Ballygowan (from Irish Baile Mhic Gabhann, meaning 'McGowan's townland')[1] is a village in County Down, Northern Ireland.

[3] Before the early 17th century Plantation of Ulster, when many Lowland Scots moved across the Irish Sea to settle in northern Ireland on lands granted by King James I to James Hamilton and Hugh Montgomery, the area of Ballygowan was sparsely inhabited by Irish Gaels.

[1] In the late 18th century the village comprised a bridge (over the River Blackwater at the intersection of the Comber/Saintfield and Killyleagh/Belfast roads), a dozen or so small houses and an inn.

[4] After the railway closed in 1950 the village became an attractive "dormitory" town and the ensuing 50 years have seen rapid growth.

The station closed on 15 January 1950 along with the rest of the Belfast and County Down Railway line, by which time it had been taken over by the Ulster Transport Authority.