On 4 February, the Diocese of Bristol issued a Press Notice announcing the completion of the first stage of a consultation to determine the future of All Saints Church, Corn Street. The church, formerly known as All Hallows, contains the tomb of Edward Colston and a memorial to him by Flemish sculptor John Michael Rysbrack. The church was closed to the public in 1984 and used as an education and resource centre for the Diocese of Bristol until 2015. The Press Notice is reproduced below.
Stage one of consultation exploring future of All Saints, Corn Street, completed
The first stage of a consultation to determine the future of All Saints Church on Corn Street, believed to be the burial place of Edward Colston, has been completed. Commissioned in 2024 and carried out by external consultants, the project has identified several potential future uses for the historic building. These proposals will be explored and developed further in the second phase of the consultation.
The first stage of the consultation engaged with members of Bristol’s African Caribbean heritage communities, as well as other stakeholders whose work and/or knowledge was deemed relevant to the issue. The process involved interviews, focus groups, artistic responses, visits to the building and surveys to gather opinions on the church’s future. All respondents were offered the opportunity to visit the building and approximately 50% did so. The methodology used open-ended questions to encourage reflection and discussion. The Rt Revd Neil Warwick, Acting Bishop of Bristol and Bishop of Swindon, said:
“The completion of the first stage of the consultation marks an important step in listening, learning, and discerning the most appropriate way forward for the building. Former Bishop of Bristol, The Rt Revd Viv Faull, began this vital work, and the Diocese and I remain dedicated to it.”
The consultation revealed differing perspectives on the building’s potential future use. These perspectives and early-stage proposals will be explored in the second, broader stage of the process. Further information about this second stage will be shared by the Diocese in the coming weeks.
The building has been closed to the public since 1984 but was used as offices until 2015. Due to its location, legally required works to fix the building’s roof are set to begin in early spring to protect public safety. The works, which will last for around six months, are completely separate from the consultation and will not influence the final decisions about the building’s future.
Comment
Roof repair
A detailed Diocesan Report (25 May 2025) stated that the centrality of roof repair had been highlighted by the Bishop’s Council which reviewed the situation in March and May 2025; it concluded that the least-worst option remained to repair the roof, as tendered, on the grounds that:
- there is a legal liability to do so
- the roof is fragile, and will require increasingly more costly maintenance unless a more permanent repair is made;
- most of the potential future options under consideration will take a number of years to come to fruition, in which time yet further expenditure on the roof will be necessary to ensure that the DBF meets its legal liabilities, and obligations to owners of adjoining properties;
- by not carrying out the work, the appraisal of options following the consultation on the future of the building will be compromised as the building will deteriorate further;
- there are obligations to maintain the integrity of the church building as All Saints is attached to commercial and residential properties;
- The longer it takes to repair the roof, the greater the (wider) public safety risk becomes.
Other issues
The Diocesan Report gives details of: the background; the monuments/artifacts in the church; discern potential options; legal obligations – BDBF Liability for Closed Buildings and Financing repairs and maintenance of Closed Buildings; financial authority; urgency; strategic racial justice priorities; vault access; and potential options for the future.
A reference states the Edward Colston’s body was reportedly exhumed and reinterred in the vault, which was described as “very deep”, directly in front of the monument. There is a possibility that the individual exhumed and identified as Colston in 1843 was not, in fact, Colston; the identity was questioned by contemporaries.
Recent investigations have revealed that there is no visible point of entry into the vault, other than breaking open the seal. It is uncertain how many layers lie beneath; it may go straight to the void where the remains were reinterred in 1854, or it may be laid on a bed of screed, or other tiles.
An article in The Guardian notes that elsewhere in the Diocese, the church of St Agnes in the St Paul’s district is struggling to find £887,000 for maintenance work on its tower and building. A spokesperson for the diocese said: “Our church buildings team has been working closely with the parish to assess the structural repairs and restoration required for the church tower, as well as other essential works needed to safeguard the historic building.
“The diocese has different legal responsibilities for open and closed church buildings. The works currently taking place at All Saints are a statutory requirement and essential to protect public safety. We understand the concerns raised by St Agnes, and we regret any distress caused because of these legal obligations.”