About the House
For pictures of the House and rooms, please see the Gallery section.
Facilities
Guests at Belmont House can make use of the following facilities, included in our service:
- Free Parking for 12 vehicles
- Free Fibre Broadband Wi-fi with discreet Deco T7 mesh system throughout (1600mbps)
- Free advice on efficient visitations to local historical and geological fascinations
- Amazon Smart Hubs
- Full Streaming 4k UHD TV (Prime, Netflix, Universal, Disney+, FreeVee, Plex, Apple TV, Chrome TV, Fire TV, Catch-Up) on request
- Peat/wood stove
- BBQ and Smoker
- Cot, highchair and stairgate available on request
- Hairdryers
- Three large bathrooms
- Shower room (ground floor access)
- LK UHD 4K & Samsung Smart TV’s
- Panasonic DVD Player
- Toys, CD’s, DVD’s, books and games
- Library of books
- Fire Pit
Linen
All bed linen is provided (Egyptian Cotton 600 TC), as well as a hand towel and bath towel per person.
Cots and cot bedding are available on request. Please bring your own slippers and dressing gowns for privacy.
Fires
The Oval Blue Drawing Room boasts a large fireplace and stove where you can relax in splendour and cosy up with a log fire. Logs/Peat and kindling are available on request.
Garden
Visitors renting the house have exclusive use of the house forecourt and back garden areas. Please note the three walled areas outwith the forecourt are community gardens and also open to the public. The pasture to the rear of the parking area is for sheep grazing only.
*Ground Floor*
Kitchen
The ground floor has a functional hand-crafted carpenter’s kitchen with a range cooker, dishwasher and large fridge in a walk-in larder. Open shelving enables everything to be easily at hand for cooking, whether elaborate meals or simple breakfasts. The kitchen can seat up to four for informal eating with views to the south over the garden.
“Theatre” Dining Room
Also on the ground floor is the panelled dining room, bright during the day and elegant for candlelit evening dining. Seating for eight is appropriate at the Georgian Dining Table.
“Tuareg” Family Room
Adjoining the dining room is the cosy family room with a sofa bed sleeping two. This room may be used as a sitting room for reading, playing games, watching DVD’s or cosying up with a nice cup of tea, and it makes a delightful bedroom for 2 people if required.
Accessible “Rufus” Shower Room
A bathroom with shower, toilet, heated towel rail and wash hand basin is convenient to the inner back door.
The ground floor also has a glazed porch to the rear of the house, for taking off wet coats and boots or just sitting in the early morning – or watching the sunset to the north in the summer months.
*First Floor*
The first floor has always been the principal floor, comprising of:
“Venetian Pink” Writing Room
The Venetian writing room is dominated by its huge windows. With a writing pedestal desk, bookshelves and internet access it is an ideal space to read or write or simply gaze out to sea and watch the ferries, birds, gardens and islands.
“Oval Blue” Drawing Room
The large drawing room has an exquisite, original, fire surround which has been carefully restored. With windows on three sides, the room is always bright and has spectacular views. The walls are painted in Oval Room Blue, as they were in 1775.
“Ornyst” King Bedroom
The King-sized bedroom faces south towards the sea, Yell and Linga Islands. This is decorated in Oval Room Blues and a sophisticated colour scheme of London Stone paintwork with a grey slate fire surround and sports a Demi Lune table and comfortable chairs for private reading.
“Skíðblaðnir” (Skidbladnir) Twin Bedroom
*Second Floor*
“Hårfagre” (Finehair) King Bedroom
*With Self-Catering only”. King size brass bed and featuring two original alcove beds for children (accommodating a family of 4) and is dog friendly.
“Rǫgnvaldr” (Ragnvald) King Bedroom
This currently has a King-sized bed and cupboard.
Bathrooms
The ‘O’Mill Bathroom’ has a freestanding bath with shower fitting, Fireplace, WC, towel rail, seating area, dressing mirror and hand basin. The ‘Captain Cook Bathroom’ has a very deep raised bath tucked under the eaves of the house together with WC and hand basin.
Bathrooms have locks on the doors for privacy.
East Pavilion
Outside in the front forecourt, the east pavilion is the laundry and drying room, with deep sinks, a washing machine and a tumble dryer at ground level. The room also has a pulley for drying clothes and airing damp outdoor clothing. Upstairs is the owner’s private workshop.
West Pavilion
The west pavilion comprises a bedroom on the ground level and an extra lounge on the first floor for teens. Available on request and extra charges may be levied. This space can be used as another self-contained space and bedroom if required with either King or single beds as needed.
Grounds and Gardens
Guests at Belmont have exclusive use of the front forecourt and the rear grassed areas. There is also unrestricted access into the walled gardens to the front of the house and, by observing the country code, all of the landscape surrounding the house.
Belmont House is a Category ‘A’ Listed building built in 1775 by Thomas Mouat overlooking the Bluemull Sound with extraordinary views southwards towards Yell and Fetlar. Immaculately restored, this elegant house is set into a designed landscape with walled formal gardens which are included in the Inventory of Historic Gardens.
Relax in the lush green gardens and listen to birds in the trees, while the waves roll in and out on the beach below. It’s one of the most peaceful places imaginable.
The house itself provides a fully equipped accommodation experience with five bedrooms and plenty of other communal rooms to relax in.
Make the most of the magnificent views from the first-floor drawing room (Blue Room) with windows on three sides showing astonishing views across Unst and Yell. Be inspired in Mouat’s writing room with its Venetian windows looking over the sea to Yell and towards Fetlar.
Cook a feast in the fully equipped kitchen or explore the pavilions in the landscaped gardens – all after a day exploring the majestic scenery, wildlife and Viking heritage right on your doorstep.
Stay at Belmont House
Belmont House is a community asset but privately owned and operated by the Wilson family, since June 2022. Without guests and the support of the community, Belmont House could not survive – especially since running costs are high, with regular maintenance required to preserve the building against the harsh northern climate.
By staying at Belmont House, you are directly helping preserve this wonderful historic property for future generations to enjoy.
Friendly, well-behaved animals are welcome at an additional cost of £20 per day (to cover extra cleaning)
The Owner
I am fortunate enough to be able to prove my authentic Norse Viking Genes from Northern Norway, Finland and Sweden (34%) and trace 57% of my DNA lineage directly to the Shetland Islands ((over 20 generations) accredited by the University of Edinburgh (https://www.ed.ac.uk/viking)). My DNA also shows elements of Northern Italian and Basque regions.
With a love of period buildings and a knowledge of conservation methods, I am constantly working on Belmont House to honour the Unst community.
I previously owned one half of the oldest ‘Hall House’ in Hampshire, Corner Cottage built in 1453ad and have the experience and love of historical buildings required to maintain a house of historical significance.
Belmont House truly is the ideal venue for groups of family and friends or just couples, looking for luxurious and genteel accommodation on Unst.
For more information contact Martin on:
