Houston and Killellan

Houston ( HOO-stən; Scots: Houstoun), 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. Houston lies within the Gryffe Valley on the banks of the River Gryffe 6 miles (10 km) north-west of Paisley and is the largest settlement 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. The village grew 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-day old village dates mainly back to the 18th century and was a planned community, replacing earlier buildings. Historically, the economy was based around agriculture and, in common with a number of other Renfrewshire villages, cotton weaving. The old village was designated as a conservation area in 1968. From the middle of the 20th century, a larger area of residential settlement expanded the village into nearby areas such as Craigends, removing the open country between Houston and Crosslee. These additions to the village have expanded its population considerably, changing its character chiefly to a dormitory settlement for nearby Glasgow and Paisley with a largely service-based economy.

Gryffe High School is a comprehensive state secondary school in Houston, Renfrewshire. Founded in 1980 and subsequently expanded, the school had a roll of 943 pupils in November 2019.

St Peter's Well is a rare surviving example of a holy well house or covered well that was built over the waters of a spring in a field below Greenhill Farm, located off Chapel Road near Houston in Renfrewshire, parish of Houston and Kilellan, south-west Scotland.

Houston House is an 18th-century mansion, about 1 mile (1.6 km) north and east of Bridge of Weir, Renfrewshire, Scotland, north of the village of Houston. It incorporates remains of a 16th century castle.

Crosslee is a small village lying on the bank of the River Gryffe in the civil parish of Houston and Killellan, Renfrewshire, in Scotland. 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 between the three. The village itself is largely composed of private housing and exists chiefly as a dormitory settlement. There is one public house and a small public park.

Strathgryffe or Gryffe Valley (Scottish Gaelic: Srath Ghriobhaidh) is the strath of River Gryffe, which lies within the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. Strathgryffe also gives its name to a feudal lordship, which covered the western portion of Renfrewshire in the 12th century and formed the nucleus of the county. The land was originally associated with the House of Stewart, who went on to be monarchs of Scotland and later Great Britain. The settlements of Strathgryffe are divided between the council areas of Inverclyde and Renfrewshire and largely follow the flow of the River Gryffe, from Kilmacolm in the far west to where the river meets the Black Cart Water between Houston and Inchinnan. Other significant settlements include Bridge of Weir, Quarriers Village and Crosslee.

Bridge of Weir railway station was a railway station serving the village of Bridge of Weir, Renfrewshire, Scotland, originally as part of the Bridge of Weir Railway.

Bridge of Weir is a village within the Renfrewshire council area and wider historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. Lying within the Gryffe Valley, Bridge of Weir owes its name to the historic crossing point that it provided over the River Gryffe. The village was initially formed around industries such as cotton and leather, reliant on the power of the river. These industries brought about its expansion in the 18th century in land attached to the 15th century Ranfurly Castle situated between the two established parishes of Kilbarchan and Houston and Killellan. A rail connection, as part of the Glasgow and South Western Railway, in the 1860s, significantly supported the village's development. Today Bridge of Weir serves largely as a dormitory settlement for nearby Glasgow and Paisley, maintaining a commercial centre of its own and some light industry and agriculture. It remains well known for its leather production, which has continued since the first industry emerged.

West Renfrewshire was a constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood). It elected one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the first past the post method of election. Also, however, it was one of nine constituencies in the West of Scotland electoral region, which elected seven additional members, in addition to nine constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole. For the 2011 Scottish Parliament election, West Renfrewshire was abolished. Two new seats were created: Renfrewshire North and West, and Renfrewshire South.

Gryffe Castle was a castle existing in 1474, probably about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) north of Bridge of Weir, Renfrewshire, Scotland.The present Gryffe Castle is a mansion dating from 1841 or 1854.

The Craigends Yew (NS4199566134) is an ancient European layering yew (Taxus baccata) growing next to the River Gryffe in what were the grounds of the Craigends Estate, Houston in Renfrewshire, Scotland. Estimates put its age at around 500 to 700 years old and it is one of the largest and oldest examples of a heritage layering yew in Scotland.

Craigends is a residential area in the civil parish of Houston and Killellan in Renfrewshire, Scotland 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. As with most of Houston, Craigends is predominantly a commuter settlement. Craigends was formerly an estate most notably the seat of the Cunninghames of Craigends, related to the nearby family of the same name who were the Earls of Glencairn, with their seat in Kilmacolm. Craigends House, a notable example of Scottish Baronial architecture designed by David Bryce was demolished in 1971. Ardgryfe House, a category B-listed Renaissance-style stone mansion built in 1867, is on Craigends Road.The Craigends Yew is a circa 700 old layering yew tree grove located in the grounds of the old estate next to the River Gryfe. It is one of the largest of its species in Scotland.