Houston, Scotland
Encyclopedia
Houston is a village
in the council area of Renfrewshire
and the larger historic county
of the same name
in the west central Lowlands
of Scotland
. It lies within the Gryffe Valley 6 miles (9.7 km) north-west of Paisley
and is the largest settlement in in the civil parish
of Houston and Killellan
, which covers the neighbouring village of Crosslee
and a number of smaller settlements in the villages' rural hinterland.
Based around a 16th-century castle and parish church dedicated to Saint Peter
, which gave the area its former name of Kilpeter ("Cille Pheadair" in Scottish Gaelic), the present old village of Houston dates back to the 18th century and was designated a conservation area in 1968. A larger area of more modern settlement has grown up around the village mainly in the mid to late 20th century, such as at Craigends
, serving mainly as a dormitory settlement for nearby Glasgow
and Paisley
and expanding the population considerably.
Houston's origins are found in the transfer of the Barony of Kilpeter from Baldwin of Biggar, the Sheriff of Lanark, to Hugo De Padvinan in the 11th century. Kilpeter took its name from the dedication of its church - no longer in existence - to St Peter.
Hugo De Padvinan, a Norman Knight Templar
who followed Walter Fitzalan
the High Steward of Scotland
and progenitor of the Royal House of Stewart, gave his name to the village established around his home, creating the concatenation 'Houston' from 'Hugh's Town'.
burial site was found at South Mound on the western edge of the village. To the north-east lies Barochan Hill, the site of a Roman
fort.
The first village in Houston was constructed around the parish Church of St Peter and Houston Castle, now respectively the parish church and Houston House - largely 19th century buildings. Houston House and the castle which is partially incorporated within its structure date back to the time of Hugo De Padvinan and remained in the possession of his family who later became the Houstons of Houston. The Castle stayed in the ownership of the family until 1740 when it was purchased by Glasgow
tobacco lord Alexander Speirs of Elderslie. Following ownership by five generations of the Speirs family, Houston House passed to Major David Crichton Maitland in 1959 and then to his son Mark Crichton Maitland in 1995 before being divided into a number of flats.
James McGuire MacRae was presented with the estate by his father's friend, James MacRae
. It passed to his son, who demolished the castle and built the weavers cottages with the stones. With this 18th century change in ownership of the land therefore, the 'old village' was cleared from around the castle by the Laird
. The new village of some thirty five cottages constructed to the west in 1781 from the stone of the Castle, which was later to evolve into a country house. This new village - which forms the basis of the modern village - was a planned community
based around two main streets: North Street and South Street and is an example of the 18th century Planned Village Movement. The layout, straddling the Houston Burn, provided washing facilities accessible to local people as well as supporting the small-scale weaving
industry. This 'new village' is designated by the Renfrewshire
authorities as a conservation village.
A notable remnant of this move is the village's mercat cross
, which incorporates parts dating back to the 14th century. Due to the move from an original position on Kirk Road, and the fact that it incorporates a large sundial
, it has been placed at an unusual angle at the centre of the 'new' village. The mercat cross has become used as a symbol for the village.
and Georgetown station
(both now closed) - bypassed the village itself. As a consequence, Houston did not experience the railway boom of nearby villages like Bridge of Weir
and Kilmacolm
, expanding slowly until the later half of the 20th century when it became a popular commuter settlement.
The main industry of the Houston between the 17th and 19th century was weaving
. The River Gryffe later provided a cotton spinning industry with the creation of the Crosslee
cotton mill with other small manufacturing concerns, such as embroidery, later opening in the village.
In July 2007, Houston was featured prominently in news reports around the United Kingdom
after it was discovered that inhabitants of a house in the village were linked to the 2007 Glasgow International Airport attack
of 30 June. The Houston Community Council observed that "it is a sobering thought that such a situation could happen on our very doorstep and that even in a quiet, rural setting such as ours there can be people intent on disrupting the natural balance of things by violent means."
The ecclesiastical parish of Houston formed a union with the nearby rural parish and hamlet of Killellan (subject to a number of different spellings) in 1771, creating an effectively united parish centred upon one church in Houston. The ruins of the former Killellan church dedicated to St Fillan lie around four miles from the centre of Houston on the High Road to Kilmacolm
. The civil parish of Houston and Killellan
which resulted spreads over a wide area, including a number of nearby settlements, the most significant being Crosslee
, Craigends
and Barochan.
