Mount Stuart House

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Mount Stuart House from the front.

Mount Stuart House on the east coast of the Isle of Bute, Scotland is a Neo-Gothic country house with extensive gardens. Mount Stuart was designed by Sir Robert Rowand Anderson for the 3rd Marquess of Bute in the late 1870s, to replace an earlier house by Alexander McGill, which burnt down in 1877.

1 Background
2 History
3 Present day
4 External links

[edit] Background

The house is the seat of the Stuarts of Bute, derived from the hereditary office "Steward of Bute" held since 1157. The family are descendants of Robert the Bruce whose daughter Marjorie married then Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland, in 1315. Their son, King Robert II of Scotland, became the first Stuart King.

[edit] History

The original house was built in 1719 by the 2nd Earl of Bute, but rebuilt by the 3rd Marquess of Bute following a fire on 3 December 1877. After his earlier creations of Cardiff Castle and Castell Coch in Cardiff, The Marquess imported many of the builders and workman he had already used in South Wales. The main part of the present house is a flamboyant example of 19th century gothic architecture built in a reddish brown stone. Mount Stuart's major features include the colonnaded Marble Hall at the centre of the main block and the Marble Chapel, which has an elaborate spired tower which is the tallest part of the building (not visible on photo right). Two earlier wings in a strikingly different style survive. They are much smaller in scale, have Georgian style sash windows and are painted white.

[edit] Present day

A major programme of renovation and refurbishment was carried out by the late 6th Marquess before the house was opened to the public in 1995. Entrusted to the current 7th Marquess of Bute, known as Johnny Bute, he opened an award-winning contemporary visitor centre in 2001 that tells the story of the family and estate. The grounds and interiors host a programme of contemporary visual arts, from May to September.

Acting as a popular wedding venue, resulting in the house closing on most Saturday afternoons, on 30 August 2003 fashion designer Stella McCartney married publisher Alasdhair Willis at the house.