Preston England Mormon Temple

The Mormon temple is a house of God; we are God’s family and we are His children. The temple is a constant reminder that God intends the family to be eternal. The Mormon temple is a place of learning. Here the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ are reviewed and truths of the kingdom of God are taught. If those who enter the temple are in the right spirit and are attentive, the mind and spirit are enriched in gospel knowledge and wisdom. The Mormon temple is a place of peace wherein the cares and worries of the outside world can be put aside for a time.  Promises are made by temple patrons to obey the laws of God, and promises are made by the Lord to those who attend, conditioned upon faithfulness.

The gifts and blessings of the Mormon temple are offered to all who conform to the requirements of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. All who accept and live the gospel and keep themselves worthy may partake of them. Mormon temple work must be done first by each person for himself; then it may be done for those who have passed on. All who have lived will have the opportunity to either accept or reject the work that has been done for them in the Mormon temple.1

It was here in Preston, England that the Mormon Church first took root in the British Isles, with Mormon missionaries arriving in 1837. There were seven of them, led by Heber C. Kimball and Orson Hyde. They arrived in Liverpool, and within the first week fifty people were baptized; and after nine months of preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, nearly two thousand people were converted to the gospel. The success of these Mormon missionaries brought a flood of converts from Britain.
Many of those converts emigrated to the United States, taking with them their strengths and talents in hopes of helping the Mormon Church at such a critical time in history. This exodus, combined with two world wars and economic difficulties, kept many Mormon congregations in the British Isles small and struggling.
Before 1951, there were only 6,500 members in the United Kingdom. With the addition of more Mormon missionaries and the approach of teaching the Gospel by the Spirit, the Mormon Church saw 1,000 people baptized that year.2

Because of the history of the Church and the growth of membership in Preston, President Gordon B. Hinckley announced that this would be the site for Britain’s second temple. The Mormon Temple is located in Chorley, Lancashire, England (a suburb of Preston), and is the centerpiece of a 15-acre complex that includes a stake center, a missionary training center, a family history facility, a distribution center, temple patron housing, temple missionary accommodations, and a grounds building. The temple itself, with its exterior of white granite and zinc roof, has been described as “reminiscent to the old churches built in this land many years ago.”3

The interior includes four ordinance rooms, four sealing rooms, celestial room, baptistry, marriage guest waiting room, and a reception room at the entrance to the temple.  Here, members of the temple’s presidency welcome groups of children and other visitors who do not have recommends to enter the building proper.

President Gordon B. Hinckley,  late Mormon Prophet, dedicated the Preston England Mormon Temple on June 7, 1998. “A [Mormon] temple is a unique structure: a monument to our convictions, belief and knowledge that life is eternal; that we go on living after death.”3

Mailing address:
Temple Way, Hartwood Green
Chorley
Lancashire PR6 7EQ
ENGLAND
United Kingdom
Phone:   (44) 1257-226-102

To learn more about the Mormon Temples please visit the following websites:

Mormanity: Mormon Temples and “Secrecy”
History of Mormon Temples