With the decline of significance of the civil parish
, this area has largely become part of the Houston Community Council
area http://www.houstoncommunitycouncil.co.uk/. The community council is chiefly a consultative body, forming a focus for local views, and has no statutory powers of its own.
Houston and its parish form part of the Renfrewshire
council area. For the 2007 local authority elections in Scotland, Houston was entered into a new four-councillor ward, Ward 9, alongside Crosslee and the town of Linwood
(Ward 9).
for elections to the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom
. The current Member of Parliament
for this area is James Sheridan MP (Labour
). The constituency was created in 2005 following boundary changes with Houston previously forming part of the West Renfrewshire constituency.
For devolved
matters, Houston is part of the Scottish Parliament
constituency
of West Renfrewshire
, which straddles the boundary between the council areas of Inverclyde and Renfrewshire. The current constituency Member of the Scottish Parliament
for the area is Patricia Godman MSP (Labour). The West Renfrewshire constituency forms part of the West of Scotland
Scottish Parliament electoral region
. Seven further MSPs are elected for this region through the Scottish Parliament's Additional Member electoral system
.
Houston's historic village centre, located at the north-west edge of the village, is a designated conservation area. The area is home to the main village pubs, small shops and the village's Post Office. North Street and South Street are dominated by traditional white cottages, some dating to the 17th century. The old village was a planned community of houses largely built around the Houston Burn, which gave communal access to washing facilities.
Some remains of the 16th century Houston Castle still exist largely in the grounds of the current Houston House. The area sits beside Houston and Killellan
Kirk, the established (Church of Scotland
) parish church
. It is possible that Lord Darnley
, husband of Mary, Queen of Scots resided at the castle for some years.
The Barochan Cross, an 11 ft (3.4 metre) tall Celtic Christian cross
possibly dating to the 8th century, formerly lay just south of the Mill of Barochan in the parish. In the 19th century, it was moved to a knoll opposite Corsliehill closer to the village before finally being moved in the 20th century to Paisley Abbey
where it now remains in order to protect it from further weathering.
The Craigends Yew
is an ancient yew tree
in the parish, supposed to be the oldest living thing in Renfrewshire, with a potential age of around a thousand years. There are two ancient wells in Houston, once considered to have healing powers. St Fillan's Well sits in the fields beside Killellan Kirk and St Peter's Well gives its name to a locally brewed ale.
The parish church
, which is part of the Church of Scotland
, is Houston and Kilellan Church, often known as 'the Kirk' at the end of North Street in the grounds of Houston House. The Kirk was constructed in the 1870s, replacing a church on the same site constructed in 1775, and dedicated to the memory of Alexander Archibald Spiers of Elderslie
(former Member of Parliament
for West Renfrewshire by his mother who provided its building costs.
As a united parish, the formation of Houston and Kilellan left the former Kilellan parish church (known as the Church of St Fillan - from which the name 'Kilellan' derives) redundant. The ruin, dated 1635 but believed to have originated in the 10th or 11th century, still stands some four miles west of the centre of Houston on the Barochan Cross Road after having been abandoned around the time of the unification of the parishes in 1771. The church is now held by the Kilallan Kirk Preservation Trust following its donation by Elderslie Estates in 2005 and is a scheduled historic monument. An annual evening service is held amongst the ruins in July by the congregation of the united parish. The church's manse, which is immediately adjacent to it, also finds continued use as a private residence and is thought to be the oldest existing dwellinghouse in Renfrewshire.
The Houston and Kilellan church hall
on Main Street was built immediately following the Disruption of 1843
as a separate congregation forming part of the Free Church of Scotland
, and later the United Free Church of Scotland
being known during this time as the West Kirk. Following the reunification of the United Free Church and the established Church of Scotland in 1929, the West Kirk existed as a second Church of Scotland congregation in the village until a fire destroyed much of the building in March 1941. The lack of a building caused the two congregations to again worship in the same parish church. The West Kirk building was fully restored by 1953, taking its place as the church hall it remains to this day.
St. Fillan's Roman Catholic Church
, also on Main Street, was established in 1841 on a property called "Four Windings" now remembered in the name of an adjacent street.
