Twenty-five years ago in April 1998, the Chronicle was reporting on the unveiling of a refurbished monument that thousands of people in Newcastle pass every day.
The Rutherford memorial drinking fountain was erected in 1894 in memory of Dr John Hunter Rutherford, a well-known Presbyterian minister and educationalist. More than 5,000 people had attended his funeral four years earlier. The fountain was formally unveiled by Joseph Cowen, proprietor of the Evening Chronicle.
Rutherford was born in in Jedburgh in 1826, and later moved to Newcastle where he became a popular figure. His memorial was built by the Band of Hope Union in honour of a man who pioneered free secondary and technical education in the city. He founded Bath Lane Church in 1860 and set up a number of schools. The doctor was also known to provide free breakfasts for poor children before school.
