Oakwal

Oakwal, is a heritage-listed, single-storey stone villa located at 50 Bush Street, Windsor. It was designed by architect James Cowlishaw and built in 1864 by John Petrie with subsequent modifications to 1948. The property was officially included in the Queensland Heritage Register on 14 May 1993.

Oakwal, a one-story sandstone dwelling situated on the crest of a hill just north of Breakfast Creek at Windsor. The architectural style of the structure reflects Georgian influences, evident in features like the symmetrical east-facing facade with a portico, textured stone walls, paired square timber posts supporting the verandah, and louvred shutters enhancing the French doors.

The structure features a U-shaped gabled roof made of slate, adorned with four sandstone chimneys, western gabled parapets, a central box gutter, and lower skillion roof verandahs on the south, east, and north sides, complemented by paired timber eave brackets. The entrance portico boasts a timber pediment and sandstone steps and base. The majority of the southern verandah has been enclosed for bathrooms and studies, showcasing a weatherboard base, shuttered casement windows, and panel infill. The main entrance is marked by double timber doors with a fanlight and sidelights, while shuttered arched French doors with fanlights open onto the verandahs. A gabled wing with a corrugated iron roof has been added to the west, featuring casement windows, a stone base, and housing bathrooms, a laundry, and an office. Additionally, a stone and weatherboard garage with a corrugated iron gabled roof has been erected to the northwest, positioned lower than the house and nearly reaching the site boundary.

The layout comprises rooms branching off a central hallway adorned with archways and a central domed skylight, featuring a light shaft above. Inside, the structure boasts cedar-panelled doors with fanlights, architraves, and skirtings, along with rendered masonry walls, plaster ceilings adorned with decorative roses, and timber floors covered with various floor coverings. Each main room includes a fireplace, with only the front two operational ones featuring marble surrounds. The northwest room has been renovated into a kitchen. The west addition is characterized by single-skin tongue-and-groove walls.

Location: Bush Street, Windsor Year: 1948