In England's Green and Pleasant Land...

   On Monday 11 May, President and Sister Ulrich planned a Senior Couple Church History Tour. It was a sunny day and we all met at the Chorley Chapel next to the temple. Brother Martin Cook, UK National Director of Public Affairs gave the tour. We began our tour in Preston, which is the cradle of the LDS Church in the British Isles.  The first LDS sermon was preached here. 

Brother Cook starts our tour in Preston at the flat where President Hinckley served as  a
Missionary. It was here that he became discouraged and wrote to his father
telling him that he needed to come home because he wasn't doing any good.
His father famously told him to " Forget yourself and go to work."  We can all learn from this advice.

President and Sister Ulrich

Here we are at the flat where President Hinckley lived as a missionary.

The Vauxhall Chapel site where Reverend James Fielding (Brother of Joseph Fielding) was the minister and invited
the missionaries to preach at afternoon services.  Elders Heber C. Kimball and Orson Hyde preached
in the afternoon and response was so positive that an evening service was scheduled. The following
Wednesday Elder Hyde and Richards preached. Following the meetings several of Elder Fielding's congregation requested baptism by the missionaries.  The minister then closed his chapel to the elders. 

Temperance Hall or the Cockpit was used by missionaries for Sunday meetings.  It had been built for
cock fighting but in 1832 it became the site of the Temperance movement when 7 men
from Preston took a pledge of total abstinence from alcohol.
On Christmas Day in 1837, the first mission conference of the LDS Church was held
in this building. The Word of Wisdom was first preached in the building that day and over
a hundred children were blessed.  Branches were also organized and men ordained to
 priesthood offices.  Temperance Hall no longer exists but a plaque marks the site.

Preston Cathedral - practically every town in England has a cathedral, to be an official city, you must have one.

The missionaries preached here in the Preston Market Square to large crowds of people.
Here is President Ulrich with Elder Curtis and his companion.

We were so happy to run into Elder Curtis who now serves
in Preston. 

At Market Square in Preston, a food cart serves Jacket Potatoes and Parched
Peas...British Favorites - yum !

A cool but Sunny Day to tour the sites.  Elder Pew forgot his sun glasses but the hat helped.  One of the senior sisters asked him if he was a cowboy.  We got a good laugh from that.

President Ulrich and Brother Cook on the steps of Wilfred Street Lodgings.
It was here that the missionaries were attacked by legions of evil spirits attempting
to stop the work.  This building is now vacant and several businesses have
occupied it for short periods but no one has occupied it for an extended
period of time.

A plaque in Avenham Park placed there by the LDS Church
Young Women and Young Men.

Little English Daisies spring up in the grass.

The four Preston Elders race across the Bridge over the River Ribble
to commemorate the baptisms which occurred there.  

Here is the site of the baptisms here.  Few clergy in Preston baptised by immersion in 1837,
and none allowed the missionaries to use their font to conduct baptisms.
On 30 July 1837, 9 of Rev. James Fielding's congregation were baptized.
The novelty drew about 8,000 people.  George Watt, eager to receive the ordinance,
out-ran the other converts to be the first baptised
by Elder Kimball.   

The River Ribble

We then drove to the village of Downham and Chatburn. These two villages are about 30 miles from
Preston and were the scene of the most spiritual experience in Elder Kimball's mission in Britain.
Elder Kimball was warned that the people here were "hard-hearted" but he traveled here in late
1837 and had immediate success.  He baptised 25 in Chatburn after preaching once and the following
day 10 more in Downham.  Eventually large numbers joined the Church from both villages.
During his last visit to Downham and Chatburn, in 1838, Elder Kimball experienced a great spiritual moment
as the children of the villages walked the mile between them singing hymns and holding hands, while
their parents called down blessings upon Elder Kimball from their houses. He reported
that he wept so profusely at the time he had to leave the road three times to bathe his
eyes in the nearby stream so he could see the road. He felt the spirit so strongly he removed his
hat and felt like removing his shoes as well. Finally, he bestowed an apostolic blessing upon the 
whole region in response to the great spiritual manifestation he felt. When he returned to the US, Elder Kimball
reported the experience to Joseph Smith. The Prophet then told him:
"Did you not understand it?  That is the place where some of the old prophets
travelled and dedicated that land and their blessing fell upon you."
Elder Kimball's grandson, President Spencer W.Kimball, referred to this in 1971
"I should like to think that the whole of this great land is blessed and carrying a blessing
from great and holy men who have walked upon it's shores." 

Downham remains much the same as it did in 1837, beautiful
and serene beneath Pendle Hill. There are no wires or lines visible. There was also
no cell phone service here.  We had lunch at a charming  local "pub"called
Assheton Arms which served very good food. The entirety of Downham is owned by the Lord of Downham, whose last name is Clytheroe.  It is about 4,000 acres and has about 150 buildings, almost all looking similar to the building above.  You can live in Downham by renting but usually have to wait for someone to die to move in. 

Across the street from the Pub is the Village Church where we heard
words from the Lord of Downham. He gave us a brief
history of the area where he resides and represents
his community in the House of Lords.

Here is the Lord of Downham with his wife and his
son on the left.

A beautiful view of the Village of Downham below. Everything...so green!  Pendle Hill in the background.