The 33-acre (13 ha) site is composed of gardens and parkland on which three buildings sit:[2] the remains of a 16th-century fortified house, a 19th-century mansion to the north, and the ruins of a 13th-century castle to the east.

The fortified house is a long rectangular three-storey building, with two polygonal towers on the north-west and south-west corners.

Following the Geraldine Wars, the estate was confiscated by Elizabeth I, who granted it to Sir Thomas Norrey along with the Lordship of Mallow and 6,000 acres (2,400 ha) of surrounding country.

[4] The fortified house dates from the 16th century and is believed to have been built by Sir Thomas Norreys, Lord President of Munster, who died in 1599.

Following his death, his daughter Elizabeth and her husband Sir John Jephson inherited the house, with their family remaining in Mallow for almost 400 years.