Their history stretches back as far as 1717 but the gardens of Mount Stuart continue to dazzle today.
Set within the vast estate on the island of Bute, the carefully maintained landscape has now been shortlisted for the Historic Houses Garden of the Year award.
The accolades for the Mount Stuart Trust do not end there as it has also been nominated for The Argyll and Bute Council Design Awards for its efforts to create sustainable starter homes.
The Gothic Revival country house, which was rebuilt in 1877 following a fire, is the ancestral home of the Marquesses of Bute.
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Mount Stuart is thought to be the first private home in the world to house a heated swimming pool as well as the first to be built for electric lighting.
Its gardens have been adapted and developed following the changing tastes of successive generations of the Bute family.
The trust has been in charge of maintaining the home and its premises since 1989 and now also manages assets across the island including 36 farms, 100 residential properties and 1447 hectares of woodland.
Now the trust is being recognised for its work to revive the Cavalry Gardens, which were originally designed by Victorian designer and landscaper Thomas Mawson.
The 10-acre site was originally commissioned by the fourth Marquess of Bute in 1896.
It was said to have been inspired by the garden at Cavalry and Via Dolorosa in the Old City of Jerusalem.
Its restoration included two large pounds with a string of cascading waterfalls flowing down to the estate's Wee Garden.
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“We are incredibly proud of our amazing Mount Stuart Gardens and of the consistent hard work that our team put into making our garden experience truly unique for our visitors," Donna Chisolm, head of visitor operations for Mount Stuart Trust, said.
"To have this recognised by Historic Houses, who have access to some of the UK’s most wonderful properties, is really special, and we hope all our visitors will take a moment to vote for us on the Historic Houses website.”
The garden was shortlisted from among the hundreds of gardens, parks, and grounds that offer free admission to members of Historic Houses and voting runs until the end of August.
Meanwhile, the design award nomination recognises the Trust's Lochend housing project.
The redevelopment of a former derelict farm into ten larch-clad energy-efficient starter homes reached the shortlist in the sustainable design category.
The properties, designed by Dunoon-based Architeco, boast peak energy efficiency and are built to Passivhaus Low Energy standards.
Mount Stuart Trust are renting the homes at an affordable level to encourage entrepreneurship and community living on the small island.
The homes are built in a crescent with private gardens but also include space designed for community get-togethers, including a shared fire-pit, an orchard and allotments.
Their renewable energy strategy includes biomass stoves and solar photovoltaic panels, with a mechanical heat recovery ventilation system to control heat loss.
Harry Bowman, head of rural operations at Mount Stuart Trust, said: “At the core of The Mount Stuart Trust operations is its objective to create positive economic and social benefits for the Isle of Bute, and Lochend is a wonderful example of this in action.
“A disused farm steading provided the opportunity for us to create affordable housing for ten Island families, all designed to ensure low running costs whilst also providing comfortable and spacious living quarters.
"To be able to create lasting value for the Island is wonderful in itself. To be further recognised by Argyll & Bute Council is a fantastic pat on the back for the team who worked incredibly hard to deliver these houses.”
Voting for the council-led awards is taking place through its website.
It is up against 18 properties across the local authority ranging from the refurbishment of Iabna Abbey to private developments such as the Hundred Acre Wood home near Dalmally.
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