This four-storey tower house, measuring roughly 6.5 metres north to south and 6 metres east to west, stands as a reminder of the turbulent changes that swept through Ireland during the 17th century. The Down Survey maps from 1655-6 tell us that John Grace, recorded as an “Irish Papist”, owned the castle and its surrounding “cabbins” in 1640, but his fortunes changed dramatically with the Cromwellian conquest; his lands were confiscated in 1653 and handed over to Captain Charles Gore, who promptly renamed his new acquisition Goresgrove.

The castle itself has undergone considerable transformation over the centuries. Its original medieval character remains visible in the base batter, dressed quoins, and the spiral staircase tucked into the northwest corner, which still provides access to the upper floors through its original doorways. The north wall preserves three authentic windows; single lights with both flat and round-headed designs that would have provided modest illumination to the tower’s interior. However, much of what visitors would have seen in 1987 represents later modifications, particularly from the 17th to early 19th centuries, when a house was built against the eastern wall and various outbuildings were added to the west, all now reduced to ruins.

The architectural history reveals itself through careful observation: whilst the north and west walls remain largely original, the south wall has been substantially rebuilt and the eastern wall heavily altered to accommodate the later domestic additions. These modifications included new doorways, windows and fireplaces, with the floor levels adjusted to better suit residential rather than defensive purposes. Though the ground floor was filled with collapsed masonry when last formally surveyed in 1987, the structure continues to tell its story of adaptation, survival, and the shifting fortunes of Irish landed families through centuries of political upheaval.