LDS Temples - London, England

You're looking at the LDS Temple in London, England.
The London temple was dedicated, 7 September 1958 by David O. McKay and was re-dedicated by Gordon B. Hinckley 18 October 1992. The site, covering 32 acres at Newchapel, was selected by President McKay and Elder Stayner, president of the British Mission, in June 1952. The site was then purchased in 1953.

The exterior finish is made of reinforced concrete on a structural steel frame. The walls are made of brick masonry and faced with white, cut, Portland, limestone. It is considered to be of modern contemporary, single spired design. The spire is covered in lead-coated copper and the floor area is 42, 652 sq.

When President David O. McKay announced plans to construct a temple in Switzerland, he stated that it "would be the first of several such temples to be erected for the Saints in Europe." The London Temple was the second built in fulfillment of this prophesy.

President McKay and the Church architect spent and entire day walking over the grounds before carefully and prayerfully selecting the perfect spot for the Temple. President McKay was anxious to preserve the estate's gorgeous formal gardens. At the site dedication, President McKay spoke of the land as, "being there [was] like entering into a little paradise." On the southern border of the site there's even an appropriately named stream called Eden Brook. President McKay also suggested that the 350-year old Elizabethan manor house that stood on the property would be retained and used for various purposes and would eventually become a Missionary Training Center for the European Saints.

In the early construction phase, the engineers ran into a slight set back. It seems there was a lily pond covering a portion of the area where the temple was to be situated and the engineers were concerned that the unstable ground would not withstand the weight of the temple. President McKay however, was adimate, that the temple be located on the selected spot. After much research test holes were finally drilled to determine the stability of the soil. Surprisingly to the engineers the test results revealed the discovery of rock at the proper depth for the temple's foundation. One of the engineers working on the project said, "You could build the City of London on that site".

The London Temple was completed in 1958. Due to the amount of participation and public interest, three days were added to the open house period. At one point there was a line of one thousand people stretched from the temple's entrance At some points. Local headlines commented, "The Mormon Temple is the only Church in Britain with a quarter-mile queue waiting to get in." When the open house period was over, the formal dedication was performed.

The lives of Latter-day Saints were not the only ones affected by the temple's dedication. Seventeen-year old John H. Cox spent a whole day taking photographs of the temple and its grounds for a local photography club contest. His pictures took the prize. The temple president Selvoy J. Boyer was informed about the pictures. He subsequently ordered and reordered several prints. Each time John came to deliver the pictures, President Boyer took time to teach him some gospel principles. This lead to his eventual baptism into the Church in 1960. Later, he would become president of the London Stake. (Temples to Dot the Earth, pp. 167-170).

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