Sunday School Stories Project
We're transforming our Sunday School Hall to deliver an engaging programme and archive collection with, for, and by the community.
You can be a part of this adventure!
Click here for current workshops and opportunities to get involved.
Whether you love Union Chapel for its stunning space or acoustics, its rich history of social justice, its stunning Grade I and II* listed architecture or you love it for its music, participatory arts or its work with people at risk of crisis or homelessness, the Sunday School Stories Project is one of the biggest and most exciting developments in recent years and the big day when we open the transformed Sunday School Hall with its new look and new programme is getting closer...
Why?
With a rich history of social justice the Sunday School Hall was once a space used to school local children who couldn’t afford education and is one of only a few remaining Akron plan halls. Unfortunately, the Sunday School building has fallen into disrepair and without urgent intervention, it would face further dilapidation. Through this project, the unique architecture and heritage of the building will be preserved and brought back to life for the community to use.
Hidden Archive to be Revealed
Most people don’t know that we house an archive of records, books, artefacts and hidden gems from our last 200 years and local London history. For the first time, this untapped treasure trove of stories will be featured publicly.
It tells the tales of Nonconformist Christians and their 100-year journey from persecuted minority to being part of the establishment and of Union Chapel’s unique history as one of the UK’s most respected music venues.
Sunday School Stories Project will transform the currently decaying, inaccessible collection into a restored and fully catalogued archive for the first time inviting the community to discover the everyday life at Union Chapel with insights into the lives of real local people and their ambitions for a better world.
What to expect?
The community will be able to get involved throughout this project, whether as a volunteer to help discover lost history or by taking part in a pre-gig heritage tour. The people of Islington have been integral to the history of Union Chapel and will continue to be so to bring the Sunday School back to life. Once the project is complete, it will be returned to the community as a space that everyone can enjoy
- Pre-gig heritage tours
- Heritage building training including work with lime mortar mixing, stone masonry, carpentry, repairs and maintenance for skills you can use in employment and at home
- Your Story Festival of Change made with & by for our communities including inspirational speech karaoke, digital memory bank, performance poetry, heritage food events, debates, and social leadership workshops
- Immersive musical adventures for families with Mrs H and the Singalong Band plus Highbury Opera Theatre’s young performers re-imagining scores in our archive
- And so much more
There are so many ways YOU can get involved.
Subscribe for heritage email updates
Or, if you're interested in becoming a Friend of Union Chapel to help with our Grade I & Grade II* buildings, garden, and archive upkeep, learn more here.
What's happening right now? [updated Oct 2024]
Heritage Building Workshops | Each month from November 2024
Want to build you DIY skills or understand the craft of renovation? Love sustainability and heritage sites? Interested in the construction, maintenance, or conservation industries? We provide the tools and professional training to learn new or hone skills for your own renovations and boost creativity and sustainability.
Choose your workshop + application deadlines:
TUE 12 NOV Carpentry | Apply by 31 October
TUE 10 DEC Roofing | Apply by 29 November
TUE 14 JAN Roofing | Apply by 6 January
+ more dates added soon.
Find out more, what to expect, and how to apply here.
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TAG-A-TILE | Sep 2024
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.
£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)!
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ISLINGTON ARCHAEOLOGY & HISTORY SOCIETY | Sep 2024
We are extremely grateful to Islington Archaeology & History Society for their donation of £1000 towards our archive work, part of Sunday School Stories Project, that will see over 200 years of hidden gems and local legacy logged, digitised, and brought back to the public.
From gig posters, books, artefacts, artwork, memorabilia, and more, this previously untapped treasure trove of stories tells 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 and work with arts for social change.
We are extremely grateful to have the Islington Archaeology & History Society as supporters and partners as we continue on our Sunday School Stories adventure.
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CAPTIAL WORKS COMMENCE | Jul 2024
Essential repairs to the Grade II* listed Sunday School building have begun. 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.
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Recent Activites:
'Life is Wonderful: Mandela's Unsung Heroes' | Thursday 18 July 2024
With Anti-Apartheid Legacy and Union Chapel Church, we marked Mandela Day with a free screening of the award-winning documentary to a intercultural and intergenerational audience. Huge thanks to our partners, speakers, volunteers, and audience who came together after the film for an open discussion around human rights and the importance to pursue Mandela’s Vision: “A Rainbow nation at Peace with itself and the World"
"Our commitment is to use the arts as a tool for social transformation, a source to promote positive change while inspiring our communities in questioning our human history by merging creative collaborations” - Cristina, Sunday School Stories Participation Manager
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ANTIQUE RESTORATION WORKSHOP | May 2024
Under the guidance of conservator and facilitator Ethan Gallesio, five fantastic volunteers upskilled their heritage building skill to help sustainability, give new purpose to beautiful objects of the past, and bring together like-minded people as part of our community hub.
They learnt all about wooden furniture restoration, breathing new life into antique cabinets that will be part of our Sunday School Stories activities next year. Learn more about the skill-building and community spirit here alongside photos of the hard work and expert results plus beautiful sketches of the atmosphere captured by illustrator Florrie Ann Thomas.
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LONDON WELLBEING NETWORK | Capturing community voice | Apr 2024
We hosted Voluntary Action Islington alongside Islington residents and practitioners came together to add their voices to the community for collective action on local matters. Collaboration to co-deliver initiatives to tackle local inequalities, ensuring no one gets left behind.
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BUILDING A VICTORIAN STAGE | Jan 2024
Our creative community came together in our first #SundaySchoolStories Heritage Workshop to build a Victorian Stage recently rediscovered in our archive of hidden gems.
"The structure was not just a pile of old wood, it was a magical symbol of harmony that effortlessly joined us with itself in common purpose."
Photographers, fine artists, audio engineers, and filmmakers gathered alongside builders, joiners, and those wanting to get stuck in to heritage construction to take apart and rebuild this beautiful vintage piece, learning the intimate details and historic methods used in the Victorian era.
Thanks to facilitators Triskele Building & Conservation and to all that participated by sharing craft and creativity in true community spirit.
See the beautiful photos and artwork, hear from the participants, and find out about the week of bustling activity here.
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Sunday School Stories on ITV News | Oct 2022
Currently on the Heritage at Risk register we have been working hard to raise funds to undertake some essential repair work, plus refurbish and update the space, to bring it back into another vibrant lively community space – for meetings, activities, workshops and an up close and personal music and arts programme, a perfectly intimate space for spoken word, acoustic sets and workshops; and a welcoming space for our local communities to thrive and grow. It will be a much more welcoming space, with a new improved accessibility and a place for everyone to share, learn, thrive and simply have fun. From pre-gig heritage tours, stone masonry to immersive performances, acoustic music and our new Your Story Festival, we hope you’re excited as we are!
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This will all be made possible thanks to support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery Players, as well as City Bridge Foundation, The Clothworkers' Foundation, Garfield Weston Foundation, The Wolfson Foundation, Foyle Foundation, Benefact Trust, National Churches Trust, Friends of Union Chapel, The Rose Foundation, Islington Archaelogy & History Society, Union Chapel Members, and individual supporters, with thanks to the Mayor of London.
Stuart McLeod, Director England - London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said:
“We are delighted to support Union Chapel with their Sunday School Stories project. The restoration of the building for the community and creation of an amazing legacy through the archive is a fitting way to celebrate their 30th anniversary as a music venue.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund is the UK’s largest investors in heritage. Now more than ever, investing in heritage is a top priority for us, particularly as a result of the pandemic. Thanks to National Lottery players, we can invest in projects such as this where it improves people’s lives and makes communities better places to live.”
