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Mount Stuart's red sandstone front across the lawns.
Argyll and Bute

Mount Stuart

The red sandstone Gothic mansion of the Marquesses of Bute, with a marble hall and chapel and 300 acres of gardens.

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Welcome

Mount Stuart is the great house of the Marquesses of Bute, a fantasy of red sandstone Gothic on the east coast of the island, a few miles south of Rothesay.

It was built by the 3rd Marquess of Bute, and inside it is a house of wonders: an 80-foot Marble Hall, a chapel of white marble, stained glass and Gothic arches, and even a swimming room.

Around it spread 300 acres of woods and gardens, home to plant collections of worldwide importance and striking views. There is a visitor centre, a courtyard café, a shop and a play area. The 2026 season runs until 18 October: the house closes at 3pm, with last entry at 2pm, and the whole site is closed on Fridays and on 10 October. From Wemyss Bay, tickets for Mount Stuart can be bought with your ferry ticket to Rothesay.

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The Daily for 30 October, from Scotland with love. Aerial view of a teal-coloured lochan cupped in a forested hollow, a scree slope rising on one side and autumn-tinged pines ringing the shore.
Not farThe Parlour, BrodickA little pizzeria and ice cream parlour on Brodick's shore road, baking stone-baked, hand-thrown pizzas and serving Arran ice cream.16 milesSee itThe Parlour, Brodick
Before you go

The 2026 season runs until 18 October.

The house closes at 3pm (last entry 2pm), and the whole site is closed every Friday and on 10 October.

Season
Until 18 October 2026.
House
Closes 15:00; last entry 14:00.
Closed
Fridays, and 10 October.

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Where it is

The east coast of Bute, south of Rothesay.

Close byOn Bute.
  1. A bus on the shore road round the wide sandy bay, the village beyond.Kilchattan BayA Victorian village on a wide bay in the south of Bute, once a tile works and a steamer stop, where the West Island Way begins.5 miles 14 min by road
  2. The ruin of Toward Castle from the air: its ivy-covered tower and the roofless walls of the courtyard among spring woods, the Firth of Clyde blue beyond.Toward CastleThe ruined tower house of the Lamont chiefs on the Toward shore of Cowal, raised around 1475 and left in ruins by the Campbells in 1646.5 miles as the crow flies
  3. The view from the Ardyne hillside over young birch and spruce to the Firth of Clyde, the Isle of Bute across the water and the peaks of Arran on the skyline under a big sky of white cloud.Ardyne TrailForestry and Land Scotland's waymarked hill loop at Ardyne, in the Argyll Forest Park.6 miles as the crow flies
  4. The ruins of St Blane's under a blue sky.St Blane's ChapelThe ruined church in a wooded hollow at the south end of Bute, on the site of St Blane's monastery of the 500s.6 miles 15 min by road
  5. Display cases of birds and finds in Bute Museum's hall.Bute MuseumThe island's own museum on Stuart Street in Rothesay, by the castle, with the archaeology, history and wildlife of Bute.7 miles 16 min by road
  6. Rothesay Castle's round walls behind its moat.Isle of ButeAn island in the Firth of Clyde, a train and a short ferry from Glasgow, with a round moated castle, Mount Stuart and sandy bays.9 miles 20 min by road
Directions
The roofless gable of St Mary's Chapel among the graves.AttractionsSt Mary’s Chapel2.9 miles as the crow flies
Rothesay's seafront terraces rising above the bay.AttractionsRothesay Town7.2 miles
The castle walls reflected in the moat.AttractionsRothesay Castle7.3 miles
The Kettledrum café on its corner in Rothesay, a red shopfront with CAFE in white letters above the door.CafeKettledrum Café7.4 miles
The white shopfront of Musicker on Rothesay's High Street, its name on a green sign above the windows.CafeMusicker7.5 miles
The front of Ambience on Victoria Street, Rothesay, under its blue awning.RestaurantsAmbience Café7.5 miles
Scalpsie Bay's sand and the green fields behind, from above.AttractionsScalpsie Bay7.7 miles

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the house, and when each is next free.

The Hollies, Argyll and ButeThe Hollies
  • Sleeps 18
  • In Tighnabruaich
  • 11 miles from Mount Stuart
Check datesGlenstriven House, a white Victorian house with grey stone corners, at the top of a gravel drive between lawns, with a wooded hill behind.Glenstriven House
  • Sleeps 15
  • In Argyll and Bute
  • 12 miles from Mount Stuart
Free 1–3 NovPlaces to stayEvery stay in Argyll and ButeAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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What we have written about it and more in Argyll and Bute.

ArticleMount Stuart House, Isle of Bute
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