St Michael on the Mount Without is a church on St Michael's Hill in Bristol, England, near the University. It has been designated as a grade II* listed building, and is currently described as being in poor condition and on the Buildings at Risk Register. The tower dates from the mid 15th century, however the rest of the church was rebuilt between 1775 and 1777 by Thomas Paty. It has been closed since the 1990s, however plans have been drawn up for the future use of the building and the restoration work required.
History
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 church. A survey by Thomas Paty described the fabric of the old building as "ruinous" and, as a result demolition of everything except the tower was undertaken and it was rebuilt. It has an aisled nave, chancel and north and south porches, along with the older tower in the west. 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. The church closed in 1999 due to falling attendances and has been boarded up since then. Some walls are covered in ivy and are in shadow from overgrown trees. Various plans have been put forward for the church's future use. The Bristol Civic Society is working with the Diocese of Bristol and others to develop a sustainable use for the future. A bid for Heritage Lottery Fund support has been submitted for the first stage of the work. 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 closure of the church this has been continued at the localprimary school. In October 2016 the building caught fire, with reports of the roof collapsing. Fifteen fire engines from Avon Fire and Rescue Service attended. Avon Fire and Rescue Service said that the fire was started deliberately. In October 2017 the building was put up for sale and was bought in 2019 by local businessman, Norman Routledge, to restore as a performing arts venue
