The bluestone of Toowoomba’s St Patrick’s Cathedral is coming back to life. Source: Catholic Leader.
For years, the pores of the stone were clogged up with a sealant applied in a previous restoration attempt on the building in the 1970s.
The sealant trapped in the moisture and left the stonework with a milky colouration.
Workers had begun the process of removing the sealant in recent weeks and the results were impressive, Toowoomba Bishop Ken Howell said.
“Stone breathes,” Bishop Howell said, “You might not think it, but it breathes.”
“And now, you can see the real colours of St Patrick’s coming through.”
This was the latest stage of a restoration project begun in 2020 under retired Toowoomba Bishop Robert McGuckin.
Bishop Howell expected this stage of the restoration to be completed by Christmas.
“Then we really need to launch some major fundraising to continue the work,” he said.
“We’ve got this far and hopefully seeing these results ignites people’s passion to get it fixed because there’s a lot of lot of work to be done on the inside.”
The interior of St Patrick’s has lighting systems that date back to the 1970s and the carpet was laid in 1974.
“It’s amazing it’s lasted this long,” Bishop Howell said.
There were also works needed to be done to windows and dormers.
Bishop Howell said the cathedral was a “building that’s been well and truly loved by the people”.
“It’s quite an iconic building in the city, too,” he said. “It’s visible as you drive down James Street, which is one of the major roads, and it’s been a prominent building in the city for a long time. So, it’s important that it is restored and preserved not only for the Catholic community, but for the broader community too.”
The cathedral foundation stone was laid in 1883 and it was blessed and opened in 1889.
On September 1, 1929, the first bishop of Toowoomba was consecrated and St Patrick’s was elevated from a church to the status of cathedral.
“I’d appeal to people with long-term connections and love of the cathedral to become part of the preservation of the cathedral,” Bishop Howell said.
He said the fundraising appeal for the restoration of the cathedral had already been launched with the National Trust and donations are tax deductible.
FULL STORY
Restoration work shows ‘real colours’ of Toowoomba’s blue-stone cathedral (By Joe Higgins, Catholic Leader)
