Ranfurly is a small settlement on the southern edge of the village of 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...

, which lies within the Gryffe Valley in the council area and historic county

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,...

 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...

 in the West-Central Lowlands 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...

.

Ranfurly owes its name to the 15th century Ranfurly Castle and to form a dormitory settlement of residential housing in the Victorian Era

Victorian era

The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...

. Today Ranfurly is a conservation area

Conservation area

A conservation areas is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features, cultural heritage or biota are safeguarded...

.

Ranfurly Castle

Ranfurly

Ranfurly Castle was constructed in the 15th century and was the seat of the Knox family who, in the 19th century, took the title of Earl of Ranfurly

Earl of Ranfurly

Earl of Ranfurly, of Dungannon in the County of Tyrone, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1831 for Thomas Knox, 2nd Viscount Northland. He had earlier represented County Tyrone in the House of Commons, and had already been created Baron Ranfurly, of Ramphorlie in the County of...

 in the Peerage of Ireland

Peerage of Ireland

The Peerage of Ireland is the term used for those titles of nobility created by the English and later British monarchs of Ireland in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland. The creation of such titles came to an end in the 19th century. The ranks of the Irish peerage are Duke, Marquess, Earl,...

. Remains of the Castle exist today as part of the Old Course Ranfurly Golf Club and has been derelict since 1665.

Victorian settlement

The settlement of Ranfurly originated primarily in the 1880s to 1910s, providing luxury housing development in the higher land above the village following the expansion of the area and the arrival of the railway in Bridge of Weir in 1864.

Significant in the area was the Ranfurly Hotel, now a joint residential and retail building known as Castle Terrace, which was built in 1882 in the Scots Baronial style. It was closed as a hotel prior to the First World War and seen a number of uses since.

Governance

Ranfurly is part of Bridge of Weir for local government purposes, which is in turn part of the council area

Council Area

A Council Area is one of the areas defined in Schedule 1 of the Local Government etc. Act 1994 and is under the control of one of the local authorities in Scotland created by that Act.-Legislation :1889...

 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...

, as well the 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 Renfrewshire

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,...

 which has wider boundaries and retains some official functions, for example as a registration county

Registration county

A registration county was, in Great Britain and Ireland, a statistical unit used for the registration of births, deaths and marriages and for the output of census information. In Scotland registration counties are used for land registration purposes....

 and lieutenancy area

Lieutenancy area

Lieutenancy areas are the separate areas of the United Kingdom appointed a Lord Lieutenant - the representative of the British monarch. In many cases they have similar demarcation and naming to, but are not necessarily conterminate with, the counties of the United Kingdom.-Origin:In England,...

.

For elections to Renfrewshire Council, Bridge of Weir is part of ward

Wards of the United Kingdom

A ward in the United Kingdom is an electoral district at sub-national level represented by one or more councillors. It is the primary unit of British administrative and electoral geography .-England:...

 10, named 'Bishopton

Bishopton

-United States:* Bishopton , listed on the NRHP in Maryland...

, Bridge of Weir and Langbank

Langbank

Langbank is a village on the south bank of the River Clyde in Renfrewshire, Scotland. The name is thought to come from ‘long bank’ Langbank is a village on the south bank of the River Clyde in Renfrewshire, Scotland. The name is thought to come from ‘long bank’ Langbank is a village on the south...

', which elects three of Renfrewshire's forty councillors. These members are: Cllr Michael Holmes (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...

), Cllr Iain Langlands (Conservative) and Cllr Carol Puthucheary (SNP

Scottish National Party

The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....

).

Bridge of Weir is also one of Renfrewshire's twenty-seven 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...

 areas, which represents the Ranfurly area. Historically, Bridge of Weir was split between 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...

es of Houston and Kilellan and Kilbarchan

Kilbarchan

Kilbarchan is a village and civil parish in central Renfrewshire, in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. The village's name means "cell of St. Barchan". It is known for its former weaving industry.- History :...

, with Ranfurly falling into the latter.

Religion

The former Ranfurly Church merged with St Machar's Church, also in the area, to form the Ranfurly St Machar Church in 1968 within 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....

. The latter church building, constructed in 1878 in the Gothic Revival style, is now used by the joint congregation. The former Ranfurly Church has been converted into private residences.

St Machar's, and later Ranfurly St Machar's, has been the historical 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....

 of Bridge of Weir since the area's elevation to a quoad sacra parish

Quoad sacra parish

A quoad sacra parish is a type of parish in Scotland which is used for ecclesiastical purposes only. Quoad sacra translates from Latin as 'concerning sacred matters'. This type of parish can be distinguished from the 'parish proper' a parish combining both civil and eccesiastical functions...

in 1887.