Announced: Oct. 19, 1992.
Location: A6/M61 Link road, Hartwood Green; Chorley, Lancashire PR6 7EQ United Kingdom; Phone (44) 1257-226100.
Site: 15 acres (6 hectares).
Exterior finish: Olympia white granite from Sardinia.
Temple design: Modern.
Architects: Church physical facilities staff.
Project manager: Hanno Luschin.
Contractor: John Laing Construction, Ltd.
Rooms: Baptistry, celestial room, four ordinance rooms; four sealing rooms.
Total floor area: 60,000 square feet (6482.53 square meters).
Dimensions: 102 feet by 174 feet (31 meters by 53 meters); 155 foot high spire (47 meters), including statue of Angel Moroni 159 feet high.
District: 23 stakes, one district in Northern England, Scotland, Ireland, and Northern Ireland.
Groundbreaking, site dedication: June 12, 1994, by President Gordon B. Hinckley; 15 sessions.
Dedication: June 7-10, 1998, by President Gordon B. Hinckley; 15 sessions.
Dedicatory Prayer
Done by President Gordon B. Hinckley
O God, our Eternal Father, we bow before Thee in solemn prayer as we dedicate this sacred house.
We worship Thee in spirit and in truth, Thou Great Elohim, the Almighty Judge of the nations, the Father of all mankind and the God of the universe.
We bow in reverence before Thy Beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who came to earth and gave His precious life in an act of Atonement that opened the gates of immortality and eternal life for each of us.
We bow in deepest gratitude for the gifts and blessings of the Holy Spirit which has borne witness of Thy divine reality and that of Thy Son.
We stand in respect and love for the Prophet Joseph Smith, the instrument in Thy hands in opening this great and final dispensation, the dispensation of the fulness of times, when Thou hast brought together in one the doctrines and practices of all previous dispensations.
Almighty God, forgive our sins on this day of dedication that we may come before Thee clean from all evil, and worthily as Thy children.
Through the centuries Thou hast smiled with favor upon England, "this sceptered isle." Great have been her ways, marvelous her destiny. She has bequeathed to the world the great principles of English law to enhance the dignity of man, and the priceless gift of the English Bible which since the year 1611 has stood as a testament of the Redeemer of the world.
This magnificent temple has been reared in this beautiful area where Thy chosen servants, in the days of their deep poverty and great sacrifice, first preached the restored gospel. Through 161 years of history this land of England, together with Scotland, Wales, and Ireland, has yielded a harvest of converts who have blessed and strengthened Thy Church. In early years thousands gave their lives when they left their homes, and with hope born of an abiding faith, sailed across the seas, and traversed a continent in search of Zion. Hallowed be their memory.
And now on this day which will long remain in our memories, acting in the authority of the eternal priesthood in us vested and in the name of Jesus Christ we dedicate unto Thee and unto Thy Son this the Preston England Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We pray that Thou wilt accept it as the sacred offering of Thy thankful people. This is Thy house and we ask that Thou wilt sanctify it with Thy presence. From this day forth may Thy Holy Spirit dwell within these walls and touch the hearts of all who enter herein.
We dedicate the grounds on which it stands, with their trees and shrubs, flowers and lawns which add to the beauty of Thy house. We dedicate the structure from the footings of the temple to the figure of Moroni. We dedicate all of the components of the building that they may function harmoniously together to create a house that is "fitly framed."
We dedicate the Baptistry, the endowment rooms, the magnificent Celestial Room, the sealing rooms with their sacred altars, and every facility which is a part of Thy holy house.
Stay the hand of the vandal that he shall not deface or destroy. Temper the elements that they shall not damage or cause undue wear. May no unclean thing come within these hallowed walls. May Thy people come here with rejoicing in their hearts to enter into covenants with Thee, and be endowed with power from on high. May they kneel at these altars and be sealed together as families under the authority of the holy priesthood. May they return frequently to carry forward a great and selfless labor of vicarious work for the dead that the earth may not "be utterly wasted" at the coming of Thy Son. May the multitudes of the dead, through living proxies, receive the ordinances herein offered.
Now we pray for the temple president and his counselors and the matron and her assistants. We pray for all who will serve in these hallowed precincts. May each work with an eye single to Thy glory and the building of Thy kingdom.
We pray for those who serve in temples throughout the world that all may rejoice in the glorious opportunity that is theirs to assist Thee, dear Father, in Thy work of bringing "to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."
Bless Thy work in all the earth that it may roll forth "fair as the moon, clear as the sun and terrible as an army with banners." We invoke Thy blessings upon Thy servants, the missionaries, wherever they labor. Watch over them, protect them from every evil, lead them to those who will accept their message, and bind their testimonies upon the hearts of all who shall hear them.
We remember before Thee those called and ordained to lead Thy Church in these days of great opportunity. Sustain them, we pray Thee, give them strength, speak through them and reveal unto them Thy divine will concerning Thy work.
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. Bless their homes and families. Bless their children that they may grow up with a love for the truth. Bless them in body and mind and spirit.
Holy Father, we love Thee. We love Thy Divine Son. We love Thy holy work. Help us to be faithful. Help us to be true. Help us to walk always with integrity. May we always look to Thee with gratitude and love and faith. May we be found always walking in Thy paths.
