Scone Palace, near Perth in Scotland, has launched a series of living history events, based on the life and characters at the palace throughout its history.
Every Sunday during August, visitors can meet Robert the Bruce, Scotland’s most famous King, and learn about his coronation which took place at Scone in 1306.
During the Wars of Independence, Scotland’s 30-year struggle to gain independence from the English, he began a guerrilla war against the English King Edward I, and his leadership and pre-eminent fighting skills eventually gained him the Scottish throne and drove the English out of Scotland.
On Saturdays during August, botanist and explorer David Douglas will lead visitors around the grounds, telling of his plant-hunting adventures.
David Douglas was born in the village of Scone in 1799 and worked as an under-gardener at the Palace, before heading for a life of adventure and discovery in the wilds of North America – from where he sent back over 200 species of new plants.
A magnificent 178-year-old Douglas Fir, grown from seeds sent home in 1826 by David Douglas, still stands in the beautiful Pinetum in the Palace grounds.