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
Francis Baring, 6th Baron Northbrook Francis Baring, 6th Baron Northbrook Francis Thomas Baring, 6th Baron Northbrook (born 21 February 1954) is a British peer and Conservative politician. The son of Francis John Baring, 5th Baron Northbrook and Rowena Margaret Manning, Northbrook was educated at Winchester College and took a BA in history at the University of Bristol. He became a Trainee Chartered Accountant at Dixon Wilson & Co from 1976 to 1980. He then worked at Baring Brothers & Co as a Credit Analyst between 1981 and 1983. In 1983, he moved into the Asset Management side at Baring Investment Management as an Investment Analyst