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
Peregrine Cust, 6th Baron Brownlow Peregrine Cust, 6th Baron Brownlow Peregrine Francis Adelbert Cust, 6th Baron Brownlow (27 April 1899 – 28 July 1978), often known as Perry Brownlow, was a British peer and courtier. He was the son of Adelbert Salusbury Cockayne Cust, 5th Baron Brownlow, and his wife Maud Buckle. He was educated at Eton, and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, later being commissioned into the Grenadier Guards. He fought in the First World War and left the Army in 1926 with the rank of lieutenant. In 1927 he succeeded his elder brother as 6th Baron Brownlow and to Belton House near Grantham,