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Houston South Mound is a cairn situated 155 metres west of Gryffe High School in Renfrewshire, Scotland. The monument stands on bedrock of mafic lava and tuff dating to the Dinantian period of the Mississippian epoch, dark igneous rock that would have been a notable feature of the local landscape when the cairn was constructed. The site is protected by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument.
Cairns of this type typically served as burial monuments during the Bronze Age, though some were constructed in earlier periods. The geological substrate at Houston South would have presented both opportunities and challenges for construction; the volcanic bedrock provided stable ground, while the surrounding Renfrewshire landscape offered suitable stones for building the mound itself.
The monument's survival near a modern school building reflects both the durability of these ancient structures and the value placed upon them within the settled landscape. Though undocumented in detailed records, cairns of this class remain significant witnesses to prehistoric settlement patterns and funerary practices across the west of Scotland.
Houston South Mound, cairn 155m W of Gryffe High School is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM12853. View the official record →
Houston South Mound is a cairn situated 155 metres west of Gryffe High School in Renfrewshire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM12853.
Houston South Mound, cairn 155m W of Gryffe High School is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM12853.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Castle Hill, motte, Bridge of Weir (2.2 km), Ranfurly Castle, Bridge of Weir (2.2 km), Castle Hill, enclosure 260m SE of East Barnaigh (4.6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Houston South Mound, cairn 155m W of Gryffe High School's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Houston South Mound, cairn 155m W of Gryffe High School stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Dinantian, bedrock that formed in the Mississippian. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.