Everything about Scone Palace totally explained
Scone Palace (pronounced
skoon) is a Category A
listed historic house at
Scone, near
Perth,
Scotland. It was constructed (by recasting a 16th century palace) in 1808 for the
Earls of Mansfield by
William Atkinson. Built of
red sandstone with a castellated roof, it's a classic example of the late
Georgian Gothic style.
In the
Middle Ages the land was the site of a major
Augustinian abbey,
Scone Abbey (nothing now remains above ground level), the crowning-place of the
Kings of the Scots (on the
Stone of Destiny) down to
Alexander III.
Scone Abbey
Scone was as an ancient gathering place of the
Picts, and was probably the site of an early
Christian church. The place of coronation was called
Caislean Credi, 'Hill of Credulity', which survives as the present
Moot Hill. In the Middle Ages the mound was marked with a stone cross, but this disappeared probably at the
Scottish Reformation in
1559, when the Abbey buildings were sacked by a mob from
Dundee.
From 1114 to 1559 Scone was one of
Scotland's major abbeys. It was founded by King
Alexander I. A representation of the church on the Abbey's seal, and some surviving architectural fragments, show that it was built in the
Romanesque style, with a central tower crowned with a spire. Between 1284 and 1402 Scone Abbey (sometimes referred to as the Palace of the Abbots) often served to house the
Parliament of Scotland.
Alexander II and Alexander III, both crowned at Scone, ruled from 1214 to 1286. For centuries the greatest treasure at Scone was the
Stone of Scone upon which the early
Kings of Scotland were crowned. When
Edward I of England carried off the Stone of Scone to
Westminster Abbey in
1296, the
Coronation Chair that still stands in the abbey was specially made to fit over it.
Robert the Bruce was crowned at Scone in 1306 and the last coronation was of
Charles II, when he accepted the Scottish crown in 1651. The Stone of Scone is now in
Edinburgh Castle (
Historic Scotland) along with the
Scottish regalia. In 1604 Scone was the family seat of the
Lords of Scone, a branch of the Murrays of Tullibardine, whose original family seat was
Balvaird Castle.
Scone Palace
Presently on view in the state rooms of Scone Palace are fine collections of furniture, ceramics, ivories, and clocks. Some of the prized contents of Scone Palace are
Rococo chairs by
Pierre Bara, and
Dresden and
Sèvres porcelains. The gardens and grounds are also open to the public. The gardens of Scone feature Moot Hill, the mound was said to have been created by pilgrims each carrying a bootful of soil to the site in a gesture of fealty to the king. A replica of the Stone of Scone sits on Moot Hill, where coronations occurred. Elsewhere in the garden, there's a modern day
maze created of hedges.
The grounds of the Palace are the best-known breeding locality in Scotland for
Hawfinch. There are fine woodlands on the grounds and policies of Scone Palace, some of the fir trees being at least 250 years old.
A number of
peacocks roam the grounds, including several
albino males.
The palace annually hosts the
Game Conservancy Scottish Fair
.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Scone Palace'.
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