Christ the King Howwood Webcam, Renfrewshire

The Christ the King Howwood Webcam looks into the sanctuary of Christ the King Roman Catholic Church on Bowfield Road in Howwood, a village in Renfrewshire in the west of Scotland. From a raised position facing the altar, the camera takes in a carved wooden reredos, a high altar dressed in white and three tall stained glass windows set in pale yellow walls. The stream carries the church’s live Mass broadcasts. On an ordinary morning the sanctuary can sit empty and still, with lilies on the altar and candles in their brass stands. The broadcast runs on YouTube through Network Scotland, and the parish belongs to the Diocese of Paisley.

About Christ the King Church, Howwood

Christ the King stands on Bowfield Road, postcode PA9 1BZ, a short walk from Howwood railway station. The Diocese of Paisley’s parish listing gives 1948 as the year the parish was founded, and the parish priest lives at St Margaret’s in Johnstone. The church is also the home of the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, Howwood, with an evening vigil each month from May to October.

Three round-headed lancet windows fill the wall above the altar. The central window shows a crowned figure in a burst of golden rays, fitting for a church dedicated to Christ the King. The right-hand window shows the Virgin Mary in white and blue, and the left-hand one a bearded saint. Below them, a dark carved reredos with relief panels frames a crucifix and a gilded tabernacle, and the white altar frontal carries the words Lord Jesus Christ. Tall brass candlesticks and vases of pink lilies and white flowers line the altar. In front stands a freestanding altar under a white lace cloth, with a wooden lectern to its left. On the left wall, a statue of the Sacred Heart rests on a white bracket beside a hymn board and a framed Divine Mercy image. The yellow side wall on the right holds two more stained glass windows in a geometric pattern, a cluster of white globe lamps and a red sanctuary lamp.

Howwood is a village of about 1,600 people (a 2020 figure) between Johnstone and Lochwinnoch, just off the A737 dual carriageway. Its name is usually explained as hollow wood, an English form of the Scots Howewuid. Bleaching and the finishing of cotton cloth and thread were once its chief industry, with bleaching works at Bowfield and Midtownfield, and the Midtownfield works closed in the 1960s. The church sits at about 69 meters (226 feet) above sea level.

Weather and Climate in Howwood