And now as we conclude this prayer dedicating Thy holy house, by the same authority of the holy priesthood we dedicate the other structures that comprise this complex designed and built to serve Thy purposes—the Preston England Stake Center, the Missionary Training Center, the Family History facility, the Distribution Center, the Patron Housing and Temple Missionary Accommodation facilities, and the Grounds Building, that each may fulfill its appointed purposes and be preserved and protected from evil hands and unrighteous designs.
Our dear Father, on this sacred day of dedication, we rededicate ourselves and all that we have and are, to Thy holy work and that of Thy Beloved Son, and do it all in His name, even the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Temple is 'great symbol of our message to world'
By Gerry Avant
Church News editor
CHORLEY, England — Ian D. Swanney never tires of seeing the Preston England Temple, which stands atop a hill in picturesque Lancashire.
As president of the temple, he drives to it nearly every day. Yet at first sight of it each morning he feels as though he's laying eyes on it for the first time, he said.
Standing as a beacon adjacent to two heavily traveled roads, the temple makes a definitive statement about the Church's presence in this part of England.
Several thousand motorists see the impressive edifice as they drive by it every day. At night, when floodlights illuminate a statue of the Angel Moroni atop the temple's sole spire, passersby and area residents see an added dimension of beauty.
Factoring in Sundays when the temple is closed, Pres. Swanney and his wife, Anne M. Swanney, temple matron, have driven to the temple no fewer than 150 times since the time it was dedicated last June.
"We never lose the lovely feeling of seeing the temple as we drive toward it every day," Pres. Swanney said. "When we arrive early in the morning, it's still dark. The temple is lit up. It looks beautiful in all kinds of weather, but on stormy days, it seems to have such a strength about it. We don't have many days with sunshine, but when it is bathed in sunlight, it is lovely. The thrill of seeing the temple on that hillside never goes away.
"The temple is adjacent to Junction 8 of the M61 motorway. I love the vision that all motorways seem to lead to the temple. I think of individuals, couples and families as they prepare for the journey here. I think of them driving, and the sense of anticipation they feel, and then the thrill of getting the first sight of the temple. You can see it from a long way off. The steeple just draws eyes right up to the statue of Angel Moroni.
"The temple is a great symbol of our message to the world. It's sort of silently displayed, yet it's noticed by everybody. It's a beacon to all. It invites questions."
He said that a group of 20 people from another church arranged to visit the temple grounds and others have shown an interest in learning about the edifice. "We received a request from tour guides who have been asked questions by people as they pass the temple," he said. "They want to know what it is. The tour guides don't always know how to answer, so they've asked if they can have a meeting with us so we can explain to them what the temple is so they can inform their clients.
"We've had a number of people who come to the door of the temple and ask if they can have a tour of the building. We take the opportunity to visit with them and explain about temples and their purposes."
Most of all, Pres. Swanney said, the temple is a source of inspiration for Latter-day Saints in the temple district. "We are so blessed to have two temples in England, the one in London and now this one in Preston," he said. "It means so much to members here who have had to travel such long distances to the temple. The members in the Shetland Islands, for example, had to travel 14 hours on an overnight ferry to the mainland in Scotland, and then had an 11-hour drive to London. Now, the drive portion of their trip to the temple is just five hours. That's still a long journey, but the members love having the temple so much closer."
Pres. Swanney said that he constantly is impressed by the attitude of members who attend the temple. "We have people from many walks of life come here," he said. "Many are elderly. We have quite a number who have disabilities, some who use varying degrees of support — one stick or two sticks. We have some members who have hearing impairments or who are deaf. We have married couples and single members who come to the temple as patrons and who serve in the temple. All are vital to this work.
"The youth who come to do baptisms for the dead love the work that they do here. We try to speak to youth groups when they come. It's wonderful to see young people committed to temple work. If they just keep that in their lives they will weather the storms of the world that are going to hit them."
Pres. Swanney spoke of his regard for his counselors, the assistants to the temple matron, temple missionary couples, ordinance workers and all the staff of engineers, maintenance workers, security personnel and others who contribute to keeping the temple in operation.
"It's quite wonderful to see how everyone is united in a goal to create a spirit of welcome and love to all who come to the temple," he said. "When people leave, they express reluctance of having to go back into the world after having been in the temple."
Pres. and Sister Hinckley visit site of Preston Temple
President Gordon B. Hinckley and his wife, Marjorie P. Hinckley, visited the site of the Preston England Temple on Aug. 31. They were accompanied by Elder Graham W. Doxey of the Seventy and president of the Europe North Area, and his wife, Mary Lou Doxey.
Church project manager Hanno Luschin led the group around the site and explained the progress to date on the temple and what is forthcoming.The project is in its early stages and more than two years from completion, with excavation and other site work having been done. More than 400 trees and many shrubs have been planted to allow them to mature before the dedication. In addition to the temple itself, the site also will house a stake center, small reception building, missionary training center and housing for temple staff and patrons.
"It will be beautiful, magnificent," President Hinckley said of the temple and of the 15-acre site on which it and the other buildings will be located. "It is a tremendous undertaking. When we broke ground there were 10,000 people here. We will come back for the dedication."
Brother Luschin and others assisting with the project expressed pleasure at having the prophet visit. "We are honored to have him and Sister Hinckley here, along with Elder and Sister Doxey," he said.
