Mellerstain House & Gardens

The estate has acres of stunning parkland, formal gardens and lakeside walks.

Mellerstain, one of Scotland’s great Georgian houses was begun in 1725 by Scottish architect William Adam and completed in 1778 by his more famous son, Robert. The result is an outstanding example of 18th-century Scottish architecture, and some say one of Robert Adam’s finest works.

The interior decoration is stunning – the ceilings are especially worthy of note, having been preserved in the original Adam colours. There is a superb collection of paintings including works by Van Dyck, Gainsborough, Aikman and Ramsay with many lovely pieces of period furniture, China and embroidery collections.

The house stands in beautiful parkland and gardens with an Italian-styled terraced garden (laid out in 1910 by Sir Reginald Blomfied), designed to offer new perspectives when descending to the rose gardens, great lawn and ornamental lake.

Situated to the south of the house are a series of beautiful Italianate terraces with herbaceous borders and yew trees. Steps lead via a crypto porticus to the lower terraces and a sweeping stretch of lawn descends to the lake.