St Michael on the Mount Without

St Michael on the Mount Without
Location within Bristol
General information
Town or city	Bristol
Country	England
Coordinates	51°27′26″N 2°35′54″W / 51.457199°N 2.598424°W / 51.457199; -2.598424
Completed	15th century
Website
https://www.themountwithout.co.uk/

The Mount Without, formerly the Church of St Michael on the Mount Without, is a former church, now a creative space, on St Michael's Hill in Bristol, England, near the University. It has been designated as a grade II* listed building,^[1] and was described as being in poor condition and on the Buildings at Risk Register as recently as 2021.^[2]

The tower dates from the mid 15th century, however the rest of the church was rebuilt between 1775 and 1777 by Thomas Paty.^[1] The building was deconsecrated in 1999 and severely damaged by fire in 2016, but had a complete renovation in 2019–20 and is now open as a creative space for the city and beyond to use as a unique gathering space, once again.^[3]

The original church on the site was Norman. As it was outside the original city walls it was known as St Michael on the Mount Without. The tower was added in the 15th century. Bells were installed in the tower in 1739. By the 1760s the population of the city and parish had grown, requiring expansion of the church. A survey by Thomas Paty described the fabric of the old building as "ruinous". As a result, all except the tower was demolished and it was rebuilt.^[4] It has an aisled nave, chancel and north and south porches, along with the older tower in the west.^[5]

It was damaged in 1941 during the Bristol Blitz and the fire caused by incendiary bombs left it without a roof, but it was considered repairable.^[4]

The church closed in 1999 due to falling attendances and was boarded up for many years, with some walls covered in ivy and in shadow from overgrown trees. Various plans were put forward for the church's future use. As of 2016, the Bristol Civic Society was working with the Diocese of Bristol and others to develop a sustainable use for the future.^[6] A bid for Heritage Lottery Fund support was submitted for the first stage of the work.^[7]

There was a tradition at the church of distributing large buns known as Colston buns or Tuppenny Starvers to local children on Easter Tuesday. Since the church closed, this has been continued at the local primary school.^[8]

In October 2016 the building caught fire, with reports of the roof collapsing. Fifteen fire engines from Avon Fire and Rescue Service attended.^[9][10][11] The fire service said the fire was started deliberately.^[12][13] In October 2017 the building was put up for sale ^[14] and it was bought in 2019 by local businessman Norman Routledge, to restore as a performance and events space.^[15]

In 2021, memorial panels bearing the names of 842 soldiers of the 6th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment, who were killed in the First World War, were hung in the crypt and rededicated by the Archdeacon of Bristol. The panels had been moved to St Michael's from the battalion headquarters when it was bombed during the Second World War, and had surivived the 2016 fire before being rediscovered in 2019.^[16]

Parish records for the church of St Michael on the Mount Without, Bristol are held at Bristol Archives (Ref. P. St M) (online catalogue) including baptism, marriage and burial registers. The archive also includes records of the incumbent, churchwardens, overseer of the poor, parochial church council, charities, schools, societies and vestry plus deeds, plans, photographs and pictures.

• Churches in Bristol
• Grade II* listed buildings in Bristol

Wikimedia Commons has media related to St Michael on the Mount Without, Bristol.

• The Mount Without official website
• Heritage at Risk Register: St+Michaels+Hill