Bare Interior of the Mussenden Temple
I was very happy to see the Mussenden Temple here at Downhill Demesnse. This temple is patterned after the temple of Vesta in Rome. This one is in much better condition compared to the original which is now in ruins. The Mussenden Temple is much younger than the original of course. I was hoping that with such an amazing structure, the interior is probably just as amazing. We stepped in the temple and held our breath. It was empty. The walls of the temple expose the brickwork of the temple and there was no interior to speak of. I’m guessing that the plaster which was originally there was ruined by the salty air here in this area. Even the dome was stripped bare and I don’t think it could have been a result of vandalism.
Empty Stand at Mussenden Temple
There were still windows here. I think they have been installed recently. There wasn’t much to do here and it was a very disappointing experience. Perhaps the exterior is the result of multiple restorations while the interior was never really given much attention. Looking around you can see empty alcoves all around the temple. There were also empty stands in front of the alcove which I imagine used to stand statues probably of Greek mythological characters. There was no sign describing what was here previously, it would be nice if there was so people would know how to better appreciate this place.
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