The site has a rich history stretching back to medieval times, when it formed part of the estates belonging to the Knights Hospitallers of Kilbarry. Following the dissolution of the monasteries during the Reformation, the property changed hands and came into the possession of the Wyse family, who were likely responsible for constructing both the gatehouse and the defensive bawn that visitors can explore today.

The bawn itself forms an irregular rectangle measuring between 40 and 58 metres from northeast to southwest, and 50 metres from northwest to southeast, encompassing roughly 0.3 hectares. Its defensive walls tell a story of different building phases; the northeastern, southeastern and southern portions of the southwestern sides consist of mortared stone walls that reach heights of 1.8 to 2.4 metres on the exterior, whilst standing about a metre tall on the interior. The walls themselves are approximately one metre thick. The northern section of the southwestern side takes a different form, comprising a substantial earthen bank faced with stone that measures 5 metres wide and stands between 1.2 and 1.7 metres high.

Today, the interior of this once-unified defensive structure has been subdivided into three separate fields, though the walls remain largely intact as a testament to centuries of Irish history. The combination of stone walls and earthen banks suggests practical adaptations made over time, perhaps reflecting changing defensive needs or available building materials as the structure evolved from its original medieval purpose into the agricultural landscape of modern Waterford.