Renovation

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Sunday School Stories | Renovation of our Sunday School Hall

Capital Works on Union Chapel’s Sunday School Project have began in July 2024 so that we can to open the Sunday School Hall space as a heritage-led community hub, extending our cultural and heritage offering through Sunday School Stories activities and events.

Click here to jump to current works completed.

 

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 £2,277,649 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 in a more accessible way.

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.

Learn More About Sunday School Stories and How You Can Get Involved

Current Works [updated April 2025]


Air Handling Unit | April 2025

Fullers worked with mechanical sub-contractor S&G and City Lifting to install the new Air Handling Unit. All went like clockwork, with lots of planning and great weather, and is another step towards breathing new life into our community space.

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Roof Tiles | Autumn 2024 - Spring 2025

Around 250 Open Day visitors shared our chapel space in a free celebration of heritage, architecture, and music through guided tours, kids workshops, a stunning organ recital from the young students of our free education programme, and Tag-A-Tile that saw supporters leaving messages and drawings of inspiration on roof tiles, donated by Keymer Tiles, that will be installed into our Sunday School Hall roof.

Three lines of red roof tiles laying on stone ground, emblazoned with writing and drawings of hope, inspiration, and love from donors.

£276 was raised and the decorations ranged from from exquisite Union Chapel architecture sketches, messages of love to family members, inspirational quotes, drawings from kids of all ranges, and even outline of the youngest Open Day attendees's feet (pictured below)!

Image 1: Red roof tiles complete with writing and drawings made by sharpie, laying on a black table with purple sign stating 'Tag A Tile for Sunday School Stories' with Keymer Tiles logo. Image 2: Smiling family of 3 adults and one very young baby stood in Union Chapel holding a red roof tile complete with baby feet outlines drawn on it. Image 3: Smiling man holding red roof tile stating 'Think highly of yourself... think deeply of the world...' . Image 4: Four donors sat at the Tag A Tile black tables smiling to camera whilst making their sharpie marks on the red roof tiles.

The exterior works included introduction of thermal insulation in the roof, which will reduce our carbon footprint, repairs to all water goods, stonework, brickworks and leadwork.

 

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Floor and Ventilation | Autumn 2024 - Spring 2025

The first fixing of the electrical installation is almost complete and Fullers are ready to install the underfloor heating.

The lifting of the floor boards has exposed the original Tubin ventilation system: 5 large clay pipes running from Compton Avenue to the back of the room that would have provided fresh air and natural ventilation in the Hall. The fresh air would then have been warmed up by people and gas lights, and become lighter than cold air. This would escape the room through a series of perforated medallions connected to the perforated ridge tiles via conduits in the roof space.  This would in turn have freed up space in the hall and allowed more fresh air to enter the Sunday School via perforated panel along Compton Avenue connected to the Tubin pipes.

The natural ventilation system via the Tubin pipes has been redundant for many years but will be partially reinstated and enhanced by adding to 2 perforated medallions and it will work along the new air ventilation system which is being introduced to comply with current ventilation standards and expectations of modern audience.

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Brickwork | Autumn 2024 - Spring 2025

The new bricks have all been handmade by Bulmer Brick & Tile in Suffolk and then rubbed on site by Fullers' skilled bricklayers to suit each individual requirement.

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Union Chapel would like to thank the following supporters who have made the Sunday School Stories Project possible:

  • The National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery Players
  • Supported by City Bridge Foundation
  • The Clothworkers’ Foundation
  • Garfield Weston Foundation
  • The Wolfson Foundation
  • Foyle Foundation
  • Benefact Trust
  • National Churches Trust
  • The Rose Foundation
  • Friends of Union Chapel
  • Islington Archeology & History Society
  • Individual supporters