Union Chapel is a working

Congregational church Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice congregational government. Each congregation independently a ...

, live-entertainment venue and charity drop-in centre for the homeless in

Islington Islington ( ) is an inner-city area of north London, England, within the wider London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's #Islington High Street, High Street to Highbury Fields ...

, London, England. Built in the late 19th century in the

Gothic revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

style, the church is a Grade I-listed building. It is at the north end of

Upper Street Upper Street is the main street of the Islington district of inner north London, and carries the A1 road. It begins at the junction of the A1 and Liverpool Road, continuing on from Islington High Street which runs from the crossroads at Pe ...

, near Highbury Fields.

As a venue

Union Chapel hosts live music, film, spoken word and comedy events. There are around 250 events per year. It was voted London's Best Live Music Venue by readers of '' Time Out'' magazine in 2002, 2012 and again in 2014. It has a reputation for excellent acoustics, due to its design.

Margins Homelessness Project

The Margins Project, based in the Union Chapel, provides a range of support services to people facing homelessness, crisis and isolation. It operates a twice-weekly drop-in that provides advice around accessing benefits, support showers and laundry facilities. There is a Supported Employment Programme which provides opportunities for people who have experienced homelessness and crisis to get back into employment. There is also a Winter Night Shelter and support services such as access to therapy.

Union Chapel Church

Union Chapel is a

and part of the

Congregational Federation The Congregational Federation is a small Christian denomination in Great Britain comprising 235 congregations, down from 294 in April 2014. The Federation brings together Congregational churches, and provides support and guidance to member churc ...

. The church describes itself as "a community of Christians of diverse backgrounds committed to living lives that are spiritual, sustainable and responsive to the Gospel’s prophetic call for justice and peace." The church meets every Sunday at 11am and is committed to racial, economic, social and climate justice.

History

The congregation first met in 1799 in a house in Highbury Grove as a union of evangelical Anglicans and non-conformists. Between 1805 and 1809 a new chapel was built by Henry Leroux on the present site in Compton Terrace, just off

, and the congregation moved to it in 1806. The new chapel was a two-storeyed building in the classical style with a central pediment, and with two houses on either side. A girls' school was founded in 1807 and a boys' founded in 1814. The Rev. Thomas Lewis, the father of the historian Samuel Lewis, was minister of the chapel from 1804–52, and lived next door at number 19. His successor, the Rev.

Henry Allon Henry Allon (1818–1892) was an England, English Nonconformist (Protestantism), Nonconformist Anglicanism#Anglican divines, divine. Life He was born on 13 October 1818 at Welton, East Riding of Yorkshire, Welton, Elloughton-cum-Brough, near ...

, was minister from 1852 to 1892 and greatly increased the congregation as the local population grew. The building became "inconveniently crowded", and by the 1870s the Chapel had been enlarged and given a

colonnade In classical architecture, a colonnade is a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building. Paired or multiple pairs of columns are normally employed in a colonnade which can be straight or curv ...

façade A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...

. It was replaced by the current building in the

Victorian gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

style of architecture, designed by James Cubitt of

Loughton Loughton () is a suburban town and civil parish in the Epping Forest District of Essex. The town borders Waltham Abbey, Theydon Bois, Chigwell, Chingford, and Buckhurst Hill, and lies north-east of Charing Cross. For statistical purposes ...

and built between 1874 and 1877, with further additions from 1877 to 1890. Its Gothic style is uncommon among non-conformist churches, and its plan is based on the church of Santa Fosca in

Torcello Torcello (; ) is a sparsely populated island at the northern end of the Venetian Lagoon, in north-eastern Italy. It was first settled in 452 AD and has been referred to as the parent island from which Venice was populated. It was a town with ...

. It provided seating for 1,700 worshippers, and a Sunday School Hall for 1,000 children. Behind the church, the large Sunday School was built on the Akron Plan. Two Liberal prime ministers,

William Ewart Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British politican, starting as Conservative MP for Newark and later becoming the leader of the Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party. In a career lasting over 60 years, he ...

and

H. H. Asquith Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith (12 September 1852 – 15 February 1928) was a British statesman and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916. He was the last ...

, were at different times members of the congregation. The solid tower was completed in 1889. The chapel building was first listed in 1972 and is Grade I listed. The former Sunday school, lecture hall and vestry block was separately

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

in 2011. The chapel was used for a major scene in the 1982 film, '' Who Dares Wins''. In 1981 the charity Friends of Union was founded in response to attempts to demolish the church. Since then the Friends have worked to preserve the buildings. The charity Union Chapel Project established in 1991 organises activities including gigs and events to help raise money for the building and open it up.

Ministers

* Thomas Lewis 1804–1852 *

1844–1892 * Hardy Harwood 1891–1914 * Charles James Barry MA (Cantab) ? * Ronald Taylor 1940–1980 * Gareth Trevor Jones 1981–1986 * Janet Wootton 1986–2004 * ? 2004-2010 * Karen Stallard 2010–2018 * Vaughan Jones 2017–2024 * Cathy Bird 2025–present

Organ

The organ at Union Chapel was designed and built for the size and acoustics of the new Chapel building in 1877 by master organ builder Henry "Father" Willis. Neither James Cubitt, the architect of the Chapel, nor Rev Henry Allon, the minister at the time, wanted the congregation to be distracted by the sight of an organ or organist: they wanted the music itself to be the focus during worship. The organ is therefore hidden behind ornate screens under the rose window, which itself hints at the organ's importance, with its depiction of eight angels all playing different musical instruments. It is one of just two organs left in the United Kingdom, and the only one in England, with a fully working original hydraulic (water powered) blowing system, which can be used as an alternative to the electric blowers. The organ was restored in 1946 by Monk & Gunther; and by

Harrison & Harrison Harrison & Harrison Ltd is a British company based in Durham that makes and restores pipe organs. It was established in Rochdale in 1861. It is well known for its work on instruments such as King's College, Cambridge, Westminster Abbey, and t ...

in 2013.

Organists

* John Henry Gauntlett 1852–1861 * Ebenezer Prout 1861–1873 * Fountain Meen 1880–1909 *John Hooker 1973–2002 *Claire M Singer 2012–present

Organ ''Re''framed

Organ ''Re''framed, launched in 2016, is an annual music festival at Union Chapel with an experimental approach to the use of the organ. It is curated by composer and Music Director of the organ at Union Chapel, Claire M Singer. Partners include London Contemporary Orchestra and Spitfire Audio. Commissions have included work from Éliane Radigue, Low,

Hildur Guðnadóttir Hildur Ingveldardóttir Guðnadóttir (born 4 September 1982) is an Icelandic musician and composer. A classically trained cellist, she has played and recorded with the bands Pan Sonic, Throbbing Gristle, Múm, and Stórsveit Nix Noltes, and ...

, Adam Wiltzie, Phil Niblock, Darkstar, Philip Jeck, Sarah Davachi, and Mark Fell.

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1799 establishments in England Buildings and structures in Islington Churches in the London Borough of Islington Congregational churches in London Grade I listed churches in London Music venues in London