Overview of Mount Stuart

A marvellous, if perhaps over-powering, vision in 'Scottish Gothic' by one of the masters of this style, Sir Robert Rowand Anderson (1834 - 1921). Mount Stuart lies within a large estate on the east coast of the Isle of Bute, 4 miles (6 km) SSE of Rothesay, opposite Great Cumbrae Island. The house, which is the seat of the Stuarts of Bute, was originally built by Alexander McGill (1716), remodelled by George Paterson (1780) and completely rebuilt following a fire by Rowand Anderson between 1879 and 1903. No expense was spared and the result must be one of the architect's finest creations, with the external appearance of a Venetian Palace.

The church-like interior, together with the touches of the occult in the Horoscope bedroom with its Egyptian-influenced furniture, undoubtedly reflect the complex character of the sponsor of the work, John Crichton-Stuart (1847 - 1900), the 3rd Marquess of Bute. While the 3rd Marquess delighted in the work, changing tastes in the 20th C. meant the 4th Marquess, who otherwise was a great conservationist of the built environment, wished the house demolished or removed.

Unique features of the house include the magnificent hall, incorporating contrasting marble of the finest quality and lit through beautiful stained glass, the chapel in white marble, detailed carved and painted ceilings in many rooms and a vaulted Gothic swimming pool in the basement. Bronze railings around the gallery are copies of those seen at the tomb of the Emperor Charlemagne at Aachen. The 18th C. chimney-pieces in the Dining Room were probably rescued from the original Georgian house. The house also incorporates a fine collection of 17th and 18th C. furniture and paintings collected by John Stuart (1713 - 92), the 3rd Earl of Bute and British Prime Minister.

The 6th Marquess of Bute (1933 - 1993) undertook a major renovation programme at Mount Stuart and transferred ownership of house and surrounding estates to a charitable trust to secure their future.