The church in Bristol that hasn’t seen worship in 40 years

Bristol has many historic buildings and monuments that have stood the test of time. Many of these are open to the public and as such are well known by the vast majority of the city.

There is a church that has been closed to the public for several decades and it has been almost 10 years since it was last used. All Saints Church, which is next to the Corn Exchange on Corn Street, was last a place of worship 40 years ago and was offices until 2015.

Situated in the Old Town and despite being one of the oldest churches in Bristol, it is often passed by by pedestrians without a second glance. It is overshadowed by the Corn Exchange, St. Nicholas Square and the city’s oldest coffee shop built in the 1780s (now home to Cafe Revival).

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The church is known for being built into the surrounding buildings and for having pedestrian walkways on three of its sides. The church, with roots from the 12th century, is also known for a particular monument.

Inside is a monument to Edward Colston, and his family’s tomb is located in a church vault. In 2020, the Diocese said that the existing monument and tomb meant that future use of the church would become very limited.

All Saints Church is more than a resting place for one of Bristol’s most controversial figures, even if that fact is still contested. In the 1400s, it was Britain’s first “public” library.

In 1464 a library was built in the north aisle of the church and a mortuary meant that those who wished to study could have free access to it. Thus the first public library was established, until all the books would be damaged in a fire just two years later.

The church would survive the Bristol War, but in 1984, it would be closed to the public for worship. As well as being used for office space in later years, it was a Diocesan Education Center containing over 10,000 books for the teaching of religious studies in schools.

Sadly this would close in 2015 and as Colston’s past became a controversial subject the church remains closed to this day. References to Colston were removed to Bristol Cathedral and St Mary Redcliffe in 2020.

The Diocese said in 2020: “The presence of the tomb and his tomb has been a concern to us and a limiting factor in the future use of this church for some time. Unlike other Victorian monuments to Colston in the city, these were erected directly after his death in the 1720s.”

“We have to think very carefully about what can be done with them and the building itself. We would like to engage in conversation and consultation with people in the city, including historians, black community leaders and others.

“Whatever we decide to do must be a positive step forward in the current debate. We haven’t ruled anything out at this stage, but we want to proceed with both care and purpose.”

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