Modern times; Thanks to the passion and vision of a former racing

THERE is something wonderfully energising and exciting about history not simply preserved behind glass, untouchable and remote, but brought out before us and made to live again. Approaching the Isle of Bute to view restoration work at Mount Stuart, one of the greatest examples of Victorian Gothic architecture in Britain with the recent stunning addition of a visitor centre, it is heartening to think something new and exciting is emerging from this point in Scotland's past.

Mount Stuart is an historic house, but its greatest claim to fame is its modernity - it was one of the first houses in Britain to have electricity, to install a telephone (just a year after it had been invented) and to house an indoor heated swimming pool. Yet little is known on the tourist trail about this example of great Scottish invention, which was the family seat of the Earls and Marquesses of Bute from the early 18th century.

The house became a business concern in 1995 after the death of the sixth Marquess. His son, the former Le Mans racing driver Johnny Bute, decided to open it to the public, and has since invested heavily in repairing and restoring the vision of his forefathers.

Begun in the 1880s by the Third Marquess of Bute after a fire had destroyed most of the original Georgian house, Mount Stuart has echoes of Glasgow's Kelvin Hall, with its red sandstone and Gothic- style windows and arches. The Third Earl, a great Georgian patron of the arts who was also briefly Prime Minister and the first director of Kew Gardens, was responsible for the original 1716 building, and had ground-breaking plans to make it a great centre for art and architecture. But it was his great-great-grandson, the Third Marquess of Bute, who would prove to be the most influential. Another great patron of the arts, he employed Edinburgh Gothicist Sir Robert Rowand Anderson - responsible for Glasgow's Central Station - to build a sumptuous new stately family home.

Much of the work begun in the 1880s was interrupted during the following century by war or lapses in enthusiasm or funds, so in many ways Mount Stuart still has the feel of an ongoing project, rather than one completed. That sense is what contributes to its accessibility - how can history feel untouchable when it is evolving before your eyes? The staff are still uncovering treasures which have long been in storage This work in progress also gives the house a sense of adventure, that even in the midst of Old Masters, beautiful tapestries and fine carvings, yet more treasures may be yielded up to the 21st century. The present Marquess, who prefers to be known simply as Johnny Bute, has little intention of resting on the family's laurels. Last year, a new visitor centre designed by award- winning architects Munckenbeck and Marshall was opened, just a short walk from the house itself.

Nestling in a tree-filled landscape, the centre was constructed with slatted irocko wood, and houses a glass restaurant at the top. Its simple, clean lines epitomise modernity (as do the restaurant's wares - less tea and scones, more brownies and caffe lattes) with its audio-visual theatre and art gallery.

The whole venture represents precisely the kind of attraction Scotland needs more of - building on what already exists while creating something completely new. Change, especially when linked to great historical buildings, is often treated with suspicion. And as we quake at the thought of linking the modern with the ancient, so are we reluctant to recognise and promote achievement where it occurs.

Mount Stuart's Director of Commercial Operations, Danny Jamieson, is outspoken on the company's need to break away from the regional tourist board strategy, which, he feels, has let Mount Stuart down. "We have spent more than a million pounds on building the new centre and restoring Mount Stuart itself. I don't think nearly enough has been done to promote the changes being undertaken and we would appreciate more support from the regional tourist board," he says.

Mount Stuart is one of several Scottish tourist attractions that feel increasingly disaffected with tourist boards and have decided to take control and become more proactive in the marketing of their concern. Jamieson does, however, place great faith in VisitScotland overhauling the way the country is marketed both at home and abroad.

Both Jamieson and Johnny Bute are keen for the house and its grounds to be used in new ways. Companies and businesses will be attracted, with promises of corporate hospitality; it will be available for private parties, and weddings have been conducted here for some time. En-suite bedrooms are being restored which run along the galleries of the Marble Hall, and a sauna has been attached to the swimming pool, along with a relaxation area. The house's original Victorian upholstery is also part of the ongoing restoration project, so that guests in the dining room may use the original furniture. The gardens will play host to some forthcoming events such as a motor- racing challenge later this year, as well as the island's famous and much-loved jazz festival.

It is a business proposition that the Third Marquess could never have envisaged at the beginning of the 20th century. Intended as a grand, luxurious family home, it is unlikely that the house will ever be used in this way again. But its inception as such has guaranteed Mount Stuart an unlikely combination of warmth and intimacy in eye- widening splendour.

Viewed on one of those perfect summer days we get far too rarely, we can only be grateful that such sights are no longer the preserve of the Bute family aloneu Further information uMount Stuart can be reached by train from Glasgow Central to Wemyss Bay, then Caledonian MacBrayne ferry from Wemyss Bay to Rothesay. Ferries operate approximately every 45 minutes. Buses travel from the ferry depot to Mount Stuart regularly.

uMount Stuart and its visitor centre are open every day, excluding Tuesdays and Thursdays, (pounds) 7 for adults and (pounds) 3 for children. For more information, call 01700 503877.

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