External Repairs to Union Chapel Sunday School completed
The initial phase of the restoration of the Grade II* Listed Sunday School Hall at Union Chapel in Islington has been completed, with the removal of scaffolding revealing the restored roofs and facades.
“Sunday School Stories – a tale of dissent and social change" is the current focus of conservation and community work at Union Chapel. This project is uncovering the Sunday School Hall’s hidden history as well as creating a vibrant space for modern community use.
The Union Chapel designed by James Cubitt and completed in 1877 is an architectural treasure that’s home to a working church, an award-winning performance venue, a unique organ and The Margins Project for those homeless and in crisis in London.
The high Victorian brick complex of buildings includes the Grade I listed Chapel and its tower and the separately Grade II* Listed Sunday School Hall. The buildings were in danger of collapse in the 1980s when a huge programme of repairs averted the imminent danger.
However, it is still on the Heritage at Risk Register. BFF produced a masterplan, for its conservation and ongoing refurbishment, which is being implemented, following extensive community and stakeholder consultation.
The initial phase of essential interior and exterior repairs to the Sunday School, includes addressing structural issues, and installing a new roof - expedited due to failing tiles and timber battens, which posed a safety risk. It will also provide enhanced accessibility with DDA-compliant features and upgraded heating and lighting systems. These efforts aim to preserve the building’s unique architecture and historical significance for future generations.
The repairs are being funded through a combination of grants (including the National Lottery Heritage Fund) and community fundraising. Given its role as a cultural venue, the UCP's supporters and patrons play an active role in raising funds for the restoration project.
Visitors to the 2024 Union Chapel Open Day were given the chance to be a part of history, by making their mark on a roof tile that has then been installed on the Sunday School Hall.
The ‘Tag A Tile’ event was an opportunity to be a permanent part of Union Chapel's building, by writing a message or picture on a Keymer roof tile, in return for a donation to support their Sunday School Stories Project renovations and community activity programme.
Inside, the Sunday School Hall is notable for its 'Akron Plan' design. This layout features a central large airy double height hall with a three-sided wrap-around wrought iron balcony, surrounded by study booths, facilitating both individual and collective learning experiences. It is a space that combines simple grandeur and practicality – it was intended to cater for a wide range of activities, including classes for up to 180 children and families, sports, tea parties and bazaars.
When completed, the project will open up this little seen room and its collection for dedicated community use, cultural activity, ideas sharing and participative events – giving future generations the chance to create new stories of their own. This project is also creating a mass of free, skills-based, activities from conservation and archive skills to training in powerful public speaking – a skill of the activist leaders who helped found Union Chapel.