A survey from 1705 records a schematic drawing of a large, single-storey rectangular structure with a pitched roof on this site, raising the possibility that the bones of an earlier building were absorbed into whatever came later, rather than cleared away and started fresh.

At the time of that 1705 survey, the property belonged to John Forde of the City of Dublin, a detail recorded by Bates in 1988. The survey itself offers only a schematic, a bare outline rather than a measured architectural drawing, so what precisely stood here is difficult to reconstruct. The note that this earlier structure was "possibly incorporated" into the present building is careful, scholarly hedging, but it points to a practice that was common enough in Irish estate building: reusing existing fabric, whether for economy, speed, or simple practicality, rather than demolishing what was already sound.

Newbridge Demesne is managed as a public amenity and is accessible from the town of Donabate in north County Dublin. The house itself is open to visitors on certain days, and guided tours of the interior are available seasonally, which is the most useful way to get a sense of the building's layered construction. Anyone with an interest in the structural history rather than just the decorative interiors might pay attention to the proportions of the ground floor, where an earlier single-storey range, if it does survive, would most plausibly be found. The demesne also includes a farm museum and walled garden, both worth time, though the quiet architectural puzzle at the core of the main house is easy to walk past without noticing it is there at all.