Chelster Hall is Oakville’s most famous home and one of the most notable private residences in Canada. A modern, early-2000s estate designed to look timeless. Commissioned by former Labatt/Interbrew chief executive Hugo Powell and designed by Oakville architect Bill Hicks, the residence takes inspiration from England’s great country houses, blending classical symmetry with contemporary construction and engineering.
The origin story
Completed in 2006 after several years of planning, Chelster Hall was conceived to feel “settled” from day one yet remain relevant for generations. The result is a new-build with traditional bones: balanced facades, generous proportions, and meticulous craftsmanship executed with modern methods.
What makes it unique
- Scale: approximately 43,850 sq. ft. of interior space set on roughly ten acres of manicured lakefront, making it one of the largest private residences in Canada.
- Assembled estate: the property was created by combining three contiguous lakeshore lots, an unusually expansive canvas for a single home in an established neighbourhood.
- Club-level amenities: a two-storey library, indoor pool and spa, gym, bowling alley, cinema, tennis court, and extensive entertaining spaces.
- Serious parking: a 12-car underground garage plus around 30 surface spaces, roughly 42 in total.
- A private chapel: a serene, working chapel on the grounds, often noted as dedicated to Saint Francis of Assisi .
Fun facts (the house-math)
- Address: 1150 Lakeshore Road East, Oakville
- Year completed: 2006
- Interior size: ~43,850 sq. ft.
- Site area: ~10 acres on Lake Ontario
- Parking: ~42 spaces (12 underground + ~30 outside)
Why it stirred conversation
Creating a ten-acre private estate on Oakville’s waterfront inevitably drew attention. Early plans reportedly faced neighbourhood pushback around sheer scale, and existing houses on the assembled lots were removed to make way for the project. As with any landmark build on a legacy street, its visibility and ambition kept Chelster Hall in the local conversation.
From time to time there has been talk of converting the property into a private members’ club. To date, there is no public record of a formal change-of-use application; the estate remains a private residence.
Map: a bird’s-eye (satellite) view
Chelster Hall fascinates because it reflects Oakville’s blend of heritage aesthetic and modern ambition, a contemporary Canadian take on the English great house, executed at an uncommon scale.
