This article needs additional citations for verification .(October 2019) |
Craigends | |
---|---|
Location within Renfrewshire | |
OS grid reference | NS419659 |
Civil parish | |
Council area | |
Lieutenancy area | |
Country | Scotland |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | JOHNSTONE |
Postcode district | PA6 |
Dialling code | 01505 |
Police | Scotland |
Fire | Scottish |
Ambulance | Scottish |
UK Parliament | |
Scottish Parliament | |
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. [1] Ardgryfe House, a category B-listed Renaissance-style stone mansion built in 1867, is on Craigends Road. [2]
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.
The estate's name is of uncertain origin though it is likely that the Craig construct comes from the Scottish Gaelic creagh: "a steep rugged mass of rock projecting upward or outward".
Craigends does entail a number of igneous rock outcroppings: notably on the banks of the Gryffe near Crosslee, beneath the Gryffe Bridge, and in the centre of what is now Cunningham Gardens. It is interesting to speculate which (if any) of these features may have impressed on the ancient landscape to inspire the estate's name.
On the 4 February 1479 Craigends was granted to William Cuninghame. William was the second son of the Earl of Glencairn and his entitlement created a new branch in the influential Cuninghame family of Ayrshire: the Cuninghames of Craigends. The first mansion house was built around this time by William; it would be the home to his descendants for over 400 years. Members of the family were elected to Parliament for Renfrewshire in 1643 and 1689.
John Charles Cuninghame, the 17th and final laird died in 1917. His estate and personal fortune was inherited by his widow, Alison Cuninghame, who maintained the mores of the landed gentry for decades to come. When she died in November 1958 the estate was inherited by a nephew. Not having the means to maintain the estate, however, the estate was left derelict and, after a few years, sold to the housing construction company Taylor Woodrow. The estate and mansion house were left abandoned for many years and fell into extreme dilapidation. In 1971 the mansion house was demolished and by 1973, Taylor Woodrow had started construction on the first of what would be many housing estates within the grounds.
In 1907, John Charles Cunninghame became one of the many benefactors in the establishment of a Masonic Lodge in the area. In addition to a financial donation, he also allowed the Lodge to use his family estate's name.
Lodge Craigends No 1042 was established in the nearby town of Linwood and continues to operate there. Craigends Social Club (the social arm of Lodge Craigends) has become a valuable facility which is used by many members of the local community.
Craigends straddles two rivers: the Gryffe and the Locher. Situated on rolling land the estate rises gently to its highest point in the southeast. Though now dominated by private houses, roads and pavements some ancient woodland remains - most notably in the west, along the banks of the Gryffe.
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.
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.
Earl of Glencairn was a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1488 for Alexander Cunningham, 1st Lord Kilmaurs. The name was taken from the parish of Glencairn in Dumfriesshire so named for the Cairn Waters which run through it.
The River Gryfe is a river and tributary of the Black Cart Water, running through the County of Renfrew in the west of Scotland. It gives its name to the surrounding Gryffe Valley, also known as Strathgryfe.
Lambroughton is a village in the old Barony of Kilmaurs, Scotland. This is a rural area famous for its milk and cheese production and the Ayrshire or Dunlop breed of cattle.
The baronetcy of Cuninghame of Corsehill was created in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia and conferred upon Alexander Cuninghame of Corsehill, a Scottish baron and landowner in Dumfriesshire and a great-great-great-grandson of the 4th Earl of Glencairn. The fourth baronet's father added the name Montgomery before his own on inheriting the estate of Kirktonholm.
Clan Cunningham is a Scottish clan. The traditional origins of the clan are placed in the 12th century. However, the first contemporary record of the clan chiefs is in the thirteenth century. The chiefs of the Clan Cunningham supported Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the Clan Cunningham feuded with the Clan Montgomery. Historically, the chief of Clan Cunningham held the title of Earl of Glencairn. However, in modern times the chief of the clan is Cunningham of Corsehill. On 18 December 2013, Sir John Christopher Foggo Montgomery Cunninghame, Baronet of Corsehill, was recognized by Lord Lyon as Clan Chief after the chiefship had been vacant for over 200 years.
