The Cash Memorial Chapel is one of the most architecturally significant and visually striking buildings at the Moore Theological College in Newtown. Designed by Mr R. Lindsay White who was inspired by the iconic chapel of King’s College, Cambridge in England.
Following John Francis Cash's death in the Second World War, his parents, Frank and Elizabeth Cash, donated the proceeds of their inheritance they received to construct the chapel.
While the chapel stands specifically in memory of John Francis Cash, it also serves as a broader tribute to the many young Australian men who lost their lives in the Second World War—particularly those who have no known grave or personal memorial.
The structural materials—Hawkesbury sandstone for the exterior and Queensland maple wood for the interior—were donated by William Grant from John Grant & Sons, who also had a personal wartime connection.
Maintaining the building and preventing irreversible damage to the sandstone by using the wrong products to repoint and tuckpoint. Trapped moisture and rising damp, combined with naturally occurring salts, lead to flaking and deterioration of the stone.
Westox Tuckpoint is a sand, lime and pozzuolanic product designed to provide a mortar mix with a moderate strength which will reinstate the brick or stone joints. A ready formulated product for traditional tuckpointing. The material can also be used for pointing sandstone where the appearance of mason’s putty is required.
All mortar material was removed from between the external sandstone joints and then brushed clean to remove all dirt, dust, loose materials and other surface contamination from the joints.
Next, masking tape was applied to the outer lines of the joints to prevent the mortar from staining the sandstone and provide a straight-line edge and then, Westox Plastalite Tuckpoint pozzolanic material was applied into the mortar joint and strike to smooth finish level with the sandstone profile.
Finally, any excess material or residue needs to be cleaned and all tape removed.
The work was completed by Anchor Safe.