, with some tertiary sector businesses such as local shops and public houses serving residents and visitors. There are a number of these shops and pubs in the old village, and a number of shops located on the boundary with Crosslee
.
s. Three of these are located in the old village centre - the Fox and Hounds (South Street), the Houston Inn (North Street), established in 1779 and 1784 respectively, and until recently (2010) the Crosskeys Inn (Main Street) whose name derived from the crossed keys symbol of St Peter, a reference to the original name of the settlement Kilpeter i.e. the church of Peter. The Cross Keys closed, was refurbished and opened as a restaurant in June 2010. A fourth pub lay in Crosslee, being the former Crosslee Inn, and subsequently known as the Pine Trees. Itself closed and refurbished, the Pine Trees is now a pub & restaurant, The River Inn
A beer festival takes place in the village, which is also home to a microbrewery
, the Houston Brewing Company
.
which serves the village and surrounding settlements, most particularly neighbouring Bridge of Weir
. The school has a strong academic reputation, and in 2009 was ranked as the seventh best-performing state secondary school in Scotland
by The Times
newspaper's league tables. Also in 2009, the school received was praised in a report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education
.
There are two primary schools in Houston. Houston Primary School is a non-denominational school, whereas St Fillan's Primary School is Roman Catholic. Both are co-educational state schools.
The 'old schoolhouse' at the north end of Main Street in the old village centre has been converted into self catering accommodation and the former school at the south end of Main Street now exists as a community building known as the Carrick Centre.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in the council area of Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Renfrewshire, the others being Inverclyde to the west and East Renfrewshire to the east...
and the larger historic county
Counties of Scotland
The counties of Scotland were the principal local government divisions of Scotland until 1975. Scotland's current lieutenancy areas and registration counties are largely based on them. They are often referred to as historic counties....
of the same name
Renfrewshire (historic)
Renfrewshire or the County of Renfrew is a registration county, the Lieutenancy area of the Lord Lieutenant of Renfrewshire, and one of the counties of Scotland used for local government until 1975. Renfrewshire is located in the West Central Lowlands of Scotland, south of the River Clyde,...
in the west central Lowlands
Central Lowlands
The Central Lowlands or Midland Valley is a geologically defined area of relatively low-lying land in southern Scotland. It consists of a rift valley between the Highland Boundary Fault to the north and the Southern Uplands Fault to the south...
of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It lies within the Gryffe Valley 6 miles (9.7 km) north-west of Paisley
Paisley
Paisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...
and is the largest settlement in in the civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of Houston and Killellan
Houston and Killellan
Houston and Killellan is a civil parish in Renfrewshire, Scotland containing the villages of Houston and Crosslee with a number of smaller settlements in its rural hinterland...
, which covers the neighbouring village of Crosslee
Crosslee
Crosslee is a small village lying on the bank of the River Gryffe in the parish of Houston and Killellan, Renfrewshire. It lies around half a mile south of the old village centre of Houston and immediately west of Craigends, although residential development has removed any significant open space...
and a number of smaller settlements in the villages' rural hinterland.
Based around a 16th-century castle and parish church dedicated to Saint Peter
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
, which gave the area its former name of Kilpeter ("Cille Pheadair" in Scottish Gaelic), the present old village of Houston dates back to the 18th century and was designated a conservation area in 1968. A larger area of more modern settlement has grown up around the village mainly in the mid to late 20th century, such as at Craigends
Craigends
Craigends is a residential area in the parish of Houston and Killellan in Renfrewshire, Scotland, UK lying south of the River Gryffe and on the banks of the River Locher. Craigends is on the south-eastern edge of the village of Houston, bordering the parish's other village, Crosslee...
, serving mainly as a dormitory settlement for nearby Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and Paisley
Paisley
Paisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...
and expanding the population considerably.
Toponymy
Hugo De Padvinan, a Norman Knight Templar
Knights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
who followed Walter Fitzalan
Walter Fitzalan
Walter fitz Alan was the 1st hereditary High Steward of Scotland , and described as "a Norman by culture and by blood a Breton"...
the High Steward of Scotland
High Steward of Scotland
The title of High Steward or Great Steward was given in the 12th century to Walter Fitzalan, whose descendants became the House of Stewart. In 1371, the last High Steward inherited the throne, and thereafter the title of High Steward of Scotland has been held as a subsidiary title to that of Duke...
and progenitor of the Royal House of Stewart, gave his name to the village established around his home, creating the concatenation 'Houston' from 'Hugh's Town'.
Early history
Houston had long been a site of human settlement. In the 1970s, a Bronze AgeBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
burial site was found at South Mound on the western edge of the village. To the north-east lies Barochan Hill, the site of a Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
fort.
