The first step in the major restoration of a Newcastle landmark has been completed.
Anglican Bishop of Newcastle Peter Stuart celebrated the restoration of the first three roofs of the Christ Church Cathedral on Wednesday June 3.
To mark the occasion, Newcastle Anglican will install a new trefoil cross on the Warriors' Chapel, which is on the northeastern side of the cathedral.
The Warriors' Chapel was added in 1924 as a memorial to the men and women of the Hunter who lost their lives in World War I in
Dr Stuart joined representatives from construction company Duratec to mark the milestone.
"For many of us involved in this project - myself included - this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be so closely involved with work on a building of this significance to our community," he said.
He said the redevelopment of the cross showed the commitment to ensuring restoration standards.
"Situated on top of the Warriors' Chapel, it will be a great memorial to those who fought in the First World War," he said.
Newcastle Anglican said the new cross was constructed by copper artisans using traditional techniques to maintain authenticity.
The major project was set to repair the 28 copper roofs of the building, target roof drainage systems, restore water-damaged fabric and address environmental factors.
The building was expected to undergo 90 weeks of construction over eight stages to preserve the site for generations to come.
Stage one was focused on roofing works before masonry cleaning and repair and window damage repairs were done under stage two.
Stage three would see internal restoration including replacing damaged carpet in the Angel's Gallery, internal window repairs, timber repairs and cleaning.
The site has been a place of worship for more than 190 years throughout different iterations of the building.
A temporary building was erected in 1812, and replaced in 1818 by a small building called Christ Church. Both buildings were convict-built with stone from Nobby's beach.
The present-day cathedral started construction in 1883 and was worked on for almost 100 years.
