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Bute House
| Bute House | |
|---|---|
Taigh Bhòid | |
.jpg) _(cropped).jpg) Top: Charlotte Square elevation of Bute House Bottom: Plaque at the main entrance to Bute House | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Neoclassical |
| Address | 6 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Coordinates | 55°57′9.360″N 3°12′29.016″W / 55.95260000°N 3.20806000°W |
| Current tenants | First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney |
| Named for | The 4th Marquess of Bute |
| Construction started | 1793 |
| Completed | 1805 |
| Owner | National Trust for Scotland (NTS) |
| Technical details | |
| Material | Sandstone |
| Floor area | 525.65 m2 (5,658.0 sq ft)[1] |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Robert Adam |
| Developer | Lord Provost and Edinburgh Town Council |
| Website | |
Official website  | |
Listed Building – Category A | |
| Official name | 1–11 (inclusive nos) Charlotte Square with railings, lamp standards and boundary wall |
| Designated | 3 March 1966 |
| Reference no. | LB28502[2] |
Bute House[a] is the official residence and workplace of the first minister of Scotland. Located at 6 Charlotte Square in the New Town of Edinburgh, it is the central house on the north side of the square and was designed by Robert Adam. It has served as the official residence of every first minister since Donald Dewar in 1999, and prior to that, the secretary of state for Scotland who headed the Scotland Office, from the 1970s until 1999. Bute House was conveyed to the National Trust for Scotland by the 6th Marquess of Bute in 1966.[3]
The house is a Category A listed building and is constructed in an 18th century town house Neoclassical style, using sandstone materials. Designed by Robert Adam, Charlotte Square was designed by Adam as a single scheme, and it was part of architect James Craig’s First "New Town plan" which was unveiled in 1767, with Adam being commissioned in 1791 to design unified frontages for Charlotte Square. Together with Charlotte Square as a whole, Bute House has been described as "perhaps the finest architectural achievement of Georgian Edinburgh".[4]
Alongside two other personal offices at the Scottish Parliament Building and St. Andrew's House, Bute House also contains a smaller office used by the first minister when in official residence.[5] As well as serving as the official residence of the first minister, Bute House is frequently used by the First Minister to hold press conferences, media briefings, meetings of the cabinet of the Scottish Government and appointing members to the Scottish Cabinet.[6]
The four-storey house contains the Cabinet Room, where the Scottish Cabinet meets each Tuesday, governmental and ministerial offices, conference, reception, sitting and dining rooms where the first minister works and where Scottish Government ministers, official visitors and guests are received and entertained. The second and third floors contain the private residence of the first minister.
- ^ Lothian Valuation Joint Board (1 April 2017). "Bute House, 6 Charlotte Square – Summary Valuation Sheet, 2017 Revaluation". Scottish Assessors Association.
- ^ "1–11 (Inclusive nos) Charlotte Square with railings, lamp standards and boundary walls (LB28502)". portal.historicenvironment.scot. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
- ^ "History of Bute House". Scottish Government. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
- ^ "Bute House: a guide". www.gov.scot. Retrieved 2 February 2025.
- ^ "Bute House". First Minister of Scotland.
- ^ "Bute House – Edinburgh Guide". www.edinburghguide.com.
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