The first village in Houston was constructed around the parish Church of St Peter and Houston Castle, now respectively the parish church and Houston House - largely 19th century buildings. Houston House and the castle which is partially incorporated within its structure date back to the time of Hugo De Padvinan and remained in the possession of his family who later became the Houstons of Houston. The Castle stayed in the ownership of the family until 1740 when it was purchased by Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
tobacco lord Alexander Speirs of Elderslie. Following ownership by five generations of the Speirs family, Houston House passed to Major David Crichton Maitland in 1959 and then to his son Mark Crichton Maitland in 1995 before being divided into a number of flats.
Monkton, Ayrshire
Monkton is a small village in the Parish of Monkton and Prestwick in South Ayrshire, Scotland.The nearest town is Prestwick and the settlement borders upon Glasgow Prestwick Airport.- History :The village was originally known as Prestwick Monachorum....
. It passed to his son, who demolished the castle and built the weavers cottages with the stones. With this 18th century change in ownership of the land therefore, the 'old village' was cleared from around the castle by the Laird
Laird
A Laird is a member of the gentry and is a heritable title in Scotland. In the non-peerage table of precedence, a Laird ranks below a Baron and above an Esquire.-Etymology:...
. The new village of some thirty five cottages constructed to the west in 1781 from the stone of the Castle, which was later to evolve into a country house. This new village - which forms the basis of the modern village - was a planned community
Planned community
A planned community, or planned city, is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are less frequent in planned communities since...
based around two main streets: North Street and South Street and is an example of the 18th century Planned Village Movement. The layout, straddling the Houston Burn, provided washing facilities accessible to local people as well as supporting the small-scale weaving
Weaving
Weaving is a method of fabric production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. The other methods are knitting, lace making and felting. The longitudinal threads are called the warp and the lateral threads are the weft or filling...
industry. This 'new village' is designated by the Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Renfrewshire, the others being Inverclyde to the west and East Renfrewshire to the east...
authorities as a conservation village.
A notable remnant of this move is the village's mercat cross
Mercat cross
A mercat cross is a market cross found in Scottish cities and towns where trade and commerce was a part of economic life. It was originally a place where merchants would gather, and later became the focal point of many town events such as executions, announcements and proclamations...
, which incorporates parts dating back to the 14th century. Due to the move from an original position on Kirk Road, and the fact that it incorporates a large sundial
Sundial
A sundial is a device that measures time by the position of the Sun. In common designs such as the horizontal sundial, the sun casts a shadow from its style onto a surface marked with lines indicating the hours of the day. The style is the time-telling edge of the gnomon, often a thin rod or a...
, it has been placed at an unusual angle at the centre of the 'new' village. The mercat cross has become used as a symbol for the village.
Modern history
Both railway stations (on separate lines) built within the parish in the 19th century - Houston and Crosslee StationHouston railway station
Houston railway station was a railway station serving the villages of Brookfield and Houston, Renfrewshire, Scotland, originally as part of the Bridge of Weir Railway and later part of the Glasgow and South Western Railway.- History :...
and Georgetown station
Georgetown railway station
Georgetown railway station was a railway station serving the village of Houston, Renfrewshire, Scotland, originally as part of the Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock Railway and later owned by the Caledonian Railway.-History:...
(both now closed) - bypassed the village itself. As a consequence, Houston did not experience the railway boom of nearby villages like Bridge of Weir
Bridge of Weir
Bridge of Weir is a village in within the Renfrewshire council area and wider historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
and Kilmacolm
Kilmacolm
Kilmacolm is a village and civil parish in the Inverclyde council area and the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on the northern slope of the Gryffe Valley south-east of Greenock and around west of the city of Glasgow...
, expanding slowly until the later half of the 20th century when it became a popular commuter settlement.
The main industry of the Houston between the 17th and 19th century was weaving
Weaving
Weaving is a method of fabric production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. The other methods are knitting, lace making and felting. The longitudinal threads are called the warp and the lateral threads are the weft or filling...
. The River Gryffe later provided a cotton spinning industry with the creation of the Crosslee
Crosslee
Crosslee is a small village lying on the bank of the River Gryffe in the parish of Houston and Killellan, Renfrewshire. It lies around half a mile south of the old village centre of Houston and immediately west of Craigends, although residential development has removed any significant open space...
cotton mill with other small manufacturing concerns, such as embroidery, later opening in the village.
