| People have
inhabited Bute since the Stone Age. Their passage is marked by standing stones and
chambered cairns, Iron Age forts and medieval longhouses, castles and cottages. St Blane's
chapel evokes the legends of early celtic saints, whilst the battlemented tower houses of
Kames and the fort at Dunagoil are reminders of more troubled times. |
| Rothesay Castle stands
proud in the centre of the town. As far back as the 13th century this circular, moated
stronghold was being besieged by marauding Norsemen. Unique in design for northern
Britain, the castle was the island home of Scottish kings, fell into the hands of the
English during the wars of independence and was retaken by Robert the Bruce in 1311.
The castle once occupied an outstanding defensive position on the shoreline, but now sits
250 yards inland - Rothesay's Victorian seafront facade having been built on reclaimed
land! |
The ruins of St Blane's Chapel
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Mount Stuart House
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In the whole of Britain
you are unlikely to come across a stately home as breathtaking as Mount Stuart. The
original mansion was badly damaged by fire in 1877, and the 3rd Marquess of Bute embarked
on an ambitious plan to build the Gothic masterpiece you see today. When completed the
house was technologically ahead of its time. It was the first house in Scotland to be lit
by electricity and the first in Britain to have a heated indoor swimming pool. |
A year
after the telephone was invented, a cable was installed at Mount Stuart. The
house is representative of the fantastic Victorian imagination of John Crichton-Stuart,
the 3rd marquess. One feels a sense of wonderment in every room, from the magnificent
marble hall to the radiantly white marble chapel.
Declared a Royal Burgh by King Robert III in 1400, home of wealthy Victorian
industrialists, popular tourist resort - Rothesay has played many roles over the
centuries. From the ruins of St Mary's Chapel to the Art Nouveau Winter Garden and the
grand Victorian mansions of Craigmore, you'll find a wealth of history reflected in the
architecture of the town.
Before you set off to explore the rest
of Bute, pay a visit to Rothesay Museum and sample some of the heritage of our island. |
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