The State of the Union

Everyone recognises the Union Chapel in Islington. Its tall Victorian gothic facade and spire stand out for miles around.

Not so well known however is the Sunday School situated right behind the chapel, and connected through a maze of Victorian tiled passageways. The School hall is a double height space, with a balcony running around 3 sides, while tall slender gothic windows fill out the remaining wall. The balcony contains about a dozen small classrooms, enough for a handful of kids in each, where lessons would have taken place. The hall down below was definitely used for all sorts of things, singing, plays, games and theatre come to mind.

Our project here is to help tell its story to a wider audience, after first finding out what interesting things lie awaiting discovery in the official boxes of Archives. The Chapel has been here in one form or another for close on 300 years, so there’s bound to be interesting conversations to be had.