← Back to agenda
Union Chapel Guided Tour | October 2026
Union Chapel19b Compton Terrace
Wed 7 Oct · 12:00 · £15
About this event
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. If you have access requirements, please email [email protected] ahead of attendance.
Follow the thread
From this venue’s worldClassical & Chamber MusicIntimate recital rooms, historic churches and independent halls where London's classical music can be heard up close.From this venue’s worldVenues Where the Architecture Is the ArtSix London venues where the building was worth visiting before a single event was booked — a Gothic mansion, a Grade I chapel, a reconstructed Elizabethan playhouse, and more.LineagePublic humanities and cultural conversationTrace other London rooms working in this tradition.LineageLiterary and intellectual discourseTrace other London rooms working in this tradition.LineageContemporary music and performanceTrace other London rooms working in this tradition.Adjacent this week1926 Knees Up: Celebration EventOrdsall HallAdjacent this weekBuilding TourBritish LibraryAdjacent this weekSkill Up Visits: Making with Waste at Global GenerationRIBA
A different kind of night
Not the same tradition as the lineage above — a genuinely different thread to pull, if you want one.