Painting conservators from International Conservation Services (ICS) had been working on the murals on the walls and the ceiling.

A generous parishioner made the funds available for the conservation project to the oldest church in the Highlands.

The first permanent church in the area, it was built by Charles Throsby and consecrated by the first Anglican Bishop of Australia.

A State heritage item the church is listed under the NSW Heritage Act.

The decorations trace back to 1880s renovations to the church.

Senior paintings conservator Adam Godijn said the church would be kept as original as possible.

“We just preserve the artworks as they are,” Mr Godigin said.

“We don’t improve artworks, we bring them back to more of their original condition.”

The non-original paint could either be removed by chemical means, with solvents or special paint strippers designed not to ruin the paint or by scalpels or scrappers.

Lower levels of the church have had salt damage to the rendering, causing the paint to peel.

This happens because water rises up from the ground bringing the salt with it.

When the water evaporates it leaves the salt deposits between the paint layer and the brick.

Over time it expands causing the paint layers to flake or peel.

The walls had also been painted numerous times over the years with the original paint layer being under as many as five layers.

Mr Godijn said a conservator undergoes around three or four years of training.

“Part of the degree has a heavy chemistry component because we need to know how best to preserve something without damaging the original,” he said.

“The retouching component - that is more of on the restoration side of things.

“But our training as conservators allows us to do that without harming or doing anything wrong to the original paintings.”

The church is very decorative, especially on the ceiling; gold leaf had also been used in the stencilling.

Mr Godijn said the difficult part was getting the colour and texture right.

“When we have done a good job people won’t even know we have been here,” he said.

Berrima/Moss Vale Parish rector Warren Stuckey said the preservation of the church was a benefit to the whole community.