The old Barony and castle of Corsehill lay within the feudal Baillerie of Cunninghame, near Stewarton, now East Ayrshire, Scotland.
Strathgryffe or Gryffe Valley is the strath of River Gryffe, which lies within the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland.
The Cunninghamhead Estate is in the 21st century mainly a residential caravan park with two private residences near Irvine, Scotland. It was once a private estate, owned by a sequence of recorded families since around 1418. The Mansion House, one of Britain's lost houses, was built in 1747; it was destroyed by fire in the early 1960s, whilst renovation work was being carried out. The old mansion and castle have been lost, however the stables are still a residence, whilst the Gardner's Cottage survive as ruins. From 1964, work was carried out, first to use the estate as a chicken farm and later as holiday and residential, caravan park and camping site, making most of the rural location. Circa 2003 the site was significantly redeveloped to become a residential caravan park exclusively for the use of retired and semi-retired persons.
Thorntoun School was opened by Barnardo's in September 1971 for children with emotional difficulties aged 11 to 16 years. The school closed in 1990 and Thorntoun is now a nursing home. The complex lies between the villages of Springside and Crosshouse, Kilmarnock in East Ayrshire, Scotland. The old Thorntoun mansion house was demolished in the late 1960s, leaving the West Lodge, some of the home farm outbuildings, the stables and the walled garden as 'memorials' to the ancient history of the site. Many fine trees remain from the estate policies and the surviving gardens are very well maintained (2007). An entrance with a slight deviation from the old course has been created to serve the large modern buildings which house the nursing home.
The Castle of Clonbeith is in the old feudal Baillerie of Cunninghame, near Auchentiber, on a sideroad off the B778, in what is now North Ayrshire, Scotland.
Houston and Killellan is a civil parish in the county and council area of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It contains the villages of Houston and Crosslee, as well as a number of smaller settlements including Barochan and Killellan in its rural hinterland.
William Cunningham, 6th Earl of Glencairn was a Scottish nobleman.
Monkredding formed a small estate in the Parish of Kilwinning, North Ayrshire lying between Kilwinning and Auchentiber on the B778. The property was originally held by the Tironensian monks of Kilwinning Abbey and was the 'Monk's Garden', the rest home for the brothers. Monkcastle near Dalgarven was the abbot's country retreat. Monkredding remains in good condition and is in use as a private house in 2010.
The Lands of Lainshaw lie in Strathannick and were part of the Lordship of Stewarton, in East Ayrshire, Scotland. Lainshaw House is a category B listed mansion, lying in a prominent position above the Annick Water and its holm in the Parish of Stewarton, Scotland. Part of the much older Lainshaw Castle is contained within the several later building phases of the present day Lainshaw House. The names 'Langshaw' or 'Langschaw' were used in historic times. Law Mount near the High and Laigh Castleton farms has been suggested as the site of the original castle, granted in the 12th century to Godfrey de Ross by Hugo de Morville.
The old Barony and castle, fortalice, or tower house of Hill of Beith lay in the feudal Regality of Kilwinning, within the Baillerie of Cunninghame, and the Sherrifdom of Ayr, now the Parish of Beith, North Ayrshire, Scotland.
The Lands of Ashgrove, previously known as Ashenyards, formed a small estate in the Parish of Kilwinning, North Ayrshire, lying between Kilwinning and Stevenston. The Georgian mansion house was demolished in 1960, the substantial walled garden survives.
Finlaystone House is a mansion and estate in the Inverclyde council area and historic county of Renfrewshire. It lies near the southern bank of the Firth of Clyde, beside the village of Langbank, in the west central Lowlands of Scotland.
The Craigends Yew (NS4199566134) is an ancient European layering yew 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.