What remains today is part of a four-storey house from the late 18th or early 19th century, but keen observers will spot much older masonry incorporated into the structure, particularly in the northeast corner where 17th-century stonework survives in the lower courses. These older stones might be all that’s left of a castle built here by Captain Gerald Fleming in 1607, a stronghold that met its end during the turbulent Williamite wars.

The Down Survey maps from 1656 to 1658 provide a tantalising glimpse of what once stood here: a substantial castle complete with two entrance gates at Cabragh, marked as a prominent feature in the landscape. The survey also shows a smaller building, possibly a mill, situated about 200 metres north on the banks of the River Lagan, which flows east to west through the area. Whilst the castle’s remnants have been absorbed into later construction, no trace of this potential mill building can be found today.

The site offers a perfect example of how Ireland’s built heritage often exists in layers, with newer structures cannibalising the stones of their predecessors. The Fleming castle would have been built during the early years of the Plantation of Ulster, only to fall victim to the conflicts that swept through Ireland at the end of the 17th century. Its stones lived on, repurposed by later generations who built their own homes quite literally on the foundations of history.