Exciting new lease of life for historic church

Bristol has long needed a home for professional dance companies to rehearse and perform, and it’s being realised in the unlikely shape of St Michael on the Mount Without.

The historic church dates back to the 15th century and was originally built outside the medieval city walls to serve a growing suburb of merchants’ houses stretching up St Michael’s Hill.

Mostly rebuilt between 1775 and 1777, the church survived being bombed in the Bristol Blitz but closed in 1999 due to decreasing congregations and was badly damaged by fire in 2016, which means it currently does not have a roof.

St Michael’s on the Mount Without dates back to the 15th century

The pews in the historic church’s balcony remain intact after the fire

The church’s tower can now be seen through the missing roof

The Grade II*-listed building was on Historic England’s Buildings at Risk register even before the fire and the Diocese of Bristol have for several years been looking for someone to give the space a new lease of life, whilst keeping the building at the centre of the community. They were not willing to just sell it to the highest bidder.

After some false starts, the Church Commission accepted an impressive proposal from two key parties: Bristol businessman Norman Routledge, who owns and has been renovating Kings Weston House; and Bristol dance company Impermanence, who currently call Kings Weston House their home.

Impermanence co-director Josh Ben-Tovim said: “Since starting Impermanence in 2010, having a space to work in – which we could call home – has always been part of the dream. A painter doesn’t need a studio to make work, but it does make it easier. The same is true with a dance company.”

Impermanence are a group of skilled friends who trained at Rambert School and came together to create a company that explores the notions of equality and democracy while making exciting dance theatre.

They recently presented Impermanence Presents… at Bristol Old Vic, and will shortly be taking their piece Baal on tour to Jakarta in Indonesia.

The company put in a bid to save the old Bristol Dance Centre at Jacob’s Wells Baths last year but were turned down, with the former swimming pool on Jacob’s Wells Road now due to be turned into a gym.

“We had become so excited by the project and were raring to go that it was a real disappointment,” Josh told Bristol24/7. “We then came across St Michael on the Mount, which Norman had known for a long time and often desired, and we put in a bid to take it on.”

Impermanence are already in talks with the church’s next door neighbours, St Michael’s on the Mount Primary School, to work together on various activities.

Impermanence will follow Trinity, St George’s and Circomedia in converting a former church into an arts venue

St Michael’s survived the Bristol Blitz but was closed in 1999 due to a dwindling congregation

There are stunning views from the top of the church tower

Construction by the skilled team behind Kings Weston House has already begun, and the new venue should be ready as early as autumn 2019. Dancers will be excited to learn that not only will they be installing a sprung floor, but it will be heated too.

The name of the most exciting new venue in Bristol for some years has not been confirmed yet, but it could be as simple as The Church. The layout of the space inside is also a work in progress, but veteran Bristol street artist Andy Burns Colwill has been commissioned paint a few interiors in his own and reflective style.

Like Trinity or Circomedia, other church conversions in Bristol, the interior is predominantly one large space that doesn’t logically split into distinct public and rehearsal spaces, so the team are working on making it as multi-functional as possible.

“We’ve said for a long time that the thing missing from Bristol is a place for professional dancers to train, rehearse and perform,” Josh added. “So this is what we hope the church will fulfil – a place for artistic practices to be developed and exchanged among professionals but with an openness and invitation to a much wider community.”

St Michael on the Mount Without (its name coming from the fact that it was built outside the city walls) will become the first permanent home for Impermanence, and a sort of choreographic centre for Bristol and the South West, as well as bringing in much-needed revenue by hosting events.

An open meeting at St Michael on the Mount Without is taking place on Friday, June 14 at 1pm to hear the needs and offers of people connected to dance in the city. For more information, email josh@impermanence.co.uk

Read more: Five days of the best contemporary dance at Bristol Old Vic