Mussenden Temple is a small circular building located on cliffs near Castlerock in

County Londonderry County Londonderry ( Ulster-Scots: ''Coontie Lunnonderrie''), also known as County Derry ( ga, Contae Dhoire), is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the thirty two counties of Ireland and one of the nine counties of Ulster. ...

, high above the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

on the north-western coast of

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is #Descriptions, variously described as ...

History

Perched on the cliffs overlooking Downhill Strand, it was once possible to drive a carriage around the temple: however,

coastal erosion Coastal erosion is the loss or displacement of land, or the long-term removal of sediment and rocks along the coastline due to the action of waves, currents, tides, wind-driven water, waterborne ice, or other impacts of storms. The landwar ...

has brought the edge closer to the building. The temple was built in 1785 and forms part of the Downhill Demesne. The

demesne A demesne ( ) or domain was all the land retained and managed by a lord of the manor under the feudal system for his own use, occupation, or support. This distinguished it from land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants. The concept or ...

was formerly part of the estate of Frederick, 4th Earl of Bristol, who served as the

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the sec ...

Lord Bishop of Derry from 1768 until 1803. It was Lord Bristol – popularly known as "the Earl-Bishop" – who had the "temple" built. Constructed as a library and modelled from the

Temple of Vesta The Temple of Vesta, or the aedes (Latin ''Aedes Vestae''; Italian: ''Tempio di Vesta''), is an ancient edifice in Rome, Italy. The temple is located in the Roman Forum near the Regia and the House of the Vestal Virgins. The Temple of Vesta h ...

in the ''

Forum Romanum The Roman Forum, also known by its Latin name Forum Romanum ( it, Foro Romano), is a rectangular forum ( plaza) surrounded by the ruins of several important ancient government buildings at the center of the city of Rome. Citizens of the ancie ...

'' in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, it is dedicated to the memory of Bishop Lord Bristol's niece Frideswide Mussenden. Its walls were once lined with bookcases. A fire was kept burning constantly in the basement. This and its enclosed flue meant that, even in this very exposed location, the books never got damp. Over the years the erosion of the cliff face at Downhill has brought Mussenden Temple ever closer to the edge, and in 1997

The National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

carried out cliff stabilisation work to prevent the loss of the building. The inscription around the building reads:

"''Suave, mari magno turbantibus aequora ventis
''e terra magnum alterius spectare laborem.''"
"Tis pleasant, safely to behold from shore
The troubled sailor, and hear the tempests roar."

The quotation is from

Lucretius Titus Lucretius Carus ( , ; – ) was a Roman poet and philosopher. His only known work is the philosophical poem '' De rerum natura'', a didactic work about the tenets and philosophy of Epicureanism, and which usually is translated into E ...

, ''De Rerum Natura'', 2.1–2. Built as a wedding gift to his niece, Mrs. Frideswide Mussenden, and named in her honour, this library was to be a place she could retire when she visited him. He referred to her as his "cher cousin" and it's believed he greatly admired her beauty. There was some scandal at the time about the nature of their relationship, which may have caused her some distress and hastened her death. "I intend to build a Grecian temple in Frideswide's honour...I intend to build it on the edge of a cliff. It will give employment to the poor, to the district and employment." The Earl Bishop was clearly heart broken when Frideswide died. His notes on the building state that it was based on Bramante's Tempietto on Rome's Janiculum hill, which itself based on the Temple of Vesta at Tivoli near Rome. The building was probably the work of Micheal Shanahan who accompanied the Earl Bishop on one of his many visits to Italy.

National Trust

Now part of The National Trust property of

Mussenden Temple and Downhill Demesne The Mussenden Temple and Downhill Demesne is a National Trust property consisting of Downhill Castle and its estate, which includes the Mussenden Temple. See also * Hezlett House Hezlett House is a 17th-century thatched cottage lo ...

, the grounds encompassing Mussenden Temple, and its manor house ( Downhill Castle) are open to the public all year, from dawn to dusk. The "Temple" offers views westwards over

Downhill Strand Downhill Strand (better known as Benone Strand) is a beach in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. At long it is one of the longest in Northern Ireland, and recipient of the European Blue Flag and Seaside Award. It is located next to the ...

towards

Magilligan Point Magilligan () is a peninsula that lies in the northwest of County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, at the entrance to Lough Foyle, within Causeway Coast and Glens district. It is an extensive coastal site, part British army firing range, part n ...

and on across to Inishowen in

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrcon ...

; and to the east, Castlerock beach towards Portstewart, Portrush and Fair Head. The temple obtained a licence to hold civil wedding ceremonies in 2007. The nearest station is

Castlerock railway station Castlerock railway station serves the villages of Castlerock, Articlave and their surrounding hamlets in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Walkers use the station to reach Mussenden Temple, Downhill Strand and Benone. The station ope ...

References

External links

Downhill Estate & Mussenden Temple at the National Trust

Downhill Castle entry from The DiCamillo Companion to British & Irish Country Houses
{{Museums and galleries in Northern Ireland Buildings and structures in County Londonderry National Trust properties in Northern Ireland Tourist attractions in County Londonderry Grade A listed buildings Buildings and structures completed in 1785 1785 establishments in Ireland