The current building, a Tudor Revival mansion complete with a mock Norman keep, was designed by William Vitruvius Morrison in 1837. Whilst today’s structure might be relatively modern, it stands on ground that has hosted fortifications since the 12th century, when Adam de Phephoe first established a stronghold here. The site later came under the control of the Knights Hospitallers, the medieval Catholic military order known for their crusading activities and charitable works.

The property’s fortunes shifted dramatically during the Cromwellian period when John Vernon, who had served as quartermaster in Cromwell’s army in 1650, took possession of the estate in the late 17th century. The Civil Survey of 1654-6 provides a glimpse of what stood here during this tumultuous period: a castle with an adjoining stone house, all enclosed within a stone bawn; a defensive wall typical of Irish fortified houses. John Rocque’s detailed 1760 map reveals more about this earlier structure, showing a substantial rectangular bawn with circular bastions at its northwestern and northeastern corners, defensive features that would have provided both protection and an imposing presence.

When Morrison undertook his grand redesign in 1837, the original bawn was demolished to make way for the Gothic Revival fantasy we see today. However, traces of the medieval castle haven’t completely vanished. Archaeological excavations carried out in 1996 uncovered tantalising evidence of the original structure, including a 2.6-metre-wide section of wall running north to south, now hidden beneath the Victorian additions. This fragment of stonework serves as a physical link to the castle’s medieval origins, a reminder that beneath the 19th-century romanticism lies genuine medieval history.