Wesley Uniting Church in Anson Street undergoing major renovation work

The church minister Reverend Andrew Cunningham said the spire was been re-clad with copper.

"That green colour it had been will be going," he said.

Reverend Cunningham said work was also taking place inside the church.

That includes painting and installing lighting.

There is also work on the north side of the building to fix dampness issues.

"This is the first phase of a big refurbishment of the site," he said.

He said the scaffolding would be up for eight weeks with anticipated completion in July.

The Covid-19 bans on congregations attending church services have meant extra work can be done.

However, Reverend Cunningham said they had planned for the work to continue around regular services.

"The original plan for the work was that we wouldn't have to close the church," he said.

The work is costing $200,000. Half of that is from the state government's Heritage Council funding and the rest is from funds raised by the church community.

Reverend Cunningham said it was a major upgrade for the church building.

"This will last for another 150 years," he said.

He said once it was completed there would be an official opening ceremony.

However with the social distancing restrictions in place it was not clear when that could happen.

It is one of several renovations taking place at churches across Orange.

The threat of falling slate tiles injuring parishioners forced the closure of the Holy Trinity Anglican Church on the corner of Anson and Byng streets last year.

The rector, Father Mal Dunnett, said work was now underway to replace about two-thirds of the roof.

"The whole section that needs to be replaced is being replaced," he said.

Fr Dunnett said the work was part of a $1.2 million project to renovate the church and its historic bell tower.

He said the Holy Trinity Foundation had driven the fund-raising.

Meanwhile workers have restored a wall built in the 1930s at St Joseph's Catholic Church.

It cost the church more than $160,000 to replace after it was ruled a risk to pedestrians.

The section of wall at St Joseph's church facing Hill Street has been repaired.