Methven Castle

His descendant, Walter Stewart, Earl of Atholl, was deprived of the lands following his involvement in a plot to kill King James I.

[1] Methven Castle was given to Margaret Tudor (1489–1541), queen of James IV, King of Scots, and daughter of Henry VII of England, on 29 May 1503 as part of her marriage gift.

An early drawing for Methven by Patrick Smythe shows a plan with similarities to Pitreavie Castle near Dunfermline.

[5] 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.

An east wing was added first, then a western extension with a bay window, built around 1815, probably by James Gillespie Graham.

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.