Methven Castle: Medieval castle once home Queen of Scotland Margaret Tudor hits the market

Only 11 families have ever owned it, but now Methven Castle – once home to Margaret Tudor, the Queen of Scotland – is on the market.

Set in rural Perthshire, the medieval property is one of Scotland’s foremost royal castles and comes with a wealth of history. 

From 1100 the castle was owned by the De-Mowbray Family who later sided with the English in the War of Independence. 

After the battle of Bannockburn in 1314, Robert the Bruce confiscated it and gave the castle to his daughter, Marjorie Bruce. 

Marjorie married the 6th High Stewart of Scotland and her first son, Robert II, was the start of the Stewart dynasty.

In 1437, the second son of Robert II, Walter Stuart, Earl of Atholl was executed for his complicity in the murder of James I of Scotland and Methven Castle reverted to the Crown. It is rumoured that Walter Stuart was buried at Methven Castle.

In 1503 Margaret, the daughter of Henry VII and sister of the infamous Tudor King, Henry VIII, married James IV of Scotland. 

Queen Margaret’s father Henry VII, gave Methven Castle to Margaret as part of the lands of the Queen Dowager of Scotland. She died there in 1541.

The castle dates to 1664 in its current form and has been owned by only 11 families, having undergone several restoration projects over the years.

Now, it’s a modern six-bedroom home set across four floors, but the castle has retained its period charm.

On the ground floor there is a library, an office, a hall, a boot room and a utility room, while the first floor hosts a main living area, a drawing room, a kitchen and dining room, a double bedroom and a bathroom.

The second floor has a great hall and two double bedrooms while the top floor features a gallery and two double bedrooms.

Throughout the castle, turrets house a wine cellar, a walk-in wardrobe and a games room.

The former royal home, complete with an escape tunnel and its own separate cottage, is set over 1.1 acres. It’s on the market with Rettie & Co for £1,050,000.

The property listing reads: ‘The ancestral home of Margaret Tudor, Methven Castle is an A-Listed and sympathetically restored former royal castle, presenting a rare opportunity to acquire a piece of Scotland’s Late Medieval history, wherein a wealth of atmospheric accommodation allows for most comfortable modern living, in a dramatic period setting.’

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