Guided Tours return to Union Chapel

31 January 2024

On the first Wednesday of every month of 2024, we open our doors for Guided Tours to fit into your lunchbreak, starting this March.

Discover how Union Chapel began, the people behind its conception and growth, and what we do in the beautiful Victorian Gothic chapel; home to an inclusive church, an award-winning live venue, one of the UK's finest organs, and The Margins Project for those in crisis in London.

You spoke, we listened! We've brought Guided Tours, led by Islington Guided Walks, back to our Grade I Victorian Gothic Revival chapel.

Join us on your lunch break to discover our legacy, future, community, and the stage that has hosted Amy Winehouse, Elton John, Ed Sheeran, Adele, Mavis Staples, Damon Albarn, Olivia Coleman, Nick Cave, and more.

Doors 11.45am
Start 12pm

Book for all dates here Book

6 November 2024
4 December 2024
5 February 2025
5 March 2025
2 April 2025
7 May 2025
4 June 2025
2 July 2025
6 August 2025
1 October 2025
5 November 2025
3 December 2025

Only 20 places available per tour!

Proceeds of the ticket prices go to helping us keep Union Chapel open, safe, maintained for all and to support our local communities.

Concessions available.

Union Chapel Members get money off when using the code found in Ticket Offers found in your digital portal.

Union Chapel has towered over Upper Street in Islington since the 1870s and today thrives as an award-winning venue, homelessness project and a working radical church.

On the tour, led by an expert Islington Guided Walks guide, you’ll see this architectural gem up close and discover the building’s fascinating history.

The Grade I listed Victorian Gothic Chapel is one of the largest Nonconformist churches in London. It houses an important Father Henry Willis organ that is one of few left in the UK with an original hydraulic blowing system, stunning stained glass windows and a distinctive octagonal interior built for acoustics and visibility.

Take a tour and learn more about Islington’s heritage, the Chapel’s triumphant survival after a wartime bomb, and the fascinating story of its near demolition in the 1980s, at a time when Victorian architecture was only just being appreciated.

Further Information & Access:

The tour lasts approximately one hour from 12pm.

The ground floor of the chapel is wheelchair accessible. Those following the tour to the Gallery level must be aware of multiple staircases to access as well as be comfortable with heights.