Booval House is situated on the remaining 4818 sq.m (approx 1.2 acres) od a farm established in the 1850's. Booval, as it was originally called, is a rare Queensland example of Colonial Georgian architecture.

Booval House is the oldest 2-story house in Ipswich, and the third oldest remaining home in Ipswich. Construction of Booval probably commenced in 1856 and was completed by December 1859 when Governor George Bowen visited the house on the way to Ipswich. Gov. Bowen arrived in Ipswich on 20th December 1859, soon after his arrival in Queensland - Ipswich was in the running to be Qld's capital. After "taking refreshment" and changing attire at Booval House, he was escorted by several carriages and 400-500 residents on horseback. Another 1500 people on foot joined the procession at "Limestone Ridge" as it was called then (called the Five Ways now).

Originally this region was the tribal grounds of the Ugarapul people. The name BOOVAL could be an aboriginal word for 'frilled lizard', or possibly it means an aboriginal initiation rite, or perhaps even a name from India - it is still being researched.

Charles Beevor Daveney purchased the land on 1st November 1855 from the Governor of New South Wales, William Denison. George Faircloth & family had moved to Ipswich by October 1853 ("with his staff and machinery") to establish the first "Northern" branch of The bank of Australasia. He purchased the land from Daveney in February 1856 and proceeded to establish BOOVAL as a 310 acre country estate and farm, 3 miles from Ipswich town. The property extended from Brisbane Rd to the North, over Stafford Street to the East (down near the current racecourse), south over Blackstone Rd to Bundamba Creek, and West to Station Rd - including Booval Fair.

The architect was probably William Wakeling - who also was associated with the construction of St Paul's Anglican church and Claremont in Ipswich, and the builders included William Hancock and possibly William Trotter.

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