of Destiny and been immortalised in Shakespeare's Macbeth.

Poised above the River Tay, the Palace overlooks the routes north to the Highlands and east through Strathmore to the coast. The Grampian mountains form a distant backdrop, and across the river stands the city of Perth.

Two thousand years ago, the Romans camped here, at the very limit of their empire. They never defeated the warlike Picts, who later came to rule Scone, but the followers of St Columba had more success. By the early 7th century, a group of early Christians, the Culdees or servants of God, had established themselves here.

The Palace

There is a great deal for visitors to see in a tour of Scone Palace. The State Dining Room is a very fine south-facing room. A unique collection of large European ivories, amounting to no less than 72 pieces, is housed here.

The State Drawing Room was formerly the 18th century Dining Room of the Palace. The walls are clad in early 19th century Lyons silk and dominated by a huge pair of Royal portraits by Allan Ramsay of King George III and Queen Charlotte.

The Library offers glimpses over parkland pastures to the River Tay, one of the most famous salmon rivers in the world. The Library now possesses fewer books than its name might suggest, their place having been taken by a breathtaking array of extremely fine quality porcelain.

The Inner Hall is a spacious room with north-facing windows and two 17th century carved oak fireplaces.

The floor of the Long Gallery has been walked by many kings and queens, including Charles II on his way to his coronation on the Moot Hill in 1651; the Old Pretender (father of Bonnie Prince Charlie), who visited during the 1715 Jacobite Rebellion; Bonnie Prince Charlie, who visited during the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion; and Queen Victoria, who received a demonstration of the principles of curling using the polished floor of the Long Gallery in place of ice. Dating from 1580, this is one of the oldest parts of the Palace.

The Palace Grounds

The Moot Hill was the Ancient Crowning Place of the Kings of Scots. It is located immediately in front of the Palace and is crowned by a tiny Presbyterian Chapel, which, like the Palace, was Gothicized around 1804.

A replica of the Stone of Scone sits in front of the Chapel.

Situated in the open space between the Palace and the Wild Garden and Pinetum, are the lawns and formal Gardens. The lawns are home to free-roaming peacocks.

The unique Murray Star Maze, designed by international maze designer, Adrian Fisher, and the children's play area provide more energetic diversions, particularly for our younger visitors, while a picnic area offers an alternative to our coffee shop and restaurant on summer days. There are also donkeys, sheep and Highland Cattle in adjacent fields. The family graveyard provides further historical interest.

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