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The castle consists of two stories over a large basement
that extends under the south lawns. Ground floor rooms
include the morning room, dining room, library and the
kitchen are open to the public, displaying original household
furnishings and fixtures. Upstairs is a permanent exhibit
of the Down Survey with color maps and the Hutton Coachbuilders
drawings and text.
The castle sits on a 200-acre parkland overlooking the
beach at Barnageera, the Irish Sea and Skerries. There
are large open grassy spaces, walled herb garden, rose
garden, Victorian glass and wood conservatory, tea rooms
and an ice house. The children's playground was added
in 2006.
The Yew Walk lies to the south of the house. It dates
back to the time of Marianne Taylor, wife to Reverend
Henry Edward Taylor, who had the trees planted. A shadowy
figure has often been reported seen here, which may be
Captain Edward Taylor (1863-1938) who enjoyed walking
among the trees in his lifetime.
The Lady's Stairs is a pedestrian footbridge on the Dublin-Belfast
Railway Line that runs along the northeastern boundary
of the demesne. The bridge was originally constructed
by the Dublin and Drogheda Railway Company. It gets its
name from the ghostly figure of a lady who can be seen
here from time to time.
The castle remained in the Taylor family until it sold
to Heinrich Potts of Westphalia. The castle was sold to
the Fingal County Council in 1982 and made opened to the
public.
It was during site works in 1985 that an underground
passage was discovered. It turned out to be the long-lost
ice house. These structures were the precursors to modern
day refrigeration. Ice was collected from frozen lakes
and rivers then packed into a cold chambers such as this
to store cold goods, such as meat, dairy, wines and other
perishable foodstuffs that could be used later in the
year.
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Accessible in most instances, parking available at the
castle