The Mussenden Temple in County Londonderry of Northern Ireland is a beautiful, historical attraction situated on a cliff overlooking Downhill Demesne Beach. The best part about it? No tourist crowds.
By the time we drove off to find the Mussenden Temple, we were tired of seeing tour buses and the crowds they brought to all of the attractions. The Cushenden Sea Caves and the remains of Dunseverick Castle had provided a nice relief away from people but we decided a nice walk would be a refresher. Enter Mussenden Temple.
- Built in 1785 as part of the estate of the 4th Earl of Bristol (also Lord Bishop of Derry).
- Named in honor of his cousin Frideswide Mussenden.
- Modeled after the Temple of Vesta in Rome, Italy.
- Used as a library.
Checking out Downhill Beach before going in search of the Mussenden Temple.
For closer access to Mussenden Temple, visitors can park at Lion’s Gate. We didn’t know this at the time and actually were just driving along when we found a parking area near the grounds cottage.
We walked through hedges of beautiful flowers and greenery, which was lovely for us since we live in Southern Arizona.
Instead of walking to the Mussenden Temple, we opted to walk to the east of the lake that divides the estate.
It turned out to be a beautiful walk to the edge of the cliff —away from crowds.
And the view of the Mussenden Temple from where we stood was perfect.
Downhill House. It fell into disrepair after WWI. It was used to house the RAF during WWII.
Mussenden Temple Overview
- Address: 107 Sea Rd, Castlerock BT51 4TW, Northern Ireland, UK
- Fees: FREE
- Difficulty: Easy
- Usage: Light
- Length: .5 Miles
