Houston

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Houston is a small commuter village to the northwest of Paisley in Renfrewshire, Scotland. It houses a few small shops scattered between the old centre and the new, a number of public houses and is largely comprised of housing developments of different ages.

As it has grown, Houston has absorbed a number of once-separate settlements surround it. These are Craigends and Crosslee.

In relation to the local council, Houston is linked with Langbank in the Houston & Langbank ward (ward 35).


There are presently three schools in Houston: St Fillan's RC Primary School, Houston Primary School and the medium-size secondary, Gryffe High School. All are highly sought-after and often very oversubscribed state schools. As a result, a number of Houston children are forced to attend primary school in nearby Bridge of Weir and being within the Gryffe High School catchment area (which does not include the whole village) can raise house prices significantly.

Houston is a large village located 6 miles (9.6 km) north-west of Paisley. Houston village, some of the small modern housing schemes and two areas of open space were designated a Conservation Area in 1968, The conservation controls were strengthened in 1987 when it became necessary to have planning permission to carry out works such as the replacement of windows and doors. Houston has grown considerably over the years, but the old village has remained at its heart. Many housing developments have sprung up around the village making it an extremely popular choice for families and commuters looking for an escape from the hustle and bustle of city life. The ease of access to surrounding towns and cities and the excellent schools make this one of the most popular villages in Renfrewshire.

The name derived from 'Hugh's town', from Hugh of Padvinan, who owned the land until sometime between 1740 and 1782. The land was divided up five ways by sale or inheritance.


The old village comprising only a few streets has grown considerable over the years through the addition of a number of modern estates but the collection of traditional properties at its heart remain among the most sought after.

By 1950 Houston’s population had dropped to 600, hardly even enough to support its three pubs. In the fifties there were also plans to build a New Town which would take the overspill from Greenock, Port Glasgow and Renfrew and had these succeded the target population would have been 40,000.