Glittering celebration for city icon

Grafton’s Christ Church Cathedral turns 140 this year and a gala dinner has been organised to celebrate.

to provide some background information for Friday.

It showed the cathedral was designed by John Horbury Hunt an architect controversial in his time, but who has some signifcant landmarks to his credit, including St Peter’s Cathedral in Armidale.

The completed cathedral building measures 50.5m in lengthy, 13.5m in width and rises to 18 metres at the top of the cross on its western end.

The builder was Paddy Robison who also made some of the stained glass windows in the building.

which have not been built.

The foundations were laid in stone calculated to be strong enough to bear the weight of the proposed structures.

The historical society included a chronology of the cathedral construction.

1874: Foundation stone laid June 24.

1880: Building of the cathedral commences.

1884: Cathedral opened and dedicated July 25.

1934: Foundation stone laid for second stage June 27.

1959: Cathedral is consecrated September 14.

1984: Centenary celebrations and restoration work complete.

2019: Further restoration work completed.

The Clarence River Historical Society has prepared a leafet

The cathedral was made from around half a million bricks and can hold 500 worshippers. It consists of the sanctuary, choir, transept and nave and the foundations have the capacity to hold a chapter house and spire,

2024: Final stages of restorations completed this month.