Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of inspecting the trees of Methven Castle as part of a wider inspection of trees on the Pilkington Estate, Perthshire.  Methven Castle was once home to Margaret Tudor, the Queen of Scotland between 1503 and 1513, and the 17th-century tower house – built to the designs of John Myle (1661-1667) – is a distinctive landmark dominating the vistas west of Perth.

The parkland was laid out around the castle in the late 18th century, and in 1830, Lord Methven established a pinetum, purportedly the first in Scotland. The parkland was home to the Pepperwell Oak, renowned for its significant size and age, with records from the 19th century stating the tree was more than 400 years old.

However, what caught my eye was a rather impressive avenue of wire-braced, fastigiate yews (Taxus baccata) that created a formal, yet dark and foreboding approach to the castle.