In July 2007, Houston was featured prominently in news reports around the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
after it was discovered that inhabitants of a house in the village were linked to the 2007 Glasgow International Airport attack
2007 Glasgow International Airport attack
The 2007 Glasgow International Airport attack was a terrorist attack which occurred on Saturday 30 June 2007, at 15:11 BST, when a dark green Jeep Cherokee loaded with propane canisters was driven into the glass doors of the Glasgow International Airport terminal and set ablaze...
of 30 June. The Houston Community Council observed that "it is a sobering thought that such a situation could happen on our very doorstep and that even in a quiet, rural setting such as ours there can be people intent on disrupting the natural balance of things by violent means."
Local government
-
- See also: Houston and KillellanHouston and KillellanHouston and Killellan is a civil parish in Renfrewshire, Scotland containing the villages of Houston and Crosslee with a number of smaller settlements in its rural hinterland...
- See also: Houston and Killellan
The ecclesiastical parish of Houston formed a union with the nearby rural parish and hamlet of Killellan (subject to a number of different spellings) in 1771, creating an effectively united parish centred upon one church in Houston. The ruins of the former Killellan church dedicated to St Fillan lie around four miles from the centre of Houston on the High Road to Kilmacolm
Kilmacolm
Kilmacolm is a village and civil parish in the Inverclyde council area and the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on the northern slope of the Gryffe Valley south-east of Greenock and around west of the city of Glasgow...
. The civil parish of Houston and Killellan
Houston and Killellan
Houston and Killellan is a civil parish in Renfrewshire, Scotland containing the villages of Houston and Crosslee with a number of smaller settlements in its rural hinterland...
which resulted spreads over a wide area, including a number of nearby settlements, the most significant being Crosslee
Crosslee
Crosslee is a small village lying on the bank of the River Gryffe in the parish of Houston and Killellan, Renfrewshire. It lies around half a mile south of the old village centre of Houston and immediately west of Craigends, although residential development has removed any significant open space...
, Craigends
Craigends
Craigends is a residential area in the parish of Houston and Killellan in Renfrewshire, Scotland, UK lying south of the River Gryffe and on the banks of the River Locher. Craigends is on the south-eastern edge of the village of Houston, bordering the parish's other village, Crosslee...
and Barochan.
With the decline of significance of the civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
, this area has largely become part of the Houston Community Council
Community council
A community council is a public representative body in Great Britain.In England they may be statutory parish councils by another name, under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, or they may be non-statutory bodies...
area http://www.houstoncommunitycouncil.co.uk/. The community council is chiefly a consultative body, forming a focus for local views, and has no statutory powers of its own.
Houston and its parish form part of the Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Renfrewshire, the others being Inverclyde to the west and East Renfrewshire to the east...
council area. For the 2007 local authority elections in Scotland, Houston was entered into a new four-councillor ward, Ward 9, alongside Crosslee and the town of Linwood
Linwood
Linwood is a small town in Renfrewshire, Scotland, 14 miles south-west of Glasgow.Linwood is a commuter town, with proximity to Glasgow International Airport and the M8 motorway to Glasgow and Edinburgh...
(Ward 9).
Central government
Houston forms part of the Paisley and Renfrewshire North constituencyUnited Kingdom constituencies
In the United Kingdom , each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly.Within the United Kingdom there are now five bodies with members elected by constituencies:...
for elections to the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
. The current Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for this area is James Sheridan MP (Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
). The constituency was created in 2005 following boundary changes with Houston previously forming part of the West Renfrewshire constituency.
For devolved
Devolution
Devolution is the statutory granting of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to government at a subnational level, such as a regional, local, or state level. Devolution can be mainly financial, e.g. giving areas a budget which was formerly administered by central government...
matters, Houston is part of the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
constituency
Scottish Parliament constituencies and regions
Scottish Parliament constituencies and regions were first used in 1999, in the first general election of the Scottish Parliament , created by the Scotland Act 1998....
of West Renfrewshire
West Renfrewshire (Scottish Parliament constituency)
West Renfrewshire was a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elected one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the first past the post method of election...
