Graffiti on its doors, ivy growing up its walls, once colourful stained glass windows boarded up, its gardens an unruly mess of overgrown foliage, graves barely visible, iron railings green with rust. This is one church which has seen much better days.
Despite being a Grade II* listed building and one of the oldest churches in Bristol (read its full history here), St Michael on the Mount Without (right) at the foot of St Michael’s Hill is in such a dilapidated condition that it is on English Heritage’s Buildings at Risk register.
It may not have seen a congregation for many years, but its bells are still regularly rung by the University of Bristol Society of Change Ringers, who at least occasionally breathe life into this neglected building.
I was pondering the fate of St Michael’s while sipping a half of Coke in the pub opposite, the Scotchman & His Pack – named after the man employed to walk after horse and carts and when they stopped, taking a scotch from his pack and putting it behind the cart’s wheels, preventing it from rolling down the hill.
I was pondering the fate of the church opposite but just as equally could have been pondering the fate of the pub I was sat in. It had a very sad feel when I visited on a Thursday lunchtime, with me the only customer despite a big sign on the wall advertising the express lunch, when you order online to avoid the queues at the bar.
On tap at the bar is Natch and Stowford Press, next to the fizzy triumvirate of Carling, Fosters and Grolsch. There were no real ales, but evidence of more beer presented itself to me on my table when I leant over to read my newspaper and the stickiness caused my shirt to firmly attach itself to the wooden surface.
I’m all for shabby chic, but as well as the sticky tables, much of the upholstery on the banquettes and chairs was frayed. The decor is old and dated, and not in an intentional way. This place is in serious need of a refurbishment, something that has worked wonders in the Robin Hood further up St Michael’s Hill.
As well as a large balcony, one redeeming feature when I visited was live Test cricket on the television, but sadly this was live coverage of Radio Four’s Test Match Special rather than live footage from Sky Sports. Not that there’s anything wrong with TMS, in fact it’s one of my favourite things in the world, but in a pub being able to watch sport is always preferable to listening to it.
The Scotchman & His Pack is a historic Bristol pub, but like St Michael on the Mount Without over the road, I would love to see it return to its former glories, for at the moment it is a neglected mess.
The Scotchman & His Pack, 20 St Michael’s Hill, Bristol.
There’s also Thatchers Gold on draught.
The pub doesn’t have Sky, so I’m surprised that you brought up the point about the cricket – surely being able to listen to it is better than nothing?
Em
Whilst the pub is definately a little run down I wouldn’t want it to do the same as the Robin Hood as whilst the refurbs have made it a little cleaner/nicer it’s lost all it’s character (I miss the old weird movie posters and boardgames).. Particularly the top floor of the Scotsman has a very different feel from many of the other pubs on St Michaels Hill – and considering there are 7 or 8 – standing out is probably a good idea.
How can you label this, ‘Pub of the Week’, when you have not got a single positive thing to say about the pub ? Almost half of the review is actually dedicated to talking about the church opposite.
While there is no excuse for sticky tables in a pub, aged or frayed upholstery and faded paintwork can often add to the character of a pub. The way that you brought this up suggests to me that actually you are in no way a fan of ‘shabby chic’ at all. I would rather drink in a building that has some character left rather than one that has had ALL of it’s character refurbed away over the years, such as the insipid —- —- on Glous road. A lot of people actually like tatty pubs, because of the more relaxed atmosphere that you will find in them.
I suggest to you that Thursday lunchtime is not an appropriate time to review any public house, as there is nothing to distract you from the failings of the building. If you were to go into a certain pub near the Arches when it was completely empty you couldn’t help but notice just how filthy the floor and other areas are. But pop in again on an evening and you simply will not notice the dirt, for all the people, chat and atmosphere within. This is true for ALL pubs in the city, and it simply is not fair to review a pub when you are the only one in it.
This is an unfair review.