This year, St George’s United Reformed Church celebrates worshipping in its present building for 150 years. As part of its festivities the St George’s Storytellers are again presenting the story of the Hollon Family which links the history of St. George’s with the history of Morpeth town.
Mary Trotter, the grandchild of Revd Trotter, Minister of St George’s, was born in Burma. Her parents died in her infancy and she was brought up in St George’s Church by her uncle, William Trotter who was a doctor, and local councillor, and she became his housekeeper and later when he was elected mayor of Morpeth, his mayoress. She later married Richard Hollon, who became Lord Mayor of York and a very wealthy man. They gave St George’s its clock in memory of the Trotter family. After Mary’s death, Richard established the Hollon Foundation in 1881 in her memory. To this day, the trust provides an annual ‘Hollon Tea’ held on November 5th each year, and an annuity to 25 Morpeth residents of good character, over the age of 80. The Hollon fountain beside the clock tower was built by public subscription in gratitude to Richard Hollon for his generosity to Morpeth.
"For the Love of Mary Hollon” was written for St George’s Storytellers by Rose Reeve and first performed as part of the Morpeth Gathering Festival on 19th April 2009 . The cast consists of 25 people from St George’s folk and their friends. Bob Crosby’s review for The Morpeth Herald described it as an ‘exhilarating production’ which ‘enthralled a packed house’.St George’s Storytellers will again present the musical ‘For the Love of Mary Hollon’ on Saturday 12th June and Sunday 13th June, both performances start at 7.30pm at St George’s Church. This is Morpeth Fair weekend.
We invite all Hollon Fund Annuitants to contact Revd. Ron Forster, Tel: 01670 511507; we would love them to come along and see the show. Tickets priced at £5.00 (Students and children £3.00) are available by telephoning 01670 517431 or by email: sgurc@the4stars.f9.co.uk.
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Morpeth Herald Review…
FOR THE LOVE OF MARY HOLLON
‘Ever wondered what the Hollon Tea was?
‘Spared a thought for why the Hollon Fountain is there in the middle of Morpeth?
These and many other points of local interest were brought to light on Sunday 19th April 2009 when Shirley Forster’s exhilarating production of Rose Reeve’s ‘For the Love of Mary Hollon’ enthralled a packed house in St George’s United Reformed Church. The production traced the life of Mary Hollon (played by Annie Boulton) from her birth in Burma in 1824 through her orphaned upbringing in Morpeth by her uncle Dr William Trotter (Roy Boulton), to her marriage to wealthy York Philanthropist Richard Hollon (John Barker). In memory of the Trotter family, Mary gave the spire clock to St George’s in 1861.
Jared Johnson and Ron Forster (as local wags and narrators Tommy and Jackie) ‘built’ the onstage version of Morpeth’s ‘Church on the Bridge’ in two minutes-flat! But then, the whole show was slickness itself. Originally a 60-minute piece, the fertile imaginations of Rose Reeve and Shirley Forster, plus the forty strong company, produced 100 minutes of fast moving scene changes and some most attractive music, (much of it composed by Mary Hollon herself) and Rose Reeve. In 1881, after Mary’s death, Richard set up the Hollon Foundation to provide the Annual Hollon Meat Tea for 25 Morpeth Over-80s, and in 1900 Morpeth expressed its gratitude by erecting the Hollon Fountain.
The production featured many well-known ‘board-treaders’ from the St George’s Players (itself 80 years ‘young’ this year), the Morpeth Operatic Society, as well as many who have never done anything like this before, including church members and they all deserve our congratulations…a most valuable contribution to the Morpeth Gathering.
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Monday 12th April @ 6.00pm. Special 150th Anniversary Service
A special celebratory service was held in St. George’s URC at Morpeth to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the very first service held in the building. The service was introduced by Councillor Ken Brown (Mayor of Morpeth) and conducted by the Rev. Ron Forster (Minister of St. George’s, Morpeth, Great Bavington and Widdrington U.R.C.). Associate Ministers Revd. Stuart Brock and Suzanne Hamnett, Revd. Barry Welch (President of the South East Northumberland Ecumenical Area of Methodist and United Reformed Churches) also took part. During the service Dr. Eric Ross read a passage from his book “A History of St. George’s, Morpeth” giving a degree of background to the building’s 150 year history.
Approximately 140 members and guests of the church attended and these included Alderman John Beynon (Chairman of the Morpeth Chamber of Commerce) and local artist Anji Allen who has designed a commemorative graphic in her locally well-known style of the church building. After the service, most of those attending moved up to the hall where a sumptuous celebratory spread had been prepared.
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