Quaker Church
Milecross Quaker Meeting House on Belfast Road, Newtownards
20 Quakers lived in Newtownards in 1764 and there were 400 in 1797. This meeting house was built in 1796 by Thomas Bradshaw. It was used for many years until falling into disrepair. After standing roofless for many years Ards Borough Council repaired it and restored it to its current condition. It is now used as a conference facility for meetings, functions and weddings. Since 1991, the Church's most regular use is as the meeting place of St John's Parish, Newtownards which is part of the Church of Ireland (Traditional Rite). St John's was founded in 1991 as a traditional Anglican Congregation. They use the historic Irish Book of Common Prayer first published in 1559 and revised in 1662, 1877 and 1926.
Across the road is a tiny cemetery known as Killysuggan Graveyard tucked away in a wood. If you didn't know it was there you could be easily forgiven for missing it. It is the site of an old church, some stones of which are built into the wall. It is now exclusively used by Roman Catholics. The oldest stone dates from 1772 and all with dates before 1900 have been copied. The graveyard also contains two First World War period graves.
The cache is a small camouflaged plastic container slightly bigger than a 35mm film canister. It is not attached to the monument itself. Please take care in crossing the roads to the site as the roads around it can be quite busy at times, keep a close eye on children too. As this is a public area ensure that you are very discrete in retrieving and replacing the cache. Also please put it back exactly where you got it from. Parking is available in nearby car park. Please take note of any parking restrictions in force. If the Church is in use, particularly on Sunday mornings, you may wish to come back later to try again.