Access the Collections
Supporting research and sharing the Bute Collection.
If you have an enquiry, a permission request, or wish to visit to conduct research, please contact the Collections Team at Mount Stuart: collections@mountstuart.com
Enquiries
The Bute Collection at Mount Stuart is an extraordinary resource for learning and research. The Collections Team are able to advise on the feasibility of enquiries on a case-by-case basis.
Please note that from 1st April 2024, an initial 30 minutes (free of charge) is allocated to each enquiry to allow searches and checks to be made and a reply sent to the enquirer. Any further searches that are required for the enquiry are charged at £30 per hour, for up to a maximum of 4 hours per enquiry.
We receive a large volume of enquiries every year, which are replied to in order of receipt. We very much appreciate your patience for our reply, and will respond to your enquiry as soon as we can. If you have a question for the Collections Team, please supply as much information as possible when sending your initial enquiry.
Reproductions & Permissions
The Bute Collection at Mount Stuart is privately owned, and permission is essential for the reproduction of images or information, whether for private study or for commercial publication.
Please supply as much detail as possible for your reproduction or permission request (e.g. type of use, synopsis of publication, publisher, print run, language, and distribution area). Conditions for permission will be supplied on receipt of your request.
Research Visits
We will be delighted to welcome you for a research visit to consult the Bute Collection at Mount Stuart. Research visits are strictly by advance appointment only, at a charge of £20 per day. We ask all researchers to give at least two weeks' notice so that we can prepare for your visit to us.
Before your visit, please complete and return by email or post the Reader Registration Form, by which you also confirm that you have read and agreed to meet our conditions of access and Reading Room Regulations. Please contact the Collections Team for more information: collections@mountstuart.com
Private Viewings & Special Collections Tours
Delve into the spectacular historic records, books, art and objects in the Bute Collection at Mount Stuart with our Collections Team by booking a Private Viewing or onto one of our Special Collections Experience Tours.
Private Viewings: Our 1-hour Private Viewings offer visitors the chance to get up-close and personal with treasures from the Bute Collection which are not usually on display. From relics documenting the history of tartan to rare books and manuscripts (such as Bute First Folio or Execution Account of Mary, Queen of Scots), our Collections Team will be delighted to tailor the items for your Private Viewing to your historical interests. For further details, please email: contactus@mountstuart.com
Special Collections Experience Tours: Learn about the intergenerational collecting culture fostered by the Crichton-Stuart family while viewing stunning paintings, silver, porcelain, furniture and other artworks during our 2-hour Special Collections Experience Tours (max: 4 people). Between April-October, bookings are available to be made on Eventbrite. To book a tour with us out of season, please email: contactus@mountstuart.com
Plan your visit
Buy tickets online. View opening hours, tours, our address and how to get here.
Visit Information