London Church History Walk

November 6, 2009
Our London church history walk with Brother Warwick and his wife was very enjoyable and enlightening. It was neat to visit a side of London I haven’t experienced. I also appreciated being able to see firsthand sites we’ve been studying in religion class that were of such significance in early church history.
We began our walk at the picturesque, old Bunhill Cemetery, across the street from the Wesley Chapel. My eyes widened upon being informed of the fact that the cemented ground upon which we were standing as Brother Warwick began to speak to us, was used hundreds of years ago as a massive burial site for plague victims. It was kind of horrific and weird to think about.
The location of this graveyard was significant in that it resided outside the city walls of London. As such, the area was well-known for attracting the attention and gathering of non-conformists who found more freedom to preach and express their ideas here, outside the jurisdiction of the city. Bunhill Cemetery is actually a nonconformist graveyard. Among those buried here, it was neat to see the graves such historic figures as George Fox, founder of the Quaker faith, Isaac Watts, the great hymn writer, William Blake, the poet and writer, John Bunion, author of Pilgrim’s Progress, Daniel Defoe, author of Robison Crusoe, and even the renowned John Milton, author of Paradise Lost. Clearly this areas’ tolerance for non-conformist ideals contributed to its being prepared for the coming of the message of the restored gospel of Christ long before those early missionaries arrived here.
We next went over to the Wesley Chapel, a Methodist place of worship. It was a beautiful building inside and out, and modest in its presentation. I was impressed by the feel of the atmosphere there. As Brother Warwick briefly spoke to us of John Wesley’s history, beliefs, and contribution to bringing about the Methodist faith, I realized just what an incredible man he really was. His humility and emphasis on love, forgiveness, and the importance of developing a personal relationship with God, really are not so different from our faith, contrary to what I had presupposed Methodist beliefs to entail. His use of itinerate preaching and “open-field” teaching were employed just about a century later by our own Mormon missionaries.
As we walked down the streets, I tried to imagine the early missionaries doing the same. It was neat to visit Tabernacle Square, where Heber C. Kimball, Wilford Woodruff, and George A. Smith came to preach the gospel. I noted with interest the significance once again of this preaching area outside the jurisdiction of the city of London, which is why their first baptism, Henry Conner, brought them here. I looked around the square and could picture people opening up the even their fourth story windows and leaning out to listen to the message of these diligent men.
Visiting Ironmonger Rd. where the missionaries took up residence and established mission headquarters for a while, just across the street from Conner, was also interesting. Not much of the street is left. It was here that evil spirits once again attacked the missionaries in desperate efforts to halt the work. Overall, I sure learned a lot and had an enjoyable time, despite the cold, visiting the church history sites and exploring another area of London.