St Michael on the Mount Without

The site has been occupied by a church since the Norman era, with the original structure founded in 1147, the year Matilda ended her contest for the throne with King Stephen. As it was located outside the city walls on a hillside, it acquired the suffix "on the Mount Without". Although much of the fabric was later rebuilt, the church is noted as one of only eight parish churches in Bristol to survive in its original location from the medieval period. 19th-century antiquarian sources regarded Robert Fitzhamon, founder of Tewkesbury Abbey, as the probable founder of the church. The earliest documentary reference to St Michael's occurs in 1174, when it was recorded as forming part of the fee…

The interior of the church had been described by Gomme as a "Georgian preaching room". The church housed an organ built in 1939 by W. G. Vowles. After deconsecration, it was moved to St Mary's Collegiate Church, Youghal. Many other internal fittings were stripped out following deconsecration, leaving a reduced set of furnishings on site by the early 2010s. A 2013 inspection recorded that most nave pews had been removed, while a smaller number of pews and frontals remained, along with two sets of choir stalls, a wrought-iron lectern, a stone pulpit and altar tables. The crypt has been converted into a bar and event space. During lowering of its floor, stonemasons and archaeologists had to…

The church is also used by the Bristol-based dance company Impermanence, co-directed by Josh Ben-Tovim and Roseanna Anderson. The Mount Without Events continues to host weddings and private events at the venue to help subsidise Impermanences programme. The actor Mark Rylance serves as the theatre's patron.