Downhill Demesne

Top choice


In 1774, the bishop of Derry (fourth earl of Bristol, Frederick Augustus Hervey), built a palatial home amid a 160-hectare demesne. The house burnt down in 1851, was rebuilt in 1876, and abandoned after WWII. The ruins now stand forlornly on a clifftop, with beautiful landscaped gardens below.

The colonnaded, dome-capped Mussenden Temple, built by the bishop for his library (some say his mistress), is a Game of Thrones icon.

Enter via the Lion's Gate or Bishop's Gate.

Nearby is whitewashed, 17th-century Hezlett House (open 11am to 5pm from June to September, weekends only April to June), one of Ireland's oldest thatched cottages, which belonged to the same family of dairy farmers for over 300 years. The rooms are set up as they would have looked in Victorian times. It's 2km southeast of Downhill Demesne on the Mussenden Rd.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Portstewart Strand

3.45 MILES

The broad, 2.5km beach of Portstewart Strand is a 20-minute walk south of the centre along a coastal path, or a short bus ride along Strand Rd. Parking is…

2. Magilligan Martello Tower

6.24 MILES

On Magilligan Point itself, watching over the entrance to Lough Foyle, stands a well-preserved Martello tower, built during the Napoleonic Wars in 1812 to…

3. Mountsandel Fort

6.77 MILES

Just 1.5km south of Coleraine town centre, on the east bank of the river, Mountsandel Fort is a massive and mysterious earthwork that may have been an…

4. Northburgh Castle

7.05 MILES

Once known as Northburg Castle and then known as Greencastle, apparently from the stone it was constructed from (but today it very well describes the…

5. East Strand

7.21 MILES

Portrush's main attraction is the beautiful sandy East Strand beach that stretches for 3km to the east of town, ending at the scenic chalk cliffs of…

7. Dunluce Castle

9.8 MILES

This medieval castle ruin is perched on top of a dramatic cliffside overlooking the glorious Causeway Coast.

8. Green Lane Museum

10.8 MILES

At the entrance to Roe Valley Country Park, the Green Lane Museum contains old photographs and relics of the valley’s flax industry.

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "northern-ireland/downhill/attractions/downhill-demesne/a/poi-sig/1173500/1322114",
      "position": "superzone"
    }