Mussenden Temple

Frederick Hervey, Earl of Bristol and Bishop of Derry, built the temple in 1785 on the cliff at Downhill as a library, modelling it on the Temple of Vesta at Tivoli: a circular building with a domed roof and a colonnade, with a fire kept burning in the basement to keep the books dry in the sea air. It stands about forty metres above the strand with an uninterrupted view along the coast to Donegal. Cliff erosion brought the edge to within a few metres of the foundations, and in 1997 the National Trust stabilised the cliff face to prevent the loss of the building. The ruined shell of Downhill House, the bishop's mansion, stands in the demesne behind it. The Belfast to Derry railway runs along the strand below and through a tunnel under the headland.

The main sights

• The clifftop rotunda - a 1785 library modelled on the Temple of Vesta.
• The coastal view - the strand running west to Donegal from forty metres up.
• Downhill House - the roofless shell of the bishop's mansion behind.
• The railway below - trains running the strand and into a headland tunnel.

When to go

April to October for full opening of the demesne; the cliff path and the temple exterior can be reached year-round. The site is fully exposed and the wind here is severe.

Good to know

The temple interior is small and often closed, so most visitors see it from outside. The walk from the car park across the demesne is exposed with no shelter. Parking is charged for non-members.

Nearby

Castlerock and Downhill strand lie below; the Causeway coast runs east.

Key facts