Megginch Castle

This afternoon I felt as if I had stepped back in time into a set for Downtown Abbey: a 15th century castle, tea under ancient yew trees, acres of rolling lawns, perfectly manicured flower beds, rare plants brought back from China, avenues of elm trees, a folly, topiary, and private chapel complete with family graves and much more

For this hidden gem is Megginch castle, and today they had a special opening for charity under Scotlands Garden scheme.


( It is open to the public from April to May but without the teas).

It was the family home of the late Cherry Drummond, 16th Baroness Strange. It is now occupied by Lady Strange's daughter Catherine Star Violetta Herdman and her husband.

And her two whippets,Toast and Berry, were there to welcome visitors .

Megginch means Beautiful Island and legend has it that a thousand years ago there was a monastery on the site and the yew trees are the remnants of the hedge around the monks garden.

It is a castle steeped in history and the Stableyard built in 1806 was used in the film Rob Roy.


The castle is halfway between Dundee and Perth and the directions looked deceptively simple - approach from the north, said the guide book, except we were coming from the south. Once we eventually got there - thanks to the sat nav on my iPhone- we found out why: a dual carriageway had been built right outside the lodge gate with entry only from the north.

More photos in blipfolio in the garden category.