Downhill House was a mansion

Mansion

A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...

 built in the 18th century for Frederick Hervey, 4th Earl of Bristol

Frederick Hervey, 4th Earl of Bristol

Frederick Augustus Hervey, 4th Earl of Bristol, PC , known as The Earl-Bishop, was Bishop of Cloyne from 1767 to 1768 and Bishop of Derry from 1768 to 1803.- Life :...

 at Downhill, Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

. Much of the building was destroyed by fire in 1851 before being rebuilt in the 1870s. It fell into disrepair after the Second World War.

Downhill House is now part of the National Trust

National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty

The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...

 property of Downhill Demesne and Mussenden Temple

Mussenden Temple

Mussenden Temple is a small circular building located on cliffs near Castlerock in County Londonderry, high above the Atlantic Ocean on the north-western coast of Northern Ireland....

.

History

Frederick Hervey commissioned work at Downhill Demesne near the village of Castlerock

Castlerock

Castlerock is a seaside village in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is situated between Coleraine and Derry and is very popular with summer tourists, having numerous apartment blocks and three caravan sites. Castlerock Golf Club has both 9 and 18-hole links courses bounded by the beach, the...

 in the early 1770s, after he was made the Bishop of Derry

Bishop of Derry

The Bishop of Derry is an episcopal title which takes its name after the city of Derry in Northern Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with another bishopric.-History:...

 in 1768. Downhill House, overlooking Downhill Strand

Downhill Strand

Downhill Strand is a beach in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, with the A2 and the Derry to Coleraine railway line next to it....

 and Benone

Benone

Benone is a popular tourist destination in the Limavady district, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland.Benone has several caravan sites, such as The Golden Sands,Deigans and a leisure complex with excellent facilities, including a 9 hole par 3 golf course and numerous tennis courts...

 on the north coast of Ireland, was built by the architect Michael Shanahan, although it has been suggested that James Wyatt

James Wyatt

James Wyatt RA , was an English architect, a rival of Robert Adam in the neoclassical style, who far outdid Adam in his work in the neo-Gothic style.-Early classical career:...

 or Charles Cameron

Charles Cameron (architect)

Charles Cameron was a Scottish architect who made an illustrious career at the court of Catherine II of Russia. Cameron, practitioner of early neoclassical architecture, was the chief architect of Tsarskoye Selo and Pavlovsk palaces and the adjacent new town of Sophia from his arrival in Russia in...

 may also have been involved in the early stages of design. The construction of the House, and the nearby Mussenden Temple, cost an estimated £80000. The original principal entrance to the estate was the Lion's Gate, which was actually guarded by two heraldic ounces or snow leopard

Snow Leopard

The snow leopard is a moderately large cat native to the mountain ranges of South Asia and Central Asia...

s, the supporters of the Hervey coat of arms

Coat of arms

A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...

. In 1784, this entrance was replaced by the Bishop's Gate. The interior of the house was decorated with fresco

Fresco

Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...

es and statue

Statue

A statue is a sculpture in the round representing a person or persons, an animal, an idea or an event, normally full-length, as opposed to a bust, and at least close to life-size, or larger...

s and hung with works by several well-known artists.

After Hervey's death in 1803, the estate passed to his cousin, the Rev. Henry Bruce, who had acted as steward of the Estate during the Earl-Bishop's absences. Bruce's sister was Frideswide Mussenden, for whom Mussenden Temple was built, and which became a memorial after her death.

Downhill was recorded to have escaped serious damage during the Night of the Big Wind

Night of the Big Wind

The Night of the Big Wind was a severe European windstorm which swept without warning across Ireland on the night of January 6 - January 7, 1839, causing severe damage to property and several hundred deaths; 20% to 25% of houses in north Dublin were damaged or destroyed, and 42 ships were wrecked...

 in 1839, but in 1851 a fire damaged a significant part of the house and destroyed the library. Frederick Hervey had amassed a large collection of art, which was kept at Downhill and another residence he built at Ballyscullion

Ballyscullion

Ballyscullion is a small village in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 291 people.- People :Frederick Hervey, 4th Earl of Bristol, known as "The Earl-Bishop", was Bishop of Cloyne from 1767 to 1768 and Bishop of Derry from 1768 to 1803...

. The fire destroyed works by artists including Correggio, Dürer, Murillo

Bartolomé Estéban Murillo

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo was a Spanish Baroque painter. Although he is best known for his religious works, Murillo also produced a considerable number of paintings of contemporary women and children...

, Rubens

Rubens

Rubens is often used to refer to Peter Paul Rubens , the Flemish artist.Rubens may also refer to:- People :Family name* Paul Rubens Rubens is often used to refer to Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), the Flemish artist.Rubens may also refer to:- People :Family name* Paul Rubens (composer) Rubens is...

 and Tintoretto

Tintoretto

Tintoretto , real name Jacopo Comin, was a Venetian painter and a notable exponent of the Renaissance school. For his phenomenal energy in painting he was termed Il Furioso...

, although it was reported that most of the paintings had been saved.

The restoration of the house began in 1870 and continued until 1874 under John Lanyon, the son of architect Charles Lanyon

Charles Lanyon

Sir Charles Lanyon DL, JP was an English architect of the 19th century. His work is most closely associated with Belfast, Northern Ireland.-Biography:Lanyon was born in Eastbourne, Sussex in 1813...

, who maintained many of the original features, although some of the original layout was altered and additions made to the floorplan and decor.

During World War Two, the house was used to billet

Billet

A billet is a term for living quarters to which a soldier is assigned to sleep. Historically, it referred to a private dwelling that was required to accept the soldier....

 RAF servicemen and -women. The Bruce family continued to own the house until 1946; by 1950, it had been dismantled and the surrounding land sold. The house was acquired by the National Trust in 1980; the temple had become a Trust property in the 1940s.

While the location and design of the building has been described as a "spectacular" example of the aesthetic

Aesthetics

Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty. It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste...

 idea of the Sublime

Sublime (philosophy)

In aesthetics, the sublime is the quality of greatness, whether physical, moral, intellectual, metaphysical, aesthetic, spiritual or artistic...

, contemporary opinion was not always positive. After a visit in 1801, one visitor wrote of the location:

It is impossible not to regret the misapplication of so much treasure upon a spot where no suitable Desmesne can be created...where the salt spray begins to corrode this sumptuous pile of Grecian Architecture, and the imagination anticipating the distant period weeps over the splendid Ruin, a sad monument of human folly.

while another, Edward Wakefield, said in 1812 that he had, "Never seen so bad a house occupy as much ground."

The Demesne also includes a dovecote

Dovecote

A dovecote or dovecot is a structure intended to house pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be square or circular free-standing structures or built into the end of a house or barn. They generally contain pigeonholes for the birds to nest. Pigeons and doves were an important food source historically in...

, walled gardens, a belvedere

Belvedere (structure)

Belvedere is an architectural term adopted from Italian , which refers to any architectural structure sited to take advantage of such a view. A belvedere may be built in the upper part of a building so as to command a fine view...

, or summer house

Summer house

A summer house or summerhouse has traditionally referred to a building or shelter used for relaxation in warm weather. This would often take the form of a small, roofed building on the grounds of a larger one, but could also be built in a garden or park, often designed to provide cool shady places...

, built for Hervey's daughter and a mausoleum

Mausoleum

A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons. A monument without the interment is a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type of tomb or the tomb may be considered to be within the...

 dedicated to his brother George Hervey

George Hervey, 2nd Earl of Bristol

George William Hervey, 2nd Earl of Bristol , the eldest son of John Hervey, 2nd Baron Hervey, by his marriage with Mary , daughter of Nicholas Lepell....

, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland

Lord Lieutenant of Ireland

The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland was the British King's representative and head of the Irish executive during the Lordship of Ireland , the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...

. The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland

Public Record Office of Northern Ireland

The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland is situated in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is a division within the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure ....

holds over 1000 documents relating to the Hervey-Bruce family dating from the mid-18th century to the early 20th century, including detailed information about Downhill.

External links

• Parks and Gardens UK detailed description of the architectural elements of the Demesne