Mussenden Temple (Bishops Gate)
Castlerock, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland
A scenic view from the beachside near Castlerock shows a contrasting look of a small temple high atop (120 feet) above the Atlantic Ocean and its rocky cliffs. Mussenden Temple, a circular building designed as a temple, was built in 1785 as part of Frederick Augustus Hervey’s estate (The 4th Earl of Bristol, Bishop of Derry). It was built as a summer library and modelled after the Temple of Vesta in Tivoli, Italy in memory of Hervey’s cousin Frideswide Mussenden. Natural erosion of the cliff face draws ever so close to the temple each year but is being stabilized by the National Trust since 1997 to prevent the loss of the building. The building’s inscription reads Lucretius’ statement: “is pleasant, safely to behold from shore / the rolling ship, and hear the tempes roar.” The property is part of the National Trust and open year round, dawn to dusk and is a popular location for wedding ceremonies.
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Road to Mussenden Temple
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