Local historical interest is concentrated on the 18th century Bishop of Derry's ruined palace, the Mussenden Temple on the clifftop, and the Black Glen set within the Downhill Estate, which is now owned by the National Trust. The palace and estate were created by Frederick Hervey, 4th Earl of Bristol who was the Bishop of Derry in the 1780s. The Mussenden Temple, with its precarious perch on the basalt cliff edge is one of the most photographed scenes in Ireland. The 17th century Hezlett House is a thatched cottage with a cruck structure and is situated at the crossroads near the village. Built around 1691, it was originally a rectory or farmhouse. Also at the adjacent crossroads is an ancient tree. The bodies of the two victims of infamous dentist Colin Howell were found in Castlerock on May 19, 1991. Castlerock was relatively untouched by the Troubles, with only one fatal incident occurring in or near the village as part of the conflict. The "Castlerock killings" took place in March 1993, when four men were shot dead by a group calling itself "Ulster Freedom Fighters", a covername used by the Ulster Defence Association. One of the men convicted for the murders was Coleraine loyalist Torrens Knight. Castlerock is also home to Guysmere Summer Camp, which is owned and run by the Presbyterian Church.
Education
Hezlett Primary School
Ballyhacket Primary School
People
The actor James Nesbitt lived in Castlerock as a teenager. The village was also the holiday destination for the famous author C. S. Lewis. Born in Belfast, he holidayed in Castlerock as a child and took inspiration from Downhill House for some of his books including The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Other notables and most likely the most popular resident of Castlerock would be Stephen Ness. He played in the World Series of poker and came 41st out of over 4400 players. When asked about his exit from the tournament he replied with “I played my best and went out on my shield against a lesser hand, this is poker”. He is a popular member of the Castlerock community and has a passion for fishing in the local river Roe where his forefathers have fished for generation. In his early career he began as a mechanic working towards his current role of sales executive for the largest Ford dealership company in Europe. Currents resides between Castlerock and Donegal and takes bookings for parties where he has been accredited by the NI tourist board as being one of the best entertainment evenings.
Transport
opened on 18 July 1853. Northern Ireland Railways currently run a mostly hourly service in both directions daily, and only five trains each way on Sunday. Ulsterbus services tend to coincide roughly with the times of the railway service and proceed either west towards Limavady or east to Coleraine.
