Union Chapel, Islington

For other churches named Union Chapel, see Union Chapel.

Union Chapel is a working church, live entertainment venue and charity drop-in centre for the homeless in Islington, London, England. Built in the late 19th century in the Gothic revival style, the church is a Grade I-listed building. It is at the north end of Upper Street, near Highbury Fields.

Union Chapel
The Union Chapel (October 2006)
51°32′41″N 0°06′09″W / 51.544707°N 0.102503°W / 51.544707; -0.102503
Location	London Borough of Islington
Country	England
Denomination	Congregationalist
Website	www.unionchapel.org.uk
Architecture
Architect(s)	James Cubitt
Years built	1874–1877, additions through 1890
Clergy
Minister(s)	Vaughan Jones

As a venue

 

The church interior, prepared for a music performance (February 2016)

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.^[1] It has a reputation for excellent acoustics, due to its design.^{[citation needed]}

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.^[2]

Union Chapel Church

Union Chapel is a Congregational church and part of the Congregational Federation.^[3] The church describes itself as "An open community exploring and revitalising the faith in challenging times" and meets every Sunday for worship.^[4] The church meets every Sunday at 11am and is committed to encouraging social justice.^{[citation needed]}

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^[5]: 170 on the present site in Compton Terrace, just off Upper Street, and the congregation moved to it in 1806.^[6] 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.^[7] The Rev. Thomas Lewis,^[5]: 260 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, was minister from 1852 to 1892 and greatly increased the congregation as the local population grew. The building became "inconveniently crowded",^[8]: 235 and by the 1870s the Chapel had been enlarged and given a colonnaded façade.

It was replaced by the current building in the Victorian gothic style of architecture, designed by James Cubitt of Loughton and built between 1874 and 1877, with further additions from 1877 to 1890.^[9] Its Gothic style is uncommon among non-conformist churches, and its plan is based on the church of Santa Fosca in Torcello.^[8]: 235 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 and H. H. Asquith, were at different times members of the congregation.^{[citation needed]} The solid tower was completed in 1889.

The chapel building was first listed in 1972 and is Grade I listed.^[10] The former Sunday school, lecture hall and vestry block was separately Grade II* listed in 2011.^[11]

The chapel was used for a major scene in the 1982 film, Who Dares Wins. Since 1982 and facing demolition the charity Friends of Union Chapel has helped conserve 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.^[12]

Ministers

• Thomas Lewis 1804–1852
• Henry Allon 1844–1892
• Hardy Harwood 1891–1914
• Charles James Barry MA (Cantab)  ?
• Ronald Taylor 1940–1980
• Gareth Trevor Jones 1981–1986
• Janet Wootton 1987–?
• Karen Stallard 2010–2018
• Vaughan Jones 2017–present

Organ

The Organ at Union Chapel was designed and built specially 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 deliberately hidden behind ornate screens under the rose window, which itself actually hints at the organ's importance, with its depiction of eight angels all playing different musical instruments.^{[citation needed]}

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.^{[citation needed]}

The organ was restored in 1946 by Monk & Gunther;^[13] and by Harrison & Harrison in 2013.

Organists

• John Henry Gauntlett 1852–1861
• Ebenezer Prout 1861–1873
• Fountain Meen 1880–1909
• John Hooker^[14] 1973–2002
• Claire M Singer^[15] 2012–present

Organ Reframed

Organ Reframed,^[16] 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,^[17] Low, Hildur Guðnadóttir, Adam Wiltzie, Phil Niblock,^[18] Darkstar, Philip Jeck, Sarah Davachi,^[19] and Mark Fell.

See also

• The Union Chapel Concert – a 1997 live album by Guy Evans and Peter Hammill recorded at the chapel

References

1. "London's top 20 music venues revealed". Time Out. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
2. "Welcome to the Margins Project". Chapel website. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
3. "Congregational Federation - Union Chapel". Retrieved 24 May 2021.
4. "Union Chapel – Church". Retrieved 17 February 2013.
5. Lewis, Samuel (1842). The History and Topography of the Parish of Saint Mary, Islington, in the County of Middlesex. Islington Green, London: J. H. Jackson.
6. "Islington: Growth, Canonbury". British History Online.
7. "Islington: Education". British History Online.
8. Cosh, Mary (2005). A History of Islington. London: Historical Publications Ltd. ISBN 0 948667 97 4.
9. . Chapel website. Archived from the original on 22 January 2013. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
10. Historic England. "Union Chapel (Grade I) (1208365)". National Heritage List for England.
11. Historic England. "Former Sunday school, lecture hall and vestry block to Union Chapel (Grade II*) (1404206)". National Heritage List for England.
12. "Who the Friends are". Chapel website. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
13. "Union Chapel". National Pipe Organ Register. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
14. London Concord Singers (13 May 1991). "1991.05.13 Concert Programme" (PDF). London Concord Singers Archive 1990s. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
15. "Claire M Singer Website". Retrieved 16 November 2018.
16. . Archived from the original on 16 November 2018. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
17. "Organ Reframed is your chance to hear one of the world's finest organs". Standard. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
18. "New music for a unique organ". The Wire. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
19. "Organ Reframed". Time Out. Retrieved 16 November 2018.

Further reading

• Cherry, Bridget, ed. (2007). Dissent and the Gothic Revival: papers from a study day at Union Chapel, Islington. London: The Chapels Society. ISBN 9780954506117. Includes: The building of Union Chapel / Anthony Richardson – 'The most vital bonds of union', Union Chapel and Congregationalism / Clyde Binfield—The Union Chapel archives and library / Richard Wallington.'Sunday schools and the life and work of the chapel'/ Chris Pond

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Union Chapel, Islington.

• Official website