Photo: D LN / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
About this place
Built in 1785 by Frederick Hervey, the Earl-Bishop of Derry, Mussenden Temple is a small circular library sitting on the clifftops near Castlerock on the north-western coast of Northern Ireland, in County Londonderry.
Hervey modelled it on the Temple of Vesta at Tivoli in Italy.
The National Trust first acquired the temple in the 1940s; the surrounding Downhill Demesne and the ruins of Downhill House came into their care in 1980, and the combined site has been managed by the Trust ever since.
Hervey originally allowed local Catholics to hold Mass inside the temple, an unusual act of religious tolerance for the period.
Plan your visit
The grounds are open to the public all year round from dawn to dusk; check the official National Trust website for seasonal event and interior access details.