Once the largest parish in the Church of Ireland, St. Mark’s church has stood majestically in Newtownards, County Down for more than 200 years. But what of the many thousands of people who have passed through its doors?

From an age when Anglicans in Newtownards worshipped within an old Dominican priory to the building of the beautiful parish church, through industrialisation, world wars and the Ulster Troubles, St. Mark’s has been a witness to Christian worship.

Parishioners endured crippling poverty, disease, famine and rebellion. Many gave their lives in two world wars, others worked to improve the lives of the townspeople, and some have carried the Christian message to other lands.

Long time parishioners, Robert McCracken, Jim Gibson and Vernon Moore have attempted to preserve a history of life at St. Mark’s through the ages before it is lost. This is not merely a story of a church building but of the dedication, endurance, survival, hope and faith of all its people over three centuries.