Scone Palace facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Scone Palace |
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Scone Palace, front façade
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| Location | Perth, Perth and Kinross, Scotland, United Kingdom |
| Built | 12th century |
| Rebuilt | 1802–1807 |
| Architect | William Atkinson |
| Architectural style(s) | Gothic Revival style |
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Scone Palace (pronounced skoon) is a very old and important house near the village of Scone and the city of Perth, Scotland. It's a special historic building, known as a Category A-listed building. For over 400 years, Scone Palace has been the family home of the Earls of Mansfield. It's built from red sandstone and has a roof with castle-like towers, showing off the Gothic Revival style.
Long ago, Scone was home to an early Christian church, and later a large Augustinian monastery called Scone Abbey. In 1559, during a time of big changes in Scotland called the Scottish Reformation, a group of people from Dundee damaged the Abbey. Even after this, the Abbey became a private home in 1600.
In the early 1800s, the Palace was made much bigger by an architect named William Atkinson. He was asked to update the old palace but keep its medieval style. Most of this work was finished by 1807.
Today, Scone Palace and its large gardens are open for people to visit. The grounds have many interesting trees and a fun, star-shaped maze.
Contents
History of Scone Palace
Ancient Times
Scotland started keeping written records and laws later than some other places. The first clear record about Scone is a document from the year 906. This shows how old and important the area is.
Why is it Called Scone?
No one knows exactly why the area is called "Scone." It's pronounced skoon. Scone was a key place in the ancient Pictish kingdom. So, its name might come from the Pictish language. Some people think "Scone" comes from a word meaning "cut" or "cutting." This could be linked to a place called "the Friars' Den."
Kings and Coronations
Scone has been a very important place for Scottish kings for a long time. Since at least the 9th century, it was where the Kings of Scots were crowned. It was also home to the famous Stone of Scone, also known as the Stone of Destiny.
Many famous kings were crowned at Scone, including Kenneth MacAlpin (the first King of Scots), Shakespeare's Macbeth, Robert the Bruce, and Charles II. People believed that a king couldn't truly rule Scotland unless they were crowned at Scone on the Stone of Scone.
In the Middle Ages, Scone was also the site of the first Parliament of Scotland. In 906, King Constantine II held an important meeting there. This meeting was recorded in an old book called the Chronicle of the Kings of Alba. It said that the King and a Bishop met at the Hill of Belief near Scone. They promised to follow the laws of faith and the church.
This shows that Scone was a major center of power in the early Scottish kingdom. It was where kings were crowned and where important laws were made. It was also a royal home and a hunting ground. King Robert II lived much of his life at Scone.
An old saying shows how important Scone was: "As the Bell of Scone rang, So mote it be." This means that when decisions were made at Scone, they became the law of the land.
The Moot Hill
The Moot Hill at Scone is the special place where Scottish Kings were crowned. It's also called 'Boot Hill'. One old story says that nobles would bring soil from their own lands in their boots. They would stand on this soil when they promised loyalty to the king. This way, the Moot Hill became a symbol of all parts of Scotland. When the king stood on it, he was symbolically standing on all of Scotland as he made his promises to the people.
Scone Abbey
Scone was an ancient meeting place for the Picts and likely had an early Christian church. The coronation spot, the Moot Hill, was once marked with a stone cross. This cross probably disappeared during the Scottish Reformation in 1559, when a group from Dundee damaged the Abbey buildings.
From 1114 to 1559, Scone was one of Scotland's most important monasteries. It later became an abbey. Pictures and old pieces of the church show it was built in the Romanesque style. Between 1284 and 1402, Scone Abbey was often used to host the Parliament of Scotland.
For centuries, the most valuable item at Scone was the Stone of Scone. This was the stone upon which early Scottish kings were crowned. In 1296, Edward I of England took the Stone of Scone to Westminster Abbey. The Coronation Chair there was made to fit over it.
Robert the Bruce was crowned at Scone in 1306. The last king crowned there was Charles II in 1651. Today, the Stone of Scone is kept at Edinburgh Castle along with the Scottish crown jewels.
Scone Abbey was important for over 400 years. But in 1559, it was mostly destroyed by a group during the Reformation. In 1580, the abbey lands were given to Lord Ruthven. The Ruthvens rebuilt the Abbot's Palace into a grand home. In 1600, King James VI accused the Ruthven family of treason. Their lands at Scone were then given to Sir David Murray, one of the king's most loyal supporters.
In 1604, Scone Palace became the family home of the Murrays of Scone. These Murrays were related to the Murrays of Tullibardine, whose original home was Balvaird Castle.
The Modern Palace
The Scone Palace you see today was finished in 1807. It was designed by William Atkinson for the 3rd Earl of Mansfield. It's built from red sandstone in the Gothic Revival style and has a roof with castle-like features. One of its most famous parts is the long gallery inside.
The gardens around the Palace were designed by John Claudius Loudon. More work was done in 1842 to get Scone Palace ready for a visit from Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
Inside Scone Palace, you can see amazing collections of furniture, pottery, ivory carvings, and clocks. Some special items include chairs by Pierre Bara, pieces by Robert Adam and Chippendale, and beautiful porcelains. There's also a writing desk given to the 2nd Earl of Mansfield by Marie-Antoinette. The Palace also has many portraits of Scottish and British people, including paintings by Reynolds and Ramsay. One very well-known painting is "The Village Politicians" by Sir David Wilkie.
The Lennox Room, named after the Duke of Lennox, has items with royal connections. This includes a bed-hanging made by Mary Queen of Scots.
The Palace also has a collection of large ivory carvings from Europe. These were made in the 1600s, 1700s, and 1800s from elephant and walrus tusks. They were mostly collected by William David Murray, the 4th Earl of Mansfield.
The grounds of Scone Palace include the Moot Hill, which was the crowning place of the kings of Scots. A copy of the Stone of Scone sits on the Moot Hill. In front of it is a chapel from the 1600s. Inside the chapel, there's a beautiful monument dedicated to the 1st Lord Scone. The chapel also has a monument to the first wife of the 2nd Earl of Mansfield.
The Murray Star shaped maze is very large, covering 1600 square meters. It's made from copper and green beech trees, arranged to look like the Earl of Mansfield's family tartan. The maze is shaped like a five-pointed star, which is part of the Mansfield family symbol.
The Palace grounds also have beautiful woodlands with very old fir trees, some over 250 years old. Scone Palace was the first place in Britain where the Douglas fir tree species was planted by the botanist David Douglas.
Notable Gardeners
- David Douglas (botanist)
- David Taylor Fish
See also
In Spanish: Palacio de Scone para niños
