Preston England Temple

The Preston England Temple is a Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

In November 2024 my husband, daughter, and my son Micah's family toured England. We drove in a circle around England, visiting many sites along the way. We were blessed to attend two temples of our church while we were there: London and Preston, England. The Preston England Temple is located at Temple Way, Hartwood Green, Chorley, Lancashire, England PR6 7EQ, United Kingdom. It was dedicated in 1998. We received a very warm welcome at this temple. In fact, we arrived at the temple much earlier than our appointment time, and they were happy to take us early so that we'd be able to get to our Airbnb earlier as well. A temple worker told us a little bit about the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the area, and the significance of Preston in the Church's early history.

History of the Preston England Area & the Church

The Preston England Temple was the 52nd operating temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Elder Heber C. Kimball was the first missionary called to open a mission in England in 1837. He was accompanied by Orson Hyde, Joseph Fielding, and Willard Richards. They were called on their mission to England by the Prophet Joseph Smith. They arrived in Liverpool, England in July of 1837. They felt prompted to first journey to Preston. While there, they preached three times in the Vauxhall Chapel and several individuals petitioned them for baptism. These first nine converts in Great Britain were baptized in the River Ribble on July 30, 1837 in the presence of approximately eight thousand onlookers. By August 6, nearly fifty individuals had been converted and Elder Heber C. Kimball organized a branch in Preston.

The Preston Ward was organized on August 6, 1837, making it the longest continuously functioning unit of the Church in the world. Since those initial baptisms, the Preston area has remained a strong area for the Church.

Heber C. Kimball described the first baptisms as follows:

“I had the pleasure, about 9 a.m., of baptizing nine individuals and hailing them brethren and sisters in the kingdom of God. These were the first persons baptized into the Church in a foreign land, and only the eighth day after our arrival in Preston.

A circumstance took place which I cannot refrain from mentioning, for it will show the eagerness and anxiety of some in that land to obey the Gospel. Two of the male candidates, when they had changed their clothes at a distance of several rods from the place where I was standing in the water, were so anxious to obey the Gospel that they ran with all their might to the water, each wishing to be baptized first. The younger, George D. Watt, being quicker of foot than the elder, outran him, and came first into the water.”

In 1992, President Gordon B. Hinckley announced plans for the temple.

Groundbreaking took place in 1994.

The exterior is made of Olympia white granite from Sardinia, Italy.

President Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the temple on June 7, 1998.

The temple was open for an open house from May 16–30, 1998.

The Preston England Temple is the second temple built in the United Kingdom.

It served Latter-day Saints in Northern England, Scotland, Ireland, and Northern Ireland at the time of its dedication.

Joseph Fielding served as the second president of the British Mission from 1838–1840

George A. Smith served a mission in England from 1839–1841

Sites to See Near the Temple

When visiting Preston, some other sites nearby include Lyme Park, which was "Pemberley" in the 1995 production of "Pride and Prejudice," and is less than an hour from the Preston Temple. Chatsworth House, which was also "Pemberley" in the 2005 production of "Pride and Prejudice" is just a little over an hour away from the Preston Temple (both are within about a half hour of each other). Sherwood Forest, made famous by Robin Hood, is two hours from the Preston Temple.

Where to Eat Near the Temple

We ate dinner at the Calico Lounge in Chorley, and it was excellent! We enjoyed milkshakes, french fries, pasta, and they even serve gluten-free options, which my daughter-in-law appreciated! I enjoyed some very delicious macaroni and cheese there. It is located at Market Walk Extension, Union Street, Chorley PR7 1FD, United Kingdom. You can read more about it at this website:

Calico Lounge in Chorley

Where To Stay Near the Temple

There is temple housing for the Preston Temple, but they prefer to allow members of the stake to stay there as a first priority, so we didn't even attempt to stay there. We stayed in an Airbnb in Manchester. Here is the link for the Airbnb we stayed at:

Airbnb in Manchester England

This Airbnb is located only 25 minutes from the temple. It was a nice place to stay and is modern and decorated really fun. The only problem we had with it was the heat, which was a problem in late November. The house was very cold when we arrived, and when we turned the heat up, the boiler went out. Luckily my husband was able to flip the circuit back on and the house did eventually warm up by morning, but we received a very chilly reception upon arriving! There weren't a lot of options near the temple, though, so if I was to visit again, I would likely stay there again. Someday I plan to return to England again after the Birmingham Temple is completed, which was announced in 2022. The groundbreaking for the temple is scheduled for March 2025.