Union Chapel Reviews Summary

Location & Accessibility

Pros:

• "Metrostation nearby, friendly staff."
• "Good size for atmosphere and sound and actually being close to the artist. Stones throw from highbury and Islington Station and the brilliant amenities of Upper Street."
• "1 min from Highbury & Islington station and right by lots of bars and restaurants."
• "If you’re travelling from the south, change at St Pancras and get the Victoria line. Super easy to get there."
• "Underground station is literally just across the road, and plenty of places to grab a bite to eat beforehand."
• "Less than 5 minute walk from the tube so easy to get to."

Cons:

• "Can be a little awkward to navigate - uneven surfaces, narrow walkways."
• "They don't let you lock up your bike outside so you need to leave it approx 200m down the road where lots of bikes get stolen."

Atmosphere & Acoustics

Pros:

• "First time there - really nice atmosphere for a gig."
• "The acustics are amazing and it is just beautiful!"
• "Really enjoyed the Union Chapel. It had a great atmosphere and friendly staff."
• "The chapel itself is beautiful, converted to a very atmospheric stage for gigs and concerts."
• "Beautiful building and a good sound for an electric band. Not too much echo."
• "Sound quality marvellous owing to Gothic brickwork."
• "The architecture of the church means it has some amazing acoustics."

Cons:

• "Poor acoustics, uncomfortable and poorly organised seating."
• "It can get really hot on warm nights when the venue is full."
• "It sounds ABSOLUTELY ABYSMAL - the acoustics are appalling."
• "Its a little bit too echoey for full band gigs. The sound just reverberates like heck around the place."
• "Accoustics of the space are great albeit a little 'echoey' which isn't a surprise given you're sat watching a gig in a huge church hall."

Seating & Comfort

Pros:

• "No seat allocation, so sit where you want, downstairs, or up among the vast gallery."
• "Every spot is a good view."
• "We sat at the back downstairs and had a great view."
• "Seats on the upper level give a fantastic view over the venue."
• "95% of the seats provide great visibility for the stage."

Cons:

• "Sat @ the back during estas tonne gig... Really spoilt the whole experience. In fact, didn't enjoy gig one bit."
• "Overall it's a really beautiful venue and a great concept. Sadly after about an hour the pews became insanely uncomfortable."
• "The pews are hard to sit on for a more than an hour so I would recommend bringing cushions for your back and to sit on."
• "Warning the pews aren’t the most comfortable - take something to soften them."
• "The wooden benches weren't as bad as I expected, but it was definitely quite chilly inside despite heating."
• "The hard wooden pews can get a little uncomfortable after a couple of hours though!"
• "Seats a bit uncomfortable as they are obviously pews!"

Facilities & Services

Pros:

• "There is a delightful cafe and you can take cold drinks and proper mugs of tea, coffee and delicious hot chocolate (with cream and marshmallow) up to your seats."
• "Lovely building, really great people and community events, cinema, crafts, incredibly helpful Margins Project round the back of the Building."
• "Friendly staff, nice bar, cheerful suppliers of tea."
• "The staff were all super lovely too (even the security!)."
• "Bar was easy to get served at, top marks to bar staff, toilets clean and staff friendly and helpful."
• "All of the staff at the venue are friendly and very helpful."
• "Staff were really friendly and helpful and as I was with my mum and she was disabled they were amazing with getting the ramp out."

Cons:

• "The chapel is beautiful but it is not great place for function or film display as the toilet is very small and semi-outdoor."
• "Outdoor toilets which were freezing and not sufficient for the volume of people there."
• "Access to the toilets is a bit of a mission where you have to go right to the back on right hand corner and then outside."
• "It is also hard to get food or snacks as they are quite small and cannot accommodate the amount of people when it is full."
• "The bar is right at the back on the left hand side and upstairs. It is not that big with about 2 or 3 people serving and beer can only be drunk in the bar room."