INTERIOR
Above: This four-poster bed certainly has the wow factor.
is theirs when they stay,’ says David. ‘It can be difficult letting people into your own home but sometimes we’re invited to share in their stay and at other times we stay out of the way, depending on our guests’ wishes. We’ve met some lovely people from all over the world and we’ve also shared weddings and a surprise engagement as well as other celebrations.’ The B&B business was also the impetus for creat-
ing the romantic Tudor Rose bedroom. ‘We were inspired by the Margaret Tudor connection,’ David recalls. In the 15th century, Methven became part of the lands for the Queen Dowager of Scotland Margaret Tudor, the eldest daughter of Henry VII of England and the elder sister of Henry VIII. Margaret married James IV of Scotland
FIELD
FACTS Methven Castle, Methven, Perth. Tel: 01738 840016 www.
methvencastle.com
in 1503 but was widowed after the battle of Flodden Field in 1513. Their son, James V, gave a Royal Charter of the Lordship and Barony of Methven and Balquidder to Margaret and her third husband, Henry Stuart Lord Methven, on their marriage in 1528. Queen Margaret later died at Methven Castle in 1541, aged 52. ‘We wanted a design which incorporated
the thistle and the rose but which also had a modern feel,’ Alex continues. The result is hard to describe. Even with a traditional four poster bed, the room does have a surprisingly contem- porary feel which is even more peculiar when you find out where everything has come from. ‘Throughout the castle we’ve tried to source chandeliers and curtain fabrics that are in
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keeping with the largely Georgian interior. Most of the fabrics came from County Fabrics in Crook of Devon and a family friend has made all the curtains.’ However, in the Tudor Rose bedroom, the floor was salvaged from a church in Perth which David sanded by hand. He also stripped all the shutters and the four poster bed was made by David’s father. David continues: ‘In a truly sustainable approach,
the whole building has
been refurbished with bits and pieces from other buildings around Perthshire and beyond.’ David isn’t joking: there are floor joists from
Dewar’s whisky bond, (now the location for the ice rink in Perth), maple flooring from Hunt- ingtower bleach works and, from further afield, organ pipes from Bo’ness Old Kirk, which is why the mezzanine room is another surprise. Tucked away on the upper floor behind an
unassuming door is a contemporary two-storey room with bathroom which also incorporates a spiral staircase and mezzanine level. ‘People don’t really expect to find this in a castle but we thought it was a great way to use the space and if you climb half way up the staircase you can see through the original doorway into the Great Hall.’ Methven is a castle full of surprises and, as
David and Alex continue their project, I’m sure there will be many more. One gets the impres- sion that the renovation of Methven and its environs will never be finished but with David and Alex at the helm it will evolve gradually and gracefully through the decades.
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