Portraits of the past: Preaching in Preston

Market Square or Market Place in Preston, Lancashire, England, is a site of historical significance to Latter-day Saints. Beginning in 1837, the first missionaries of the church to serve in Great Britain preached at this place in the earliest days of their missions. This group included Elders Heber C. Kimball , Orson Hyde, Willard Richards and others. The famous obelisk, seen in both images, was standing in the square at that time. In 1933, a young and apprehensive Elder Gordon B. Hinckley began his service as a missionary in Preston. His companion took him to Market Square so that Elder Hinckley could hold a street meeting. Thus, Elder Hinckley preached here in the earliest days of his mission, just as Heber C. Kimball did nearly a century before.