I Love Bute! - The Isle of Bute, Scotland

The Isle of Bute - Mount Stuart

The sun sinks behind the magnificent Mount Stuart

Mount Stuart is a magnificent Victorian gothic mansion, home to the Stuarts of Bute, which sits in 300 acres of beautiful gardens.

It was created by the 3rd Marquess of Bute from the ashes of an earlier house on the site which was destroyed by fire in 1877.

The House

The 3rd Marquess of Bute commissioned the celebrated Scottish architect Robert Rowand Anderson to produce the new Mount Stuart, and the building that emerged was remarkable, and far more imposing that its predecessor, more like a palace than a house.

Internally, Mount Stuart was built around a vast central hall, with marble pillars, sixty feet square and three storeys high, and while it is impossible to estimate how much the house cost to build, it is clear that it lacked for very little. Mount Stuart was home to the world's first domestic heated indoor swimming pool, and was also the first house in Scotland to be lit by electricity!

Visitors Centre, Mount Stuart

The sandstone house is inspired by history, astrology, art and mythology, and contains an imposing central hall with marble pillars, sixty feet square and three storeys high, a breathtaking chapel, ornate reception rooms, and the world's first domestic heated indoor swimming pool. Mount Stuart was also the first house in Scotland to be lit by electricity! While it is impossible to estimate how much the house cost to build, it is clear that it lacked for very little.

An ambitious restoration programme was begun by the late 6th Marquess in the 1980s and maintenance and care of the mansion and grounds is an ever ongoing programme.

Detail in wall

The Grounds

The 2nd Earl of Bute began landscaping the substantial grounds of Mount Stuart, which are amongst Europe's finest, in around 1717. These grounds incorporate vibrant gardens, wilderness and woodland.

Visitors Centre

The award-winning Visitors Centre is a modern building that stands in stark contrast to the Victorian Gothic splendour of the main house. It contains an impressive Restaurant on the upper floor, with frameless glass walls, and a balcony overlooking the picturesque surrounds.

There is also a Gift Shop, acclaimed Art Gallery and auditorium. A Garden Centre is situated alongside.