Mussenden Temple

Mussenden Temple perches on a clifftop above the Atlantic near Castlerock in County Londonderry, a circular domed building modeled on the Temple of Vesta in Italy and built in 1785 by the Earl-Bishop Frederick Hervey as a library dedicated to his cousin. The temple's setting is what draws photographers, its classical white columns set against sheer cliffs and the wide curve of Downhill Strand below, with the structure standing so close to the cliff edge that erosion has required occasional reinforcement over the centuries to keep it from following the collapsed cliff. A short walk through the surrounding Downhill Demesne parkland, past the ruined mansion that once served as the bishop's residence, leads to the temple, with the full circuit taking about an hour. The building's small interior can be visited on limited open days, but most visitors focus on photographing the exterior against the coastal backdrop. Sunset produces the most dramatic images, when the temple catches the last light against a darkening sky and sea, though the clifftop position means the site is exposed and can be windy at any time of year.