, which straddles the boundary between the council areas of Inverclyde and Renfrewshire. The current constituency Member of the Scottish Parliament
Member of the Scottish Parliament
Member of the Scottish Parliament is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament.-Methods of Election:MSPs are elected in one of two ways:...
for the area is Patricia Godman MSP (Labour). The West Renfrewshire constituency forms part of the West of Scotland
West of Scotland (Scottish Parliament electoral region)
West of Scotland is one of the eight electoral regions of the Scottish Parliament which were created in 1999. Nine of the parliament's 73 first past the post constituencies are sub-divisions of the region and it elects seven of the 56 additional-member Members of the Scottish Parliament...
Scottish Parliament electoral region
Scottish Parliament constituencies and regions
Scottish Parliament constituencies and regions were first used in 1999, in the first general election of the Scottish Parliament , created by the Scotland Act 1998....
. Seven further MSPs are elected for this region through the Scottish Parliament's Additional Member electoral system
Mixed member proportional representation
Mixed-member proportional representation, also termed mixed-member proportional voting and commonly abbreviated to MMP, is a voting system originally used to elect representatives to the German Bundestag, and nowadays adopted by numerous legislatures around the world...
.
Landmarks
Some remains of the 16th century Houston Castle still exist largely in the grounds of the current Houston House. The area sits beside Houston and Killellan
Houston and Killellan
Houston and Killellan is a civil parish in Renfrewshire, Scotland containing the villages of Houston and Crosslee with a number of smaller settlements in its rural hinterland...
Kirk, the established (Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
) parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
. It is possible that Lord Darnley
Lord Darnley
Lord Darnley is a title associated with a Scottish Lordship of Parliament first created in 1356 and tracing a descent to the Dukedom of Richmond in England. Outside the Peerage of Scotland, another Earldom of Darnley was created in the Peerage of Ireland in 1729.The first baron was Sir John...
, husband of Mary, Queen of Scots resided at the castle for some years.
The Barochan Cross, an 11 ft (3.4 metre) tall Celtic Christian cross
Celtic cross
A Celtic cross is a symbol that combines a cross with a ring surrounding the intersection. In the Celtic Christian world it was combined with the Christian cross and this design was often used for high crosses – a free-standing cross made of stone and often richly decorated...
possibly dating to the 8th century, formerly lay just south of the Mill of Barochan in the parish. In the 19th century, it was moved to a knoll opposite Corsliehill closer to the village before finally being moved in the 20th century to Paisley Abbey
Paisley Abbey
Paisley Abbey is a former Cluniac monastery, and current Church of Scotland parish kirk, located on the east bank of the White Cart Water in the centre of the town of Paisley, Renfrewshire, in west central Scotland.-History:...
where it now remains in order to protect it from further weathering.
The Craigends Yew
Craigends
Craigends is a residential area in the parish of Houston and Killellan in Renfrewshire, Scotland, UK lying south of the River Gryffe and on the banks of the River Locher. Craigends is on the south-eastern edge of the village of Houston, bordering the parish's other village, Crosslee...
is an ancient yew tree
Yew Tree
Yew Tree may refer to:*Yew, any of various coniferous plants *Yew Tree, West Bromwich, West Midlands, England...
in the parish, supposed to be the oldest living thing in Renfrewshire, with a potential age of around a thousand years. There are two ancient wells in Houston, once considered to have healing powers. St Fillan's Well sits in the fields beside Killellan Kirk and St Peter's Well gives its name to a locally brewed ale.
Religion
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
, which is part of the Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
, is Houston and Kilellan Church, often known as 'the Kirk' at the end of North Street in the grounds of Houston House. The Kirk was constructed in the 1870s, replacing a church on the same site constructed in 1775, and dedicated to the memory of Alexander Archibald Spiers of Elderslie
Elderslie
Elderslie is a village in the council area and historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. The village is situated midway between the nearby towns of Paisley and Johnstone....
(former Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for West Renfrewshire by his mother who provided its building costs.
As a united parish, the formation of Houston and Kilellan left the former Kilellan parish church (known as the Church of St Fillan - from which the name 'Kilellan' derives) redundant. The ruin, dated 1635 but believed to have originated in the 10th or 11th century, still stands some four miles west of the centre of Houston on the Barochan Cross Road after having been abandoned around the time of the unification of the parishes in 1771. The church is now held by the Kilallan Kirk Preservation Trust following its donation by Elderslie Estates in 2005 and is a scheduled historic monument. An annual evening service is held amongst the ruins in July by the congregation of the united parish. The church's manse, which is immediately adjacent to it, also finds continued use as a private residence and is thought to be the oldest existing dwellinghouse in Renfrewshire.
