Oakover Hall

12 Stafford Street, Preston

The heritage listed “Oakover Hall” is Preston’s oldest known building and is among the largest surviving nineteenth century residences in the area. The original owner, Thomas Goodwin, a Melbourne storekeeper, purchased 385 acres of Preston land from John Carey, which he partitioned off and began to sell. The precise date of the building is unsure. Goodwin apparently had a building there from the early 1850s, although it seems likely that “Oakover Hall” was built slightly later, around 1857, and was designed by architect John Gill.

Later Goodwin put the house up for sale but struggled to find interested parties. Eventually, after over a year on the market, he sold the house to Abraham Booth. A fire in 1875 resulted in some rebuilding of the property which remained with Booth until his death in 1902. Later the Booth family moved to Toorak and the house was leased to various dairymen. During the 1950s it was subdivided into four flats. The building has since been restored to its former glory and is now a stand alone residential property again.

Carroll, Brian & Rule, Ian (1985). Preston: an Illustrated History. Preston: City of Preston.

Ward, Andrew (2001). Darebin Heritage Review 2000, Vol. 3. Burwood, Vic: City Of Darebin.