Mussenden Temple

Mussenden Temple is a small, round building that sits on tall cliffs near Castlerock in County Londonderry. It looks out over the Atlantic Ocean on the northwest coast of Northern Ireland. The temple is perched high above the water, offering amazing views of the ocean below. Its unique shape and location make it a special and interesting place to visit.

History

Mussenden Temple is a small, round building built in 1785. It sits high on cliffs near Castlerock in County Londonderry, looking out over the Atlantic Ocean. The temple was created as a special gift for the Earl-Bishop’s niece, Mrs. Frideswide Mussenden, and was meant to be a quiet place for her to relax.

The temple was designed to look like the Temple of Vesta in Rome. Originally, it had walls filled with books and a fire in the basement to keep them dry, even in bad weather. Over time, the cliffs have moved closer to the temple because of erosion. In 1997, the National Trust helped stabilise the cliff to protect the building.

National Trust

The grounds around Mussenden Temple and its nearby manor house, Downhill Castle, are open to visitors all year. You can visit from dawn until dusk. The temple gives great views to the west over Downhill Strand toward Magilligan Point and across to Inishowen in County Donegal, and to the east toward Castlerock beach, Portstewart, Portrush, and Fair Head.

Since 2007, the temple has been allowed to host civil wedding ceremonies. The closest train station is Castlerock railway station.