Located near the East Pier of Dún Laoghaire Harbour and Glasthule, it opened in 1890, and major elements were redeveloped between 1985 and 1997, and again in 2012.

The gate lodge and shelter structures were conserved, public toilets constructed and an extension was added to the shelter to create tearooms, designed by Howley Hayes, conservation architects.

New railings and gates were constructed along the line of 'the metals' and the raised promenade and glazed viewing deck were constructed over the DART line, designed by the in-house parks team.

The park is approximately 1.6 hectares (4.0 acres) in size[1] and is bounded by Summerhill Road, Park Road, the DART railway cutting (the nearest railway station is Sandycove and Glasthule),[2] and the rear gardens of some houses on Martello Terrace.

A bandstand is at the centre of the park, and it also holds a playground, two fountains, a "tearooms" style café in the Victorian shelter, and a Garden for the Blind (with a specially-designed walking trail).