The Murray Star Maze is designed in the shape of the five pointed star that features in the Murray family crest, and appears as a motif throughout the palace. The maze comprises 2,000 beech trees, half of them green, half of them copper, planted in such a way as to create a unique tartan effect.
The maze is the work of contemporary maze designer, Adrian Fisher. It is 215 feet across and has at its centre a pentagonal fountain by sculptor David Williams-Ellis. In the early days of its growth the young beech trees proved irresistible to the local roe deer population, until they were eventually scared off by fragrant offerings from the lions of Edinburgh Zoo.
The site of the maze is the ancient area of flat ground known originally as the Monks’ Playgreen. It was here, until the sacking of the Abbey of Scone in 1559, that the monks played their own version of football.