The west end of the nave survives from the original 12th-century church, and the east
nave and
aisles were built in the 15th century.
Alice Chestre made major donations to the church. The north-east tower was added in 1716 by William Paul, and completed by George Townesend. The lantern was rebuilt by Luke Henwood in 1807, and the
chancel rebuilt in the mid-19th century. The Kalendars, a brotherhood of clergy and laity attached to All Saints, built a library over the north aisle of the church in the fifteenth century; by a deed of 1464 they gave free access to all who wished to study. This was the first 'public' library in the kingdom. In 1466 fire destroyed many of the manuscript books. The composer
William Brygeman was a parish clerk at the church in the 16th century. The church is surrounded on three sides by pedestrian passageways and built into surrounding buildings. Over the south nave is a priests' room and over the north a Georgian coffee room. The most notable monument marks the grave of
Edward Colston, the
slave trader and
philanthropist. It was designed by
James Gibbs and carved by
John Michael Rysbrack. The church was closed to the public in 1984. The
Diocese of Bristol has tried to sell the church without success.
Bristol City Council rejected the suggestion of converting it into a museum. Demolishing the church would be too costly as the church shares walls with neighbouring buildings. In 2026, when the roof became a potential danger to the public, the diocese agreed to repair the roof at about £500,000 cost. ==Archives==