A YEAR-long project has begun to revive the 200-year-old Union Chapel in Islington, north London, including essential repairs to its Grade II listed Sunday-school constructing.
Funding of £1.3 million from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery Players will provide a latest roof, thermal insulation, and a more efficient heating system for the constructing. Additional funding from the City Bridge Foundation will ensure improved accessibility for users, including latest wheelchair-accessible facilities and a loop system.
The project will even draw on the Sunday school’s large and untapped collection of records, books, artefacts, and memorabilia to inform the story of Nonconformist Christians who found acceptance here, and the lives of local people. Activities within the constructing, which adjoins James Cubitt’s Gothic Revival chapel, included classes for 180 underprivileged children.
Union Chapel became a music venue in 1992, and is known for its acoustics. Performers there include Amy Winehouse, Elton John, and Adele, and it now has a world repute. In addition, it’s home to the Margins Project, a frontline service for people experiencing crisis.
When the venue reopens in September next 12 months, it guarantees to be “a vibrant, energetic community space for workshops, events, activities and meetings . . . a wonderfully intimate space for spoken word, acoustic sets, and exhibitions”; and “a welcoming space for our local communities to thrive and grow”.
