Kelly C Jones Images - n. europe sites & church history

On Palm Sunday, March 29, 1942, Allied forces bombed the city of Lübeck in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Lübeck was the first German city to be attacked by a massive Royal Air Force air raid. By the time the bombing raids were done, the RAF had dropped 400 tons of bombs and destroyed or damaged more than half the buildings in Lübeck. One structure that sustained extreme damage was St. Mary’s church. During the bombing, the church bells fell from nearly 400 feet and crashed into the floor. Today they remain exactly as they fell. The bells are in a shattered heap, partially melted into the ground beneath the vault, providing a stark contrast to the polish and grandeur of the rest of the church. The damaged sight serves as a peace memorial and is visible behind an iron gate.

Serene and picturesque, "Burton on the Water" near Gloucester, England

Another view of the quaint village of "Burton on the Water".

Downham, a village and civil parish in Lancashire, England. In 1558 it was purchased by the Assheton family. It still remains in Assheton ownership today. Marvin J. Ashton, a previous apostle of the LDS church had ancestors here.

Magnificent Austrian Alps

Downham does not allow overhead electricity lines, aerials or satellite dishes, making the village a popular location for filming period dramas. Downham was one of the locations used in the 1961 film Whistle Down the Wind, and the BBC One series Born and Bred, set in the fictional village of Ormston, was also filmed in the village. The 2012 BBC drama The Secret Of Crickley Hall was also filmed in and around Downham.

Downham was once a township in the ancient parish of Whalley. This became a civil parish in 1866.

This pasture and tree is just outside Dunham village.

Panoramic view of the tree which has a natural stump at its base. It is told that both President Gordon B. Hinkley and Elder Jeffrey R. Holland came here at times to ponder and pray. One subject was concerning the location of the Preston temple.

Magnificent and peaceful view from the stump at the base of the tree. Tree shadow in the foreground.

Wilford Woodruff at Hill Farm

In March 1840, Latter Day Saint missionary and apostle Wilford Woodruff was brought to Hill Farm, Fromes Hill by William Benbow, a recent English convert to Mormonism. Benbow introduced Woodruff to his brother John Benbow, who was a member of the United Brethren. Woodruff received permission to preach to United Brethren congregations, and in the first 30 days he had baptized 45 preachers and 160 members of the United Brethren into the Latter Day Saint church. By December 1840, 300 members of the church had been converted to Mormonism, and ultimately all the members of the United Brethren except one became Latter Day Saints. Woodruff and other Latter Day Saint missionaries also had success among the non-United Brethren in the area, baptizing a total of 1800 people by January 1841. (From Wikipedia) - From the Ensign, Oct 1987, -- On Saturday morning, July 25, 1971, Elders Russell M. Nelson, Derek A. Cuthbert, and Hans B. Ringger traveled to Herefordshire, England, to dedicate a one-acre site, Benbow’s Farm, where Wilford Woodruff baptized sixty-five people in 1840.

The United Brethren's chapel in Gadfield Elm was converted into a Latter Day Saint chapel, and today it is the oldest extant chapel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the world.

Gadfield chapel entry. A significant historical site for a smaller statue of the Christus. Click on image to view more images of original Christus and 12 apostles.

Interior of the Gadfield chapel.

Beautiful area surrounding the Gadfield Elm chapel. Side Note: My great grandfather, Samuel Jewkes was born 23 Mar 1823 in Tipton, Staffordshire, just north of here and was likely converted by the missionary effort in this area at the time. He arrived in New York from Liverpool in September, 1844, then eventually made the trek to Utah.

This is the house (upper room on left) in Preston where President Gordon B. Hinkley was living after beginning his mission. He got discouraged and got the letter back from his father stating, "Forget yourself and go to work." As he stated, this was a turning point in his mission and his life.

Beautiful walk down to the River Ribble.

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.” (Orson F. Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball (Salt Lake City: Kimball Family, 1888), 135). NOTE: Tide was out when this photo was taken, hence the shallow water level.

Plaque at foot of the oak tree planted near the River Ribble.

Walkway along the River Ribble which is part of "Ribble Way", a 73 mile footpath following the River Ribble along the beautiful Ribble Valley from its mouth to its source. The footpath traverses the counties of Lancashire and North Yorkshire and is divided into 7 sections each approximately 10 miles long.

Lush area just off the walkway, with bridge shown on plaque in the background.

On the road to Malvern Hills and British Camp.

Still some fog and light filtering through the trees near British Camp which creates a calm and peaceful view.

British Camp is an Iron Age hill fort located at the top of Herefordshire Beacon in the Malvern Hills.

This is a significant area in terms of early church history. -- Click on image to read the full account about the "Harvest in Herefordshire".

Street in Sodermalm, Stockholm Sweden

Another street in Sodermalm.

Another ferry view of Helsinki.

Ferry view coming into Stockholm, Sweden

Panorama of Stockholm, Sweden LDS Temple. Click on this image to see more LDS Temples in N. Europe.

We had to climb a significant number of stairs to see this view of Granna, Sweden.

Approaching Helsinger, Denmark on Ferry

Closer view of Helsinger

Changing of the Guard - Sodermalm, Stockholm

Sorry for the video shake, but I was hand holding the camera in the midst of a lot of other people. The precision of their playing while riding horses is awesome. They play with one hand, ride the horse (although in this segment, the horses are mot moving), and hold the reins with the other. The exception is the drummer on the black horse. The reins are attached to his stirrups so he can use both hands to play the drums.