Moreton Hall School celebrates its centenary
[gallery] The Bishop of Shrewsbury, the Rt Rev Mark Rylands was following a family tradition when he led a school centenary commemoration.
His mother, artist Denise Rylands had been a pupil, parent and governor of Moreton Hall School at Weston Rhyn near Oswestry, writes Shirley Tart.
His sister Alison Rylands was also a pupil there and accompanied Bishop Mark to the celebration attended by a congregation of 800 at St Oswald's Church, Oswestry followed by a lunch for invited guests from across the country.
Moreton Hall began when Ellen Lloyd-Williams was left with a family of two sons and nine daughters after the death of her husband, John Jordan Lloyd-Williams, who had been headmaster of Oswestry School.
She had already tackled the problem of educating her family with a small group in 1913, in a boarding house for Oswestry School.
Universally known as Aunt Lil, she bought Moreton Hall in 1919. Now, the school is term time home to 400 pupils from the county and the country, around 80 per cent of them boarders. Bishop Mark paid tribute to the school past and present which, he said, "had such lovely, buoyant, interesting and happy girls, full of joy".
Shropshire's High Sheriff Diana Flint, chairman of Shropshire Council Malcolm Pate and Celia Jenkins, an Old Moretonian and High Sheriff of Clwyd, headed the guest list which included of representatives from all walks of council, civic and professional life.
School principal Jonathan Forster, who has been in post for 20 years, told his audience: "Today, we are all Moretonians. Since I arrived here, it has been an honour to have played a part in Moreton's development and success, expanding the school and diversifying the range of activities. I am very proud to be here but I walk in illustrious footsteps.
"And from the moment my wife Paula and I set foot here, this was where we wanted to live. And our daughter Sarah was the first bride to be married here."
l More pictures online at shropshirestar.com
