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
Henry Willoughby, 6th Baron Middleton 1821, when following a fall from his favouite horse "Billy Button", he passed on the mastership to Evelyn Shirley of Ettington Hall. Lord Middleton had no children. Lord Middleton's memorial is in St. Leonard's Church, Wollaton. Henry Willoughby, 6th Baron Middleton Henry Willoughby, 6th Baron Middleton (24 April 1761 – 19 June 1835) was an English nobleman, the only son of Henry Willoughby, 5th Baron Middleton. He married Jane Lawley, daughter of Sir Robert Lawley, 5th Baronet and lived in the family seat at Wollaton Park, Nottinghamshire, which he had extensively remodeled under the direction of Sir Jeffry Wyattville. Lord