Mount Stuart: The Victorian gardens need to be part of your visit!

Mount Stuart on the Isle of Bute is a spectacular stately house and one of Argyll & the Isles' must-see attractions.

The ancestral home of the Marquess of Bute features magnificent Victorian Gothic architecture and design, together with stunning craftsmanship. Visitors to this fabulous neo-Gothic creation should leave plenty of time to explore its gardens and grounds.

Mount Stuart Gardens

They’re simply stunning. You'll find an amazing collection of exotic and British flora over extensive gardens and grounds, all set against the backdrop of the Firth of Clyde. The grounds are home to atmospheric woodlands and colour-drenched landscapes. Woodland glades and a shoreline wilderness contrast with the meticulously measured beauty of the formal lawns and gardens.

Here’s a taste of what you can expect as you wander through Mount Stuart’s glorious gardens and grounds.

The Policies

'Policies' is a peculiar Scottish word that refers to the grounds of pleasure around a mansion. Mount Stuart describes the wooded areas stretching along the drive and Forty-Five Avenue towards the Firth of Clyde. In spring, you’ll find a carpet of daffodils and bluebells. Follow the shore walk to explore the lower policies, which takes you through both broadleaf and conifer, indigenous and international trees.

Rock Garden

Designed by the renowned landscape architect Thomas Hayton Mawson – described by some as the leading landscape architect of the Edwardian era – the Rock Garden was commissioned and completed in the Victorian age, dating from the late 1890s. It features a stream channelled to create a series of pools in what was considered an ingenious feat of engineering at the time! The garden features a variety of shrubs and plants brought back from expeditions to the near and far east.

Wee Garden

At five acres, the Wee Garden isn’t exactly small! It’s a place for solitude and contemplation and has all the features of a secret garden, allowing visitors to find peace and quiet in its various nooks and crannies. It was begun by the wife of the second marquess in the 1820s, and there are still some survivors from the original planting alive today. Many plants from the southern hemisphere thrive here, including the delicate Banksia Marginata.

Kitchen Garden

This area was redesigned in the 1990s and now features a circular glasshouse from the 1988 Glasgow Garden Festival as its centrepiece. The garden still produces vegetables, fruits, and flowers and is home to chickens and bees, but it has a contemporary feel with its parallel lines interrupted by splashes of colour. It comes into its own from July onwards with its large colourful herbaceous borders.

Shop local

With so much produce growing in the kitchen garden, naturally enough, some features are included in the recipes of Mount Stuart’s coffee shop and tea rooms, notably the salad leaves, fruit, and vegetables. For those who prefer to find their own spot to dine al fresco, you can order a picnic to enjoy lunch in the peace and tranquillity of the gardens. Plants and flowers can be bought directly from the gardens. 

Getting there

Bute is considered to be one of the most accessible Scottish islands, with ferry crossings from Colintraive and Wemyss Bay. Integrated public transport on the island makes it easy to get to Mount Stuart. Bute is also a great place to cycle.

Bute is packed with other natural attractions for all ages. Along with its secluded west coast beaches, you’ll find beautiful gardens at Ardencraig, a Victorian Fernery at Ascog, and Bute Forest at the island's northern end.