Downhill Hostel, 12 Mussenden Road, Downhill, Castlerock, Co. Londonderry, BT51 4RP

Downhill Hostel is a two-storey Victorian house built in 1888, situated in a scenic location behind Downhill Strand under the cliffs of the north coast, approached down a short lane off the east side of Mussenden Road. The railway line runs between the house and the beach. The building was originally constructed as a seaside retreat named Glenhassan by Thomas Hassan, a prominent Belfast Nationalist and wine and spirit merchant.

The original building is three bays with a two-storey return. A modern extension was added to the rear around 2006, set back to the south. The roof is concrete tiles in two pitches. Rendered chimneys with moulded cornices sit to each gable and central to the rear ridge, with timber brackets to the eaves and metal round gutters and downpipes.

The walls feature lined render to the first floor and rusticated render to the ground floor, with a moulded string between the two stories. Window and door openings are generally segmental arches, except for the attic windows which are round arched. The windows are replacement 1/1 timber sashes with double glazing. Double-leaf doors are four-panelled with a single-paned overlight.

The main north elevation to the front section is symmetrical. To the ground floor either side of the central entrance door are canted bays, over which extends a balcony forming an open porchway. The balcony features a cast iron balustrade with circular decoration. To the first floor are five windows, paired to the sides. The side east elevation has a pair of windows to the attic, a window adjacent to each corner on the first floor, and a central window on the ground floor. The side west elevation mirrors this arrangement with slight variations. The rear addition replicates the wrought-iron balustrade detailing of the front elevation and includes a conservatory at first-floor level.

In 1888 the house was valued at £30 when noted as in progress, with construction costs of £600 and a further £100 expended on reservoirs. The building appears on the third edition Ordnance Survey map of 1904, captioned Glenhassan. Thomas Hassan, a native of County Derry, had moved to Belfast as a young man and established a successful spirit grocery business, ultimately owning two public houses in Old Lodge Road, one in Agnes Street, and Strangmore House in Cliftonpark Avenue where he lived with his family. His business premises were attacked on several occasions, notably in 1879, 1886 (when damage was severe), 1893 and 1896. Hassan built his Downhill home after the particularly damaging attack on his premises in 1886. He became a magistrate for County Londonderry and was known for his Nationalist convictions whilst also being popular among Protestants. He was a generous charitable contributor, serving on the executive committee of the Mater Infirmorum and leaving a significant bequest to the Society of St Vincent de Paul for the benefit of the poor in Belfast. Hassan died at Strangmore House in 1897 at age 50, leaving three sons and two daughters, and was buried at Milltown Cemetery.

Following Hassan's death the house appears to have remained unoccupied for some time but was let in 1906 to the Misses MacKillip, principals of Victoria Girls' High School, Londonderry. The next recorded occupier was John O'Kane in 1921, followed by Reverend P Kerlin in 1922. The house then passed to William J Little in 1929, and the lease was purchased by James Nielans in 1935 for £950. By the 1930s the interior accommodation comprised on the ground floor three receptions, a kitchen, pantry and scullery; on the first floor four bedrooms, a bathroom and WC; and on the second floor four attics. The house was then known as Glenhassan Hall.

The present owners acquired the property around 2000 and added a modern rear extension around 2006. The original front section of the building is currently in use as a hostel. The property sits on the eastern edge of a group of buildings, with Mussenden Temple visible along the cliff edge to the east.