Mount Stewart (not Mount Stuart)

If you have a good memory, you might remember reading some rubbish that we wrote about Mount Stuart house on the Isle of Bute. This isn't a repeat due to senility. This one is firmly in Norn Iron and spelled differently just to help you but both were built on the back of fortunes made from the coal trade. Mount Stuart using money from South Wales, this one from Durham. Funny how both of the coalfield areas are so depressed today after creating such wealth for others.

The National Trust owned Mount Stewart has been the lucky recipient of a major refurbishment and repair regime recently and only re-opened in April. National Trust website will give you more information on this fascinating spot. The house has been the home of the Londonderry family over many (250+) years which has seen some most interesting inhabitants and guests over the years.

It is another "well worth a trip" place. Lady Edith (not the one from Downton, keep up you TV addicts) had very eclectic tastes and used some bold colours in her interior decoration - the house has her early 20th century furnishings and colour schemes which are evident in the dining room:

The chairs on the left hand side wall are from the agreements made at the Congress of Vienna when European borders were realigned (it keeps happening!) around Napoleon's time. The key organiser was Viscount Castlereagh who was given the chairs, each patterned with the national flag / symbols of the county that used them. Some serious historical links here - the armour in the hallway came form Napoleon's guard and was "liberated" by another family member who served under Wellington:

There was a most unusual chandelier shaped like a ship. A bit up market compared to the offering in the Dartmouth Royal Naval College that we shared before:

Originally you could see down to Strangford Lough and the chandelier looked as if it was floating on the water there - part of Lady Edith's attention to detail. Her bold (?) approach with colours also carried through to the guest bedrooms:

Imagine waking up a little the worse for wear after a good dinner in such surroundings. Personal requirements were not ignored either - the latest in washing technology in nice contrasting colours was fitted to make the guest feel really at home:

Apparently the gardens are up there with the best in the world - they even got proposed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. As people whose gardening ability is limited to a pressure washer being waved at the patio at home, we feel unable to comment properly. We did enjoy them though as did the couple of children here:

Even the flowers looked happy:

The typical National Trust tea room had to be visited. Of course, being Norn Iron they didn't have much "cake" - just lots of the traybakes that they love here and in Scotland. Please don't let this put you off visiting though - the scones are excellent.....