Howwood

Howwood
Scottish Gaelic: Coille an Dail
Scots: The Howewid
Howwood  Howwood shown within Renfrewshire
Population	1,502 [1]
OS grid reference	NS401765
Council area	Renfrewshire
Lieutenancy area	Renfrewshire
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	JOHNSTONE
Postcode district	PA9
Dialling code	01505
Police	Scottish
Fire	Scottish
Ambulance	Scottish
EU Parliament	Scotland
UK Parliament	Paisley and Renfrewshire South
Scottish Parliament	Renfrewshire South
List of places UK Scotland

Coordinates: 55°48′32″N 4°33′29″W / 55.809°N 4.558°W / 55.809; -4.558

Howwood (Scots: The Howewid,^[2] Scottish Gaelic: Coille an Dail)^[3] is a village in Renfrewshire, Scotland. It is between Johnstone and Lochwinnoch, just off the A737 dual carriageway between the nearby town of Paisley and the Ayrshire border. It is served by Howwood railway station. Its name is listed in the late 19th century Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland (see: Gazetteer for Scotland) as "Howwood or Hollow-wood",^[4] demonstrating the probable origins of its name.

History

Historically part of the civil parish of Lochwinnoch, it now supports its own Community Council.^[5]

The chief industry in the village was formerly bleaching and the finishing of cotton cloth and thread, particularly from the mills of Paisley and the other Renfrewshire villages. Two main bleaching works existed at Bowfield and Midtownfield, the former being the last to close in the 1960s.^[6]

In the hills above Howwood lie the remains of Elliston Castle, a tower house once home to the Semple family.^[6] A battle took place between Government forces and Covenanters at Muirdykes on the 18 June 1685, led by the Cochrane family of Johnstone.^[7]

The Iron Age hillfort of Walls Hill lies on Whittliemuir with the Walls Loch lying to the west of it.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Howwood, Renfrewshire.

• Howwood village website