Ballygowan period, and subsequent to the introduction of the Belfast & County Down Railway in 1850, that the village began to grow. Ballygowan railway station opened on 10 September 1858, but finally closed on 16 January 1950. After the railway closed in 1950 the village became an attractive "dormitory" town and the ensuing 50 years have seen rapid growth. On Monday, 15 September 2014, the remains of The Baron Bannside (better known as The Rev. Ian Paisley) were buried in the graveyard attached to Ballygowan Free Presbyterian Church. Lord Bannside was a former First Minister of Northern Ireland and a former
John Crozier (archbishop of Armagh) Alice Isabella, who died on 29 February 1928 at the residence of her daughter, Alice Coote of Grosvenor Place, Newcastle upon Tyne. Their youngest son, Mervyn Packenham, who had died earlier in 1914, is buried in the same grave. His memory is commemorated on a stained glass window in Armagh Cathedral, another window commissioned by him commemorates his son Mervyn. There is also a Memorial Plaque in Holywood Church. In addition, portraits currently hang in the See House in Armagh and the Bishop's Palace in Kilkenny. In 1893, separate Arms were granted to this branch of the family having been