All Saints' Church, Bristol

All Saints’ Church stands in Corn Street, its 12th-century nave still visible at the west end while the 15th-century aisles stretch eastward. The tower was added in 1716 by William Paul and completed by George Townesend, and the lantern rebuilt in 1807 by Luke Henwood. Alice Chestre gave large gifts to the church in earlier centuries, and the chancel was rebuilt in the mid-19th century. The Kalendars built a library over the north aisle in the 15th century, giving free access to all who wished to study, and this became the first public library in the kingdom. The church is surrounded on three sides by pedestrian passageways and shares walls with surrounding buildings. Over the south nave is a priests’ room, and over the north a Georgian coffee room survives intact. The most notable monument marks the grave of Edward Colston, designed by James Gibbs and carved by John Michael Rysbrack. Parish records including baptisms, marriages and burials are held at Bristol Archives, alongside overseers’ accounts and charity deeds. The building was closed to the public in 1984 and later used as a Diocesan Education Centre until 2015. The Diocese of Bristol tried to sell the church without success, and Bristol City Council rejected plans to turn it into a museum. The roof was repaired in 2026 at a cost of about £500,000 because it had become a danger to the public.