The moat is first mentioned in 1411 but is probably much older and the Mount formed part of the garden created by 'Old' Sir George Booth at the start of the 17th century. The 2nd Earl of Warrington removed the walled enclosures and created an enormous park which also included terraces, parterres, and two productive gardens. The 5th Earl of Stamford was responsible for the flowing lawns and more naturalistic planting seen today. He also planted purple beech in the early 1790's, two specimens of which still survive near the Orangery. His son, Lord Grey of Groby, was an enthusiastic planter and collected many trees and plants of all kinds, as did the 7th Earl, who, after he succeeded in 1845, doubled the expenditure on the gardens.

Standards began to slip by the end of the century but the 9th Earl took a keen interest in the gardens and laid out a parterre by the north front and a rose garden. After WWII the garden lost many of its features, (the workforce diminishing from 10 to 2) and it was not until the National Trust took it over with a generous bequest from the 10th and last Earl of Stamford in 1976 that restoration began, masterminded by John Sales, its Head of Gardens, and a dedicated team of five gardeners.