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The fine gatehouse leads directly to the inner ward, and an immediate and exhilarating experience. The inner ward is pleasingly attractive, with its brilliantly colored flowers and bright green lawn encompassed by well preserved brown stone. The castle's basic plan is almost rectangular, and consists of a sturdy battlemented curtain wall with niches and powerful corner towers (one of which is round and offers a breathtaking vista of Gerald's favorite landscape), a complex hall-range, and a huge barn.

 

Undoubtedly the most intriguing features of the inner ward are the massive industrial hearths on the west and southern walls, notable for their novel Flemish chimneys. They create an atmosphere of domesticity even though their purpose was probably the forging of metals.