The 1837 Ordnance Survey six-inch map clearly marked both structures as a rectangular enclosure, but time hasn’t been kind to these medieval remnants. Where stone walls once stood, only scattered rubble remains across the hillside, stretching from the southwest round to the north, offering little more than a hint of the fortress that once commanded this elevated position.

The site has been thoroughly levelled over the years, leaving archaeologists to piece together its history from minimal clues. About six metres southeast of the hill’s highest point, a curious rectangular depression catches the trained eye; measuring roughly 6.3 metres northeast to southwest and 2.2 metres northwest to southeast, it sits about 20 centimetres below the surrounding ground level. Whilst its northeastern and northwestern edges remain clearly defined, the other two sides are barely traceable outlines in the earth.

This sunken feature poses something of a mystery. It might be part of the original castle complex or its protective bawn, perhaps a foundation or cellar that survived the general destruction of the site. Equally, it could simply be evidence of later stone quarrying, when locals helped themselves to the ready-made building materials the ruined fortress provided. Without excavation, its true purpose remains tantalisingly unclear, another piece in the puzzle of Coolcor’s vanished stronghold.