Scone Palace

Scone was the inauguration place of Scottish kings from at least the ninth century, on Moot Hill, a low mound beside the present house; kings were seated on the Stone of Destiny, a block of sandstone that was removed to Westminster in 1296 and returned to Scotland in 1996, now kept in Perth. A replica sits on the mound. The abbey that stood here was destroyed in 1559, and the Murray family built the present house from 1803 in Gothic revival style, castellated and turreted in red sandstone. The interiors hold a large collection of papier-mâché objects, ivories and porcelain. The grounds include a Douglas fir grown from seed sent home by David Douglas, who was born on the estate and trained here as a gardener before collecting in North America, and a beech maze planted in 1991.

What you actually see

• Moot Hill - the inauguration mound with a replica Stone of Destiny.
• The 1803 palace - Gothic revival in red sandstone, built after the abbey's loss.
• The Douglas fir - grown from seed sent by the collector born on this estate.
• The beech maze - a tartan-patterned planting laid out in 1991.

When to go

April to October for the palace; the grounds open more widely. Spring bulbs and the pinetum are the garden's strengths. Highland games and other events fill the park on set summer dates.

Honest expectations

The present house is nineteenth century, not medieval, so visitors expecting the coronation site to look ancient will find a Georgian Gothic mansion and a grassy mound. The real Stone of Destiny is in Perth, not here. Photography inside is restricted.

Nearby

Perth is a short drive; the Perthshire glens and Dunkeld lie north.