Monday, May 7 was the "Early May" Bank Holiday here in the UK which means that since the members of the Church have a holiday, the temple was open for four sessions at 8:30am, 9:30am, 11:00am and 12:00am. Whereas bank holidays have the reputation for being rainy and dreary, this was a beautiful spring day with lots of sun and temperatures that reached a record 80°F. Following the sessions, the temple presidency declared an impromptu picnic on the temple grounds at 5:00pm that afternoon. We went into East Grinstead and purchased some lawn chairs (since the grass was beautiful but still wet from the previous week's rain) and a Dominos Pizza for our picnic fare. We had a great time visiting with the other temple workers and enjoying the sunshine.
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| Several stately oak trees at the south end of the temple grounds, the center tree is the "David O. McKay Oak" with a small bronze plaque. |
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| The "David O. McKay Oak" plaque which reads, "Living beauty and Inspiration Great Strength and Stability Reaching toward heaven Responsive to God's Sunlight Casting friendly and comforting shade Gentle in it's contribution to mankind Unmoved by disturbing winds To be remembered" September 7, 1958 |
David O. McKay gave special attention to the construction of the London Temple and instructed that this tree, believed to be over 500 years old, be preserved. As a remembrance, the plaque above was placed on the tree.
The history of the London temple is quite interesting. The brief summary below is taken from a much more complete 2007 paper entitled "A Tale of Two Temples," authored by Richard O. Cowan, BYU Professor of Church History.
In April 1952, newly called President of the Church David O. McKay, his counselors and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles made the historic decision to build the temples in Europe. The concept was that “the Church could bring temples to these people by building smaller edifices for this purpose and more of them.” (“Pres. M’Kay Approves Berne Temple Plans,” Church News, April 11, 1953, 7) The Bern Switzerland Temple was first to be announced and the London England Temple was second. By August 1953, a 32-acre estate in Newchapel, Surrey was purchased. On August 10, 1953 President McKay dedicated the site and spoke enthusiastically of the site’s beauty, suggesting that being there “is like entering into a little paradise” and that the stream along the southern border of the property, Eden Brook, was appropriately named. President McKay directed that the estate’s beautiful formal garden be preserved. The 350-year-old Manor House with 36 spacious rooms would be retained. It was used for a residence for the temple president, the European Area MTC from 1985 until the Preston MTC was completed in 1998.
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| The Manor House, which part of the property purchased for the London Temple and is currently over 400 years old. It serves as the residence for the Temple President and 10 other couples or singles who are working at the temple. |
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| Eden Brook which runs through the southwest side of the Temple grounds. |
Twenty-four acres of the property were farmland, including a slight rise where the architects favored placing the temple. The local agricultural agent, however, would not approve sacrificing any farmland. Instead, he insisted that the temple be built on the former tennis courts. This created a problem. As reported in the Millennial Star, a lily pond had earlier covered this site, so now construction engineers were concerned about this swampy ground. Nevertheless, President McKay insisted that the temple be located on the spot he had approved. After much discussion, holes were drilled to determine if the soil could hold the temple’s weight. Surprisingly, bedrock was found that would support the foundation. One of the engineers said it was so stable that, “You could build the city of London on that site.”
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| London Temple which was built up another 6 feet above the rest of the grounds. The basement is water-proofed with a 1" layer of hard asphalt and built on pilings driven into bedrock beneath. |
Over a thousand people attended the groundbreaking on Saturday, August 27, 1955 including the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, who had also sung the week before for the Swiss Temple dedication. Construction began in the spring of 1956. Although there was no formal fund-raising organization, many of the members developed their own personal projects to raise money to contribute to the temple construction. And for years, tithes had been retained in Britain because they could not legally be sent out of the country so no additional funds were required from Church Headquarters. The thirty-four-thousand-square-foot temple was completed in 1958 at a cost of 1.25 million dollars.
A two-week open-house was held for members of the church and community to see the beautiful craftsmanship of the Temple and over 76,000 people attended and an extra three days of open-house were added for the large crowds that visited. One newspaper reported, “The Mormon Temple is the only Church in Britain with a quarter-mile queue waiting to get in.” (Derek A. Cuthbert, The Second Century: Latter-day Saints in Great Britain, England: Cambridge University Press, 1987, 30) Missionary work, particularly in nearby branches, blossomed.
The night before the dedication, President Gordon B. Hinckley's, then a newly called Assistant to the Twelve worked with others to resolve a serious problem. A severe thunderstorm dumped torrents of rain on the area and the local fire department was called to pump water out of the basement. At the same time, Salt Lake Temple President ElRay L. Christiansen, London Temple President Selvoy J. Boyer, and President Hinckley, “all dressed in their pajamas, stood in waist-deep water bailing out a stairway area that led into the temple basement.”
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| To the right of the stairs that go to the main entrance to the temple is the basement entrance generally used by youth coming to perform proxy baptisms. This is where President Hinckley et al. bailed out the water from heavy rains in September 1958. Note that there is now a drain paralleling the basement door. ;-) |
President David O. McKay dedicated the new temple in six sessions held on Sunday through Tuesday, September 7-9, 1958. With “tears rolling down his cheeks.” he said, “Imagine me living long enough to build a temple in England, in Surrey where the Magna Carta was signed, where people can come and take out their endowments without traveling to America." Over twelve thousand members participated, many transported by large red double-decker buses for the 52-mile round-trip from London.
The first family sealed in the new temple was that of Derek and Muriel Cuthbert, who had been baptized just a few years before. Sister Ludlow, who is currently serving as a temple missionary here with her husband, is the second oldest daughter of the Cuthbert's and was part of that sealing. She shared with us her memories below in italics:
My parents were converts to the church in January 1951. There were no temples in Europe at that time. In 1955 the Swiss Temple was dedicated, and with my mothers blessing, my father took the last of his worldly wealth, ￡26 or about $50 out of the bank and went to the dedication of that Temple. My mother actually packed him food for the 21/2 days he was there, as there was no money left for food. It was a glorious experience that strengthened the solid foundation that my parents already had and gave them an even firmer resolve to look forward to their own temple blessings.
A quote from my father’s journal after the visit to the Swiss Temple Dedication.
“the words of the prophet strengthened me and enlarged my vision as he spoke of the holiness, sweetness and unity of family life and all that is finest in this life. He challenged us to obtain the spirit of temple service so that the Father’s will may be realized. He told us that life is a journey, not a destination towards everlasting endlessness of opportunities, and that all we do for our children is in order that they may realize all that is prepared for them”
3 years later in September 1958, our family came down to London for the dedication of the London Temple. My parents and older sister were able to be in the Celestial room for one of the dedicatory sessions. A few days later we were the first family to be sealed there. I had an older sister 10 years old, and three younger siblings. My mother was expecting her 6th child. This is a quote again my mother.
“our children were brought in to join us around the altar and they looked like little angels all dressed in white. They were sealed to us for eternity and we shed tears of joy”.
I was only 8 years old when that happened. We were taken to the “nursery” area and gentle temple workers, all dressed in white, took each of us & dressed us completely in white clothing. I remember feeling so special as I had never been dressed completely in white before. They put me in a beautiful white slip & white dress & white socks. I felt so clean & pure. The workers brought us to the door of the sealing room, and as we walked in and saw our parents standing there dressed in their temple clothes, it was a picture I have never forgotten. I could feel the joy of my parents and I remember feeling so happy as I knelt at the altar and looked at their faces. I was young, but it had such a powerful effect on me. We had just been sealed as a family for all eternity. My parents has such a strong desire to be in the temple and it overflowed to their children.
Between 1960 and 1990, Church membership in Britain multiplied over ninefold from about 16,600 to approximately 153,000. The first British stake was organized two years after the temple was dedicated. By 1990 Britain had forty stakes. To facilitate the increased demand, the London temple was closed for remodeling in the spring of 1990, which included adding a fourth floor. The single, large ordinance room that seated about two hundred fifty people was replaced by four smaller endowment rooms each seating about seventy people. This not only expanded the temple’s capacity but also made scheduling much more convenient; rather than having one endowment session beginning only every two hours, one could now start every half-hour. Additional sealing rooms were also added. And west of the Temple, a new building called "The Lodge" was built to house both maintenance staff and temple workers.
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| The Lodge which is just across the parking lot from the London Temple. The Lodge is where we and about 20 other couples live while working at the London Temple. |
The London Temple was rededicated on October 18–20, 1992 in ten sessions by President Gordon B. Hinckley, First Counselor in the First Presidency, with 13,200 faithful Church members attending. During the dedication, President Hinckley made the surprising announcement that a second temple would be built in England, near Preston. The new temple was to be part of a larger complex, which would include a stake center and a missionary training center with accommodations for 120 young missionaries and 20 senior couples. There would also be apartments for temple workers plus lodging for patrons traveling long distances to attend the temple. A reception center would house a Beehive Clothing outlet and a family history center.
In 2008, a 50-year jubilee renovation of the London Temple grounds included adding a statue of the Angel Moroni atop the steeple. Additionally, mission offices for the London South Mission and renovation of the Manor House and accommodation center took place.
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| London Temple before the Angel Moroni was added to the steeple. |
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| London Temple after the Angel Moroni was added to the steeple in 2008. |
Because of its location, history and nice accommodations for the patrons, the London Temple continues to be a favored location for patrons of all nationalities.
This week, Elder Burkinshaw was reviewed by President Otterson and approved to perform the ordinances in Portuguese. A young woman from Norway had received her call to serve in the Lyon France mission so she came to the London Temple to receive her endowment. She spoke no English but her father was from São Paulo Brazil so Elder Burkinshaw spoke with him in Portuguese and he translated for his daughter to Norwegian. As it turned out, we also had a group of Bulgarian saints on the same endowment session. They were accompanied by their branch president, who was a young returned missionary from Utah. As a side note, the branch president and his wife, had both served in Bulgaria and decided that they wanted to return to build up the Church so he is now studying at the University in Sofia Bulgaria. So besides English, the session was translated to Norwegian, Portuguese and Bulgarian. This is not a unique situation and during the past four weeks, we personally have assisted patrons in Spanish, German, Dutch, Italian, French, Portuguese, Bulgarian and Norwegian.
Elder and Sister Burkinshaw
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