Cathedral cleaning well under way

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32707, 9 September 1971, Page 14

Cathedral cleaning well under way

Cleaning and repair of the outside stonework of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Barbadoes Street are well under way—and work on the next stage, of waterproofing the larger dome, will start soon. Repairs to the dome are to prevent rain being driven under the copper sheathing. These repairs should be started within the next three months, said the head of the cathedral building committee (Mr M. R. Carter) yesterday. Unless this work was done, the timberwork beneath the 135 ft dome could be damaged by the seepage of water, he said. It was not known how much damage had been done to the timber so far, as it could not be inspected until work on the dome has been started. Mr

Carter, however, considered that the damage would be minor.

Work on the dome consists of removing the copper sheathing and covering the wooden structure, underneath with plastic. The copper will be replaced and spouting added.

The addition of spouting would be the only alteration to the appearance of the dome, Mr Carter said. The repair of the dome will be substantially completed by th end of the year. The cleaning and repair of the outside of the' building will take another two years. After the work on the djme and parapet, interior restoration and remodelling will be attended to. / . A 35 per cent increase in the cost of the restoration is causing some coacem, but it is not expected to affect the programme. /