Preston England Temple

The Preston England Temple is the 52nd operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The temple is located in the town of Chorley, 10 miles (16 km) south of Preston, in Lancashire, England.

Preston England Temple
Number 52
Dedicated 7 June 1998 (7 June 1998) by
Gordon B. Hinckley
Site 15 acres (6.1 hectares)
Floor area 69,630 sq ft (6,469 m2)
Height 159 ft (48 m)
Preceded by Vernal Utah Temple
Followed by Monticello Utah Temple
Official website • News & images

The temple serves Latter-day Saints from the Midlands and northern parts of England, the whole of Scotland, the Isle of Man, the Belfast Stake in Northern Ireland and the Dublin Stake in the Republic of Ireland. The Limerick District in the Republic of Ireland is served by the London England Temple.

History

The LDS Church took root in Preston, when its first missionaries arrived in 1837.[1] The Preston Ward is the longest continuously functioning unit in the LDS Church in the world.[2] In June 1990, Jeffrey R. Holland was appointed as area president, and Gordon B. Hinckley, then serving as a counselor in the First Presidency, assigned him to seek a possible temple site in northern England.[3]

A site on the north edge of Chorley in Lancashire, a few miles from the city of Preston, was selected, in part, because it "overlooked rolling hills to the east and a greenbelt area to the north and had easy access to the regional highway system".[3]

Due to its place in LDS Church history and the growth of membership in Preston, Hinckley announced the area would be the site for Britain's second temple (the first is in Surrey, near London). The temple groundbreaking ceremony was on 12 June 1994, with Hinckley presiding.[4] When construction was completed, a two week public open house in May 1998 attracted 123,000 visitors, and members from 24 stakes volunteered.[3]

The new temple was dedicated in 15 sessions from June 7–10, 1998, and more than 18,00 Latter-day Saints participated.[3] The dedicatory prayer offered by Hinckley, who was then serving as the church's president, included these words, "Bless the Saints of the United Kingdom, these wonderful people of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, as well as those of the Irish Republic. As they pay their tithes and offerings, wilt Thou open the windows of heaven and shower down blessings upon them."[5]

In 2014, the House of Lords ruled that the temple was not qualified as a "place of public religious worship" since access was restricted to this select group (church members holding a temple recommend) and this determined the LDS Church tax status.[6]

Site and architecture
Angel Moroni atop the temple spire (2015)

It is the centrepiece of a 15 acre (6 hectare) complex that includes a stake centre, a missionary training centre, a family history facility, a distribution centre, temple patron housing, temple missionary accommodations, and a grounds building.[7] The temple itself has a modern, single spire design and an exterior finish of Olympia white granite from Sardinia.

The white granite exterior and zinc roof have caused it to be described as reminiscent of England's old churches.[8] The angel Moroni statue atop the spire is known as, "one of the landmarks of the M61".[9] The temple has four ordinance rooms and four sealing rooms, and is the largest Latter-day Saint temple in Europe, at 69,630 square feet (6,470 m²).[10] The older London England Temple is smaller, at 46,174 square feet (4,290 m²).[11]

Pageant

In the summer of 2013, the church staged a pageant on the grounds of the temple, similar to the Hill Cumorah Pageant and others done in the United States, but with a very British theme. Titled "Truth Will Prevail," it was the first official church pageant performed outside of North America.[12] The pageant script was written by Alex Mackenzie-Johns, a British Latter-day Saint, and was under the guidance of Stephen C. Kerr, a British area seventy.[13]

The event had ticketed attendance, with seating of 1,500 per night at the "Pageant Theatre marquee". Approximately 15,000 tickets were distributed, free of charge, for the 10 day run. The pageant included 33 core cast members, 300 families cast, and a 150 voice choir.[14]

See also

References
  1. Hebblethwaite, Cordelia. "Mitt Romney's Mormon roots in northern England", BBC News, 13 June 2012. Retrieved on 25 March 2020.
  2. "Blessings of House of the Lord reach faithful in many lands", Church News, 24 September 1994. Retrieved on 24 March 2020.
  3. Last, First. "A Tale of Two Temples", BYU Religious Studies Center, 2007. Retrieved on 24 March 2020.
  4. Grant, Bryan J. "Ground broken for Preston England Temple", Church News, 18 June 1994. Retrieved on 24 March 2020.
  5. "Preston England Temple: `Thou hast smiled...upon England’", Church News, 13 June 1998. Retrieved on 25 March 2020.
  6. Grierson, Jamie. "Mormon church loses English temple tax fight in European rights ruling", The Independent, 4 March 2014. Retrieved on 24 March 2020.
  7. "Preston Temple modern classical design", Church News, 29 October 1994. Retrieved on 24 March 2020.
  8. The First 100 Temples, by Chad Hawkins, 2001, p. 145
  9. Wainwright, Martin. "Mormons plan a student oasis in Manchester", The Guardian, 7 November 2012. Retrieved on 25 March 2020.
  10. Sykes, Alan. "Mitt Romney's 'lamentable' north of England roots", The Guardian, 24 July 2012. Retrieved on 25 March 2020.
  11. Satterfield, Rick. "London England Temple", ChurchofJesusChristTemples.org, 2020. Retrieved on 25 March 2020.
  12. Banks, Natalie (16 July 2013), "Thousands expected at Chorley pageant", Chorley Guardian (Johnston Publishing Ltd.)
  13. Holt, James (29 April 2013), "Truth Will Prevail is a new Mormon Pageant in UK this Summer", Deseret News
  14. Last, First. "Chorley Mormon Temple hosts pageant to mark anniversary", BBC News, 31 July 2013. Retrieved on 24 March 2020.
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