VISITORS to the north Antrim coast are often intrigued by the sight of a conical structure perched on the edge of a cliff overhanging Downhill strand in Co Derry, looking like a giant mushroom. This is the famous Mussenden temple built in 1783 by the eccentric Bishop of Derry and Earl of Bristol, Frederick Hervey.
The temple was intended as a library and was based on the design of the temple of Vesta at Tivoli. It was named after Hervey's cousin, Mrs. Frideswide Mussenden, with, whom it was hinted he had a romantic infatuation.
Hervey was an odd choice to occupy the richest See in Ireland at the time (worth £7,000 a year.) He was a liberal and a nationalist and raised his own corps of Irish Volunteers. He believed in freedom of worship for Catholics and allowed his Catholic tenantry to use the crypt of the temple to say Mass.
Amorous Adventures
He was given to amorous adventures and his female friends included the notorious Emma Hart and the Countess Von Lichtenau, a former mistress of the emperor of Prussia. In fact it was whispered that Hervey wasn't even a Christian at all, but some strange kind of agnostic.
But his elder brother, George, was for a short time the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and although he never set foot in the country he had power and influence and he used it to promote Frederick, first to the See of Cloyne and then a year later to Derry in 1768. In fact in 1779, he was to do his brother an even greater favour for he died and Frederick succeeded to the earldom of Bristol, worth £20,000 a year.
By the standards of the time, Frederick was a very wealthy man. He decided to use his wealth to create a seat at Downhill, then a windswept expanse of land on the edge of the wide Atlantic.
The idea was sneered at by the architectural experts but it is said that Hervey persisted with Downhill because of the sea air which he thought would be beneficial for his gout.
The estate spanned 400 acres.
Hervey landscaped the area, built a palace, the temple, a mausoleum, and planted 300,000 trees. He employed Michael Shanahan, a master, builder from Cork, hired hundreds of labourers and used local basalt faced with sandstone brought by boat from Ballycastle in Co Antrim.
Over a period of 15 years, between 1774 and 1788, Hervey succeeded in confounding his critics and building a magnificent seat with spectacular views across the Derry and Antrim coasts, and on a clear day as far as Scotland.
Intrepid Traveller
But Hervey was to spend very little time at Downhill. He was an intrepid traveller throughout Europe (The Bristol hotels are supposed to be named after him) and an avid collector of art and cultural treasures.
The stories about his odd behaviour while at his Co Derry See are fascinating. It is said he enjoyed conducting horse races on Magilligan strand between the local Anglican and Presbyterian clergy.
The Presbyterians always won because they were thinner and fitter. When a rich living became available, Hervey would invite the fattest clergy in the diocese to a sumptuous dinner at the palace then instruct them to run a race over marshy land for the prize. The fat clergymen would get bogged down in the swamp and no one would get the job.
Over the years, the palace deteriorated. There was a fire in 1851 which destroyed most of the house. It was rebuilt in 1876, but was said to be a cold, gloomy and draughty place. When the wind blew in a certain direction, the servants had to enter the rooms on their "hands and knees.
During the second World War, the house was used by the RAF. In 1950, the palace had become derelict, the roof was removed, possibly to avoid paying rates, and by the late 1970s, it was a vandalised ruin. It is now in the care of the National Trust with the woodland under the control of the Forestry Service. Admission is free and it is well worth a visit.
Various Entrances
There are three approaches to "the estate, on foot from the village of Castlerock through the magnificent Black Glen or at the two entrances on the Coleraine to Limavady Road.
The best is probably Bishop's Gate entrance which takes the visitor through the beautifully restored gardens, work undertaken for years by the warden, Jan Eccles. But the last entrance, a bit further along the road at the Lion's Gate, has car parking, picnic tables and toilets and leads directly to the vegetable gardens, walled to keep out the salt sea air, and the dove-cot and ice house.
Whichever entrance you choose will yield a marvellous afternoon, beautiful scenery, magnificent ruins and well presented information on the history and architecture of the estate.
The day I went was a balmy August afternoon. There were breathtaking views east across the Bann to the Antrim coast and west to Derry and Donegal. Sheep munched their way through the rich grass where Hervey once conducted those madcap races in what he no doubt regarded as the very best in personnel management.