Venue: Union Chapel, Islington
Address: Compton Avenue, London, Islington, N1 2XD, England
Town: London, GB

Union Chapel is a working Congregational church, live-entertainment venue and charity drop-in centre for the homeless in Islington, London, England. Built in the late 19th century in the Gothic Revival style, the church is a Grade I-listed building. It is at the north end of Upper Street, near Highbury Fields. Union Chapel hosts live music, film, spoken word and comedy events. There are around 250 events per year. It was voted London's Best Live Music Venue by readers of Time Out magazine in 2002, 2012, 2014 and 2026. It has a reputation for excellent acoustics, due to its design. The Margins Project, based in the Union Chapel, provides a range of support services to people facing homelessness, crisis and isolation. It operates a twice-weekly drop-in that provides advice around accessing benefits, support showers and laundry facilities. There is a Supported Employment Programme which provides opportunities for people who have experienced homelessness and crisis to get back into employment. There is also a Winter Night Shelter and support services such as access to therapy. Union Chapel is a Congregational church and part of the Congregational Federation. The church describes itself as "a community of Christians of diverse backgrounds committed to living lives that are spiritual, sustainable and responsive to the Gospel’s prophetic call for justice and peace." The church meets every Sunday at 11am and is committed to racial, economic, social and climate justice. The congregation first met in 1799 in a house in Highbury Grove as a union of evangelical Anglicans and non-conformists. Between 1805 and 1809 a new chapel was built by Henry Leroux on the present site in Compton Terrace, just off Upper Street, and the congregation moved to it in 1806. The new chapel was a two-storeyed building in the classical style with a central pediment, and with two houses on either side. A girls' school was founded in 1807 and a boys' founded in 1814. The Rev. Thomas Lewis, the father o