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| Looking towards the Rose window: ©Graham White |
Last Monday a small group from
the Islington Art Society were treated to a tour of Union Chapel by
Andrew Gardner. This imposing Congregational, non-conformist church
sits on Compton Terrace and dominates the skyline where Upper Street
and Highbury Corner meet in Islington.
Andrew explained that the chapel, that replaced a previous Georgian chapel which was deemed too small, was
designed by James Cubitt in the 1870s with non-conformist values in
mind. Unlike Anglican churches the chapel has no central nave. There
are instead two aisles either side the central seating area which
encourages a feeling of community among people sitting there. The
acoustics were considered most important and you can easily hear the
spoken voice from anywhere in the chapel without amplification.
Likewise the minister can see the entire congregation (which
originally numbered around 1600 people) when speaking from the
pulpit. These were all designed to foster a sense of inclusiveness.
In the chapel's Victorian hey day up to
1,000 children attended Sunday School every week and this would have
been the only formal education they would have received. There were
lecture rooms upstairs and downstairs so the chapel was busy during
the week as well as on Sundays.
The numbers attending the chapel
declined markedly after WWII and by 1980 Islington Council was ready
to demolish the building because it had fallen into such bad repair
but this was halted by enthusiasts of Victorian architecture who
began the task of restoring this colossal building. One way of
raising funds was to use the chapel as a music venue and it is this
area which has thrived and many famous names have played here. In
addition to this the famous Father Willis organ has recently been
restored and is going to be featured during the Organ Project Launch
Week, 14-20 July with a diverse line-up of artists.
We all enjoyed our tour around the
nooks and crannies of this vast complex including peering at the
hydraulics underneath the organ, inspecting the basement and the
offices upstairs. If you too would like a tour of the chapel or to
attend a concert contact Union Chapel here.
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| Revealing the balcony: ©Graham White |
