Portora Castle sits on the south bank of the River Erne along ‘the narrows’ at Enniskillen. Built in 1614 by William Cole, it was a three-storey fortified house built across the width of the bawn, with four corner towers. It is English in style. The Castle was:  ‘a strong bawne of stone and lyme’. It was leased to Bishop Spottiswood of Clogher until 1628. Thereafter the Coles lived at Portora Castle before they moved to Florencecourt in 1764. Portora Castle was a military outpost of Enniskillen during the 1641 and 1689 conflicts.

The Castle eventually fell at the hands of Portora school boys playing with home-made explosives in 1859.  Later excavations within the large house uncovered the base of its front wall.  The remains of a second large fireplace were also found.  None of the original floor levels have survived. There is little to suggest that the house was lived in during the 17^th century.