Works on Union Chapel’s Sunday School Project will begin this July. The world-class venue, charity and church aims to open the Sunday School space up to the public in September 2025.
The project will include essential repairs to the Grade II* listed Sunday School building, which has fallen into disrepair. Without urgent intervention, it would have faced further dilapidation. Thanks to a £1,300,000 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery Players, the unique architecture and heritage of the building will be preserved and brought back to life for the community to use and for future generations.
An additional grant of £150K from City Bridge Foundation, London’s biggest independent charity funder, has been given to ensure accessibility of the new space.
Together, the grants will enable Union Chapel to complete external and internal repairs to the Sunday School building, including a new roof and retrofitting works to improve the thermal performance of the building such as thermal insulation to the roof and floor and a more efficient heating system. There will also be improved accessibility for the space, including new wheelchair accessible facilities and a loop system and other essential renovations.
Award-winning Union Chapel began its life as a London music venue in 1992 and now boasts a global reputation. Some of the greatest artists of all time have taken to its stage – from the likes of Amy Winehouse, Adele and Michael Kiwanuka to U2, Damon Albarn, Elton John and Celeste. The space also doubles up as the heart of the Islington community with regular events, a frontline service for people experiencing crisis, and a place of worship.
The Sunday School has a huge collection of records, books, artefacts and memorabilia from the last 200 years. The collection is an untapped treasure trove of stories. It tells the tales of Nonconformist Christians and their 100-year journey from persecuted minority to being part of the establishment, as well as insights into the lives of real local people and their ambitions for a better world, and of Union Chapel’s unique history as one of the UK’s most respected music venues.
Union Chapel’s Sunday School sits alongside the well-known Grade I listed Gothic Revival chapel designed by James Cubitt and is one of only a few remaining Akron plan halls. It was originally built in the 19th century to cater for a wide range of community activities including classes for 180 under-privileged children and was saved from demolition in the 1980s alongside the other buildings.
Once re-opened, it will be a vibrant lively community space – for workshops, events, activities, meetings, and an up close and personal music and arts programme, a perfectly intimate space for spoken word, acoustic sets and exhibitions; and a welcoming space for our local communities to thrive and grow.
