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
Alexander Baring, 6th Baron Ashburton the famous 'Harcourt emeralds'. Alexander Baring, 6th Baron Ashburton Alexander Francis St Vincent Baring, 6th Baron Ashburton (7 April 1898 – 12 June 1991) was a British businessman and politician. Baring was the son of German Baring family member Francis Baring, 5th Baron Ashburton, a descendant of American statesman William Bingham, and Claire Hortense, daughter of French statesman Hugues-Bernard Maret, duc de Bassano. He was educated at Eton and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, seeing active service during the First World War in the Royal Scots Greys. In the Second World War, he served in the Auxiliary Air Force, before