Preston England Temple
Encyclopedia
The Preston England Temple is the 52nd operating temple
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
The LDS Church first took root in Preston, Lancashire when the first Mormon missionaries
arrived in 1837. Because of its place in LDS Church history and the growth of membership in Preston, Church President Gordon B. Hinckley
announced that the area would be the site for England's second temple (the first was in Surrey
, near London). The Preston England Temple is located in the town of Chorley
, 10 miles (16.1 km) south of Preston, in Lancashire
. It is the centrepiece of a 15-acre (6 hectare) complex that includes a stake centre, a missionary training center
, a family history
facility, a distribution center, temple patron housing, temple missionary accommodations and a grounds building. 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.
President Hinckley dedicated the Preston England Temple on June 7, 1998. The Preston England 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). The older London England Temple
is smaller, at 46,174 square feet (4,290 m²) and is the second-largest temple in Europe, followed by Madrid at 45800 square feet (4,255 m²).
The temple serves Latter-day Saints from the Midlands and northern parts of England, the whole of Scotland, the Isle of Man
and the island of Ireland.
Temple (LDS Church)
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and they are considered by Church members to be the most sacred structures on earth. Upon completion, temples are usually open to the public for a short period of time...
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
The LDS Church first took root in Preston, Lancashire when the first Mormon missionaries
Mormon missionary
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
arrived in 1837. Because of its place in LDS Church history and the growth of membership in Preston, Church President Gordon B. Hinckley
Gordon B. Hinckley
Gordon Bitner Hinckley was an American religious leader and author who served as the 15th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from March 12, 1995 until his death...
announced that the area would be the site for England's second temple (the first was in Surrey
London England Temple
The London England Temple is the 12th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is located in Newchapel, Surrey, England....
, near London). The Preston England Temple is located in the town of Chorley
Chorley
Chorley is a market town in Lancashire, in North West England. It is the largest settlement in the Borough of Chorley. The town's wealth came principally from the cotton industry...
, 10 miles (16.1 km) south of Preston, in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
. It is the centrepiece of a 15-acre (6 hectare) complex that includes a stake centre, a missionary training center
Missionary Training Center
Missionary Training Centers are centers devoted to training missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The flagship MTC is located in Provo, Utah, USA, adjacent to the campus of Brigham Young University....
, a family history
Family history
Family history is the systematic narrative and research of past events relating to a specific family, or specific families.- Introduction :...
facility, a distribution center, temple patron housing, temple missionary accommodations and a grounds building. The temple itself has a modern, single-spire design and an exterior finish of Olympia white granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
from Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
. The white granite exterior and zinc
Zinc
Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
roof have caused it to be described as reminiscent of England's old churches.
President Hinckley dedicated the Preston England Temple on June 7, 1998. The Preston England 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). The older London England Temple
London England Temple
The London England Temple is the 12th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is located in Newchapel, Surrey, England....
is smaller, at 46,174 square feet (4,290 m²) and is the second-largest temple in Europe, followed by Madrid at 45800 square feet (4,255 m²).
The temple serves Latter-day Saints from the Midlands and northern parts of England, the whole of Scotland, the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
and the island of Ireland.
See also
- Temple (Latter Day Saints)
- List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by geographic region
- Comparison of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsComparison of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsBelow is a chronological list of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with sortable columns. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and considered by church members to be the most sacred structures on earth...
- Temple architecture (Latter-day Saints)