The Houston and Kilellan church hall
Church hall
A church hall is a room or building associated with a church, general for community and charitable use . It is normally located near the church, typically in smaller and village communities. Activities in the hall are not necessarily religious, but are typically an important part of local community...
on Main Street was built immediately following the Disruption of 1843
Disruption of 1843
The Disruption of 1843 was a schism within the established Church of Scotland, in which 450 ministers of the Church broke away, over the issue of the Church's relationship with the State, to form the Free Church of Scotland...
as a separate congregation forming part of the Free Church of Scotland
Free Church of Scotland (1843-1900)
The Free Church of Scotland is a Scottish denomination which was formed in 1843 by a large withdrawal from the established Church of Scotland in a schism known as the "Disruption of 1843"...
, and later the United Free Church of Scotland
United Free Church of Scotland
The United Free Church of Scotland is a Scottish Presbyterian denomination formed in 1900 by the union of the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland and the Free Church of Scotland...
being known during this time as the West Kirk. Following the reunification of the United Free Church and the established Church of Scotland in 1929, the West Kirk existed as a second Church of Scotland congregation in the village until a fire destroyed much of the building in March 1941. The lack of a building caused the two congregations to again worship in the same parish church. The West Kirk building was fully restored by 1953, taking its place as the church hall it remains to this day.
St. Fillan's Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, also on Main Street, was established in 1841 on a property called "Four Windings" now remembered in the name of an adjacent street.
Economy
Chiefly serving a commuter village, Houston's chief local economic activity centres around agricultureAgriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, with some tertiary sector businesses such as local shops and public houses serving residents and visitors. There are a number of these shops and pubs in the old village, and a number of shops located on the boundary with Crosslee
Crosslee
Crosslee is a small village lying on the bank of the River Gryffe in the parish of Houston and Killellan, Renfrewshire. It lies around half a mile south of the old village centre of Houston and immediately west of Craigends, although residential development has removed any significant open space...
.
Agricultural Show and Carnival
During the summer, the village hosts its own agricultural show in Houston Public Park. The Kirk also organises an annual Carnival, located around the church hall (the old Free Church) on Main Street, which involves a parade and a number of stalls and entertainments and involves the local primary schools.Public houses and brewing
Despite its small size, the parish supports a number of public housePublic house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
s. Three of these are located in the old village centre - the Fox and Hounds (South Street), the Houston Inn (North Street), established in 1779 and 1784 respectively, and until recently (2010) the Crosskeys Inn (Main Street) whose name derived from the crossed keys symbol of St Peter, a reference to the original name of the settlement Kilpeter i.e. the church of Peter. The Cross Keys closed, was refurbished and opened as a restaurant in June 2010. A fourth pub lay in Crosslee, being the former Crosslee Inn, and subsequently known as the Pine Trees. Itself closed and refurbished, the Pine Trees is now a pub & restaurant, The River Inn
A beer festival takes place in the village, which is also home to a microbrewery
Microbrewery
A microbrewery or craft brewer is a brewery which produces a limited amount of beer, and is associated by consumers with innovation and uniqueness....
, the Houston Brewing Company
Houston Brewing Company
The Houston Brewing Company is a brewery in the village of Houston in Renfrewshire, Scotland. It is attached to, and operated in common with, the public house and, as a result of its size, is classed as a microbrewery....
.
Education
Gryffe High School is a non-denominational co-educational state secondary schoolSecondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
which serves the village and surrounding settlements, most particularly neighbouring Bridge of Weir
Bridge of Weir
Bridge of Weir is a village in within the Renfrewshire council area and wider historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
. The school has a strong academic reputation, and in 2009 was ranked as the seventh best-performing state secondary school in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
by The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
newspaper's league tables. Also in 2009, the school received was praised in a report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education is an executive agency of the Scottish Government, responsible for the inspection of public and independent, primary and secondary schools, as well as further education colleges, community learning, Local Authority Education Departments and teacher...
.
There are two primary schools in Houston. Houston Primary School is a non-denominational school, whereas St Fillan's Primary School is Roman Catholic. Both are co-educational state schools.
The 'old schoolhouse' at the north end of Main Street in the old village centre has been converted into self catering accommodation and the former school at the south end of Main Street now exists as a community building known as the Carrick Centre.
External links
- Houston Community Council website
- A Renfrewshire History website - with an in-depth summary of selected Renfrewshire settlements, including Houston.
- History of Craigends Estate