Mount Stewart, on the shores of Strangford Lough in County Down, is one of the great houses of Northern Ireland, with gardens considered among the finest in the world. Thanks to the mild climate of the Ards Peninsula, subtropical plants grow here that would not survive elsewhere in the British Isles. The house tells the story of the Stewart family, Marquesses of Londonderry, and of one of the leading figures of 19th-century European politics.
History
The Stewart family bought the estate in the 18th century. Its most famous son was Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh, British Foreign Secretary, who in 1815 represented Britain at the Congress of Vienna, where the European powers redrew the map of the continent after the fall of Napoleon. The present house, in Neoclassical style, was largely built in the first half of the 19th century.
The face of Mount Stewart changed in the 1920s thanks to Edith, Lady Londonderry, wife of the 7th Marquess. A brilliant and unconventional woman, hostess of one of the most important political salons in London, from 1921 she transformed the estate by creating a series of highly imaginative gardens. In 1957 the family gave the gardens to the National Trust; the house followed in 1977, at the wish of her daughter Lady Mairi Bury. A major restoration, completed in 2015, returned the rooms to their splendour of Lady Edith's time.
- 1744The Stewart family buys the estate
- c. 1785The Temple of the Winds is built
- 1815Lord Castlereagh attends the Congress of Vienna
- 1921Edith, Lady Londonderry begins creating the gardens
- 1957The gardens pass to the National Trust
- 2015The major restoration of the house is completed
What to see
The gardens
The gardens are divided into outdoor rooms. The Italian Garden, with geometric beds and intense colours, lies in front of the house; the Spanish Garden has a pavilion and arched hedges. The Dodo Terrace is populated by strange statues of animals, dinosaurs and fantastic creatures: they represent Lady Edith's friends, members of a light-hearted club called the Ark, each with an animal nickname. There is also the Shamrock Garden, shaped like a shamrock, with a hedge depicting an Irish harp. Around the lake you walk among gigantic trees, rhododendrons and eucalyptus.
The house
Inside you visit drawing rooms, the library, the dining room and bedrooms furnished with the family's paintings and objects. The most famous piece is Hambletonian, the large 1799 painting by George Stubbs of a thoroughbred after a celebrated race, considered one of the masterpieces of equestrian painting. The dining room holds the 22 chairs used by the delegates at the Congress of Vienna, each bearing the arms of a nation.
The Temple of the Winds
On a knoll overlooking Strangford Lough stands the Temple of the Winds, an elegant Neoclassical pavilion inspired by a monument in Athens, designed by James "Athenian" Stuart. From the temple the view over the lough, dotted with islets and migrating birds, is splendid.
Practical information
The gardens are open for most of the year; the house has seasonal opening times and is visited at set times. There is a café, a shop and a plant centre. Opening times and prices are on the National Trust website.
Getting there
- By car: along the A20, about 25 kilometres east of Belfast, between Newtownards and Portaferry.
- By bus: buses between Belfast and Portaferry stop at the entrance.
- By air: George Best Belfast City Airport is about 25 minutes away.
Nearby
- Strangford Lough, with bird reserves and the village of Portaferry, with its aquarium.
- Scrabo Tower, on the hill above Newtownards, with an immense view.
- Belfast and the Titanic Belfast museum.
Tips
- How long: half a day.
- When to go: May to September for the gardens in bloom.
- A tip: after the house, follow the lake walk to the family burial ground of Tír na nÓg: it is the quietest corner of the estate.