ST JOHN’S Pro-Cathedral in Perth has undergone major restorative work in an attempt to replicate the way the building looked in the 1860s.
In the course of the repairs, archaeologist Fr Robert Cross has made several important discoveries. One such discovery was that the original colour of the building was a rust-yellow colour.
“What the archaeology has told us is that the Pro-Cathedral, as it has been in recent years, was never originally white,” he said.
“So we made the decision based on the archaeological evidence to paint the Pro-Cathedral.”
Additionally, Fr Cross said the original windows of the church were almost double the height of those used in recent times.
He said the frames of the original windows were found during repair work, and that they extended well below the more recent windows.
This confirmed earlier suspicions based on a photo of the Pro-Cathedral taken in the 1860s.
As such, new windows have now been fitted to the building that match the size and shape of the originals.
The third discovery Fr Cross made was that the glass in the original windows was not coloured, as was once thought.
“There was no evidence that it has ever had coloured glass in it… 99.9 per cent of the glass that came out of the archaeology is clear 19th-century glass,” he said.
In an attempt to recreate the original look, the glass used for the new windows was heated to give it a “rippling effect” characteristic of 19th-century glass.
Fr Cross told The Record restorative work on the Pro-Cathedral had virtually reached completion.
“Where it’s at now is about where it will finish… the plan in the future is to, perhaps, re-instate the wooden shingle roof,” he said.
Last year the Archdiocese of Perth received a Lotterywest grant of $59,890 for the Pro-Cathedral’s restoration.
Repair work began on the building in October 2012, initially to remedy the problems caused by moisture damage.
Fr Cross said the repairs to one of Perth’s oldest buildings, which is also the oldest continually used church in WA, presented an exciting opportunity for him to be able to “test the historical record”.
“I expressed an interest to do some archaeology on the site while the work was being done, because on occasions like this you get the opportunity to look at original fabric,” he said.
“By that, I mean what sort of brick was used, what sort of a mortar was used, the colour of the paint scheme of the building, and changes to the building over time.”
The Pro-Cathedral was built in 1844 after just a few months of construction and Fr Cross said it was clear that the work proceeded urgently.
“The archaeological records support the idea that the building was probably built very much on the cheap,” he said.
“It’s amazing really how it’s stood all these years.”
Fr Cross said the site contained a rich archaeological deposit.
“The archaeology has a proven capacity to guide current and future cultural heritage management decisions,” he said.