その上 details
Examples
on top of that; and besides — a further circumstance piled onto the one just described
昨日、財布を落としてさ。その上、電車まで止まってて最悪だったよ。
kinou, saifu o otoshite sa. sono ue, densha made tomattete saiaku datta yo.
I dropped my wallet yesterday. And on top of that the trains stopped too — it was the worst. casual
この部屋は日当たりがいいです。その上、収納も十分にあるんです。
kono heya wa hiatari ga ii desu. sono ue, shuunou mo juubun ni aru n desu.
This room gets good sunlight. On top of that, there's plenty of storage. neutral
本日は雨の中をお越しくださいまして、ありがとうございます。その上、お土産まで頂戴しまして、恐縮でございます。
honjitsu wa ame no naka o okoshi kudasaimashite, arigatou gozaimasu. sono ue, omiyage made choudai shimashite, kyoushuku de gozaimasu.
Thank you for coming out today in the rain. And on top of that you brought a gift — I'm quite overwhelmed. formal
Formation
その上、clauseattaches to plain clause
Related patterns
Similar
それに is the lighter of the two and will tack on a passing afterthought; その上 says the second circumstance lands ON TOP of an already loaded first one, so what it adds has to weigh as much as what it is piled onto — which is why complaints and praise cluster on その上 and a throwaway extra takes それに.
しかも stamps the second fact as noteworthy in its own right and will follow with a bare fragment (三時間待った。しかも、外で); その上 reports that the circumstances have accumulated and wants a clause with weight of its own after it, so ?その上、外で does not stand — both praise and complain equally well, and the fragment is what separates them.
に加えて names its addition as a noun inside the sentence and reads as business writing (残業に加えて休日出勤も); その上 stands at the head of its own sentence with a full clause after it, and is ordinary in speech.
Lookalikes
One で decides the meaning — その上で means "having done that first, and on that basis" (資料は読んだ。その上で決める), while その上 without で adds a second circumstance and sequences nothing; a reader who supplies the missing で turns an accumulation into a procedure.