Historic Places in Renfrewshire

Stanely Castle, to the west of Paisley, is still standing today, despite sitting in the middle of a reservoir. The exterior of this L-shaped keep is relatively intact - but the interior of the structure is now completely destroyed. It is situated on land that was originally the property of the Danzieltoun or Dennistoun family. In 1402, the lands passed through marriage to the Maxwells of Calderwood. The Maxwells built the four storey Stanely Castle and it remained in the family until 1629, when it was sold to the Hawkhead family. It passed by marriage to the Boyle family in the middle of the 18th century. David Boyle had been made the first Earl of Glasgow in 1703 and the family's main estate was centred around Kelburn Castle at Largs. By the 19th century the family found themselves in serious debt and Stanely Castle was abandoned and fell into ruin. In 1837 the marshland surrounding the castle was flooded to create the Stanely Reservoir, which supplied the people of Paisley and its surrounding areas with fresh water. Over the years, the reservoir level was raised. It now submerges the lower portion of the castle.

The remains of Johnstone Castle stands within a housing estates south of Beith Road in Johnstone. This castle dated originally from around 1600. Most of the castle was demolished around 1960 - the tower is all that remains.. The original building dates back to 16th century. In 1771 and 1812 George Houston, the fourth laird of Johnstone Castle, extended the castle. The last laird to stay in Johnstone Castle was George Ludovic Houstoun in the early 20th century. During the second World War the castle was taken over by the War Office and used as a prisoner-of-war camp. After the war, the castle and land was bought by Johnstone Town Council. They acquired the land for building of houses to help with the Glasgow overspill. The castle by this time was in ruins and most of it was demolished. The Arts Chopin was a temporary resident