The Gardens

Mount Stuart's gardens were designed upon an exquisite natural canvas provided by the island’s lush habitat and picturesque shoreline.

The long process of shaping, nurturing and enhancing of the landscape surrounding Mount Stuart began in around 1717, when the 2nd Earl of Bute started to lay out the substantial grounds. Today, they are amongst Europe’s finest, incorporating three hundred acres of vibrant gardens, wilderness and woodland.

Work on the gardens continued with vigour under the direction of the 3rd Earl, a distinguished botanist and founder of Kew Gardens. The 19th Century saw the development of the Wee Garden and in 1896, the celebrated English landscape gardener Thomas Mawson designed a remarkable walk replicating the Via Dolorosa – the route Christ took with the Cross to Calvary. Mawson, an expert on water features, designed the superb Rock Garden that lies to the west of the house.

The 20th Century witnessed further developments, including the remodelling of the Victorian Kitchen Garden in the 1990s. Of course, work in a garden never ends: a contemporary garden was created for the Visitor Centre in 2001 and proposed developments will continue to refine these magnificent gardens for future generations to enjoy.

Guided Garden Tours
June 2010 – every Friday 1pm

1-1½ hour sessions lead by Horticulturalist Graham Alcorn, taking in the sheltered haven of the Wee Garden and the splendour of the Rock Garden, where plants from the Southern Hemisphere and Asia flourish in exceptional surroundings.

£6 per person, minimum charge of £20 for groups of less than four persons, please purchase your tickets from the visitor centre.

Mount Stuart, Britain’s most astounding Victorian gothic house