Mausoleum at Downhill Demesne

We walked through the pleasant Black Glen which is the garden for Downhill Demesne. It was a large area, so it took us time to explore the place. We ended up at one of the gates of the estate but it wasn’t the one we entered from. We were actually in search for our car which was parked in another area of the estate. We thought that we might as well take the faster route back, and that means cutting through the estate. We were walking up a hill and we noticed that there was something built at the top of the hill. This wasn’t another temple but rather a mausoleum. It is more accurately called a cenotaph. Apparently a cenotaph is an empty tomb or monument built for someones body which is buried somewhere else.

I actually had no idea what this place actually was. There were no signs here to tell us what the place is. The cenotaph has an elegant design to it which reflects the tastes of the owner of the estate. This lines up well with the Mussenden Temple which we visited earlier. This cenotaph was built for George Hervey, brother othe the earl bishop Frederick Hervey who owned Downhill Demesne. There was once a statue of George here but it was blown away by the wind. It is said that the statue is still in the estate ground but I didn’t see where. There wasn’t really much to do here at the mausoleum but take photos and move one. It is nice to be able to encounter places like this seemingly out of nowhere.

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