The most striking feature is the northwest corner of the structure, which juts out from the main garden wall with a distinctive sloping angle known as a batter. This section of masonry, measuring roughly 3.8 metres east to west and 3.9 metres north to south, rises to a height of 2.8 metres and is constructed from roughly coursed limestone blocks typical of Irish castle architecture.

Historical records suggest this was once Shaen Castle, a tower house that met its demise around 1650, likely during the tumultuous period of the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. The Journal of the Kildare Archaeological Society noted the castle ruins as early as 1909, though by then much of the original structure had already vanished. What remains today offers just a glimpse of what would have been a formidable defensive residence, typical of the Anglo-Norman and Gaelic lordships that dotted the Irish landscape during the medieval period.

Perhaps the most intriguing connection to this site is a carved stone figure known as a Sheela-na-Gig, one of Ireland’s mysterious medieval carvings depicting female figures in explicit poses. According to research by Guest in 1936, this particular carving is believed to have originated from Shaen Castle before being relocated. These enigmatic sculptures, found throughout Ireland and Britain, continue to puzzle historians; some suggest they served as protective talismans against evil, whilst others propose they were fertility symbols or warnings against the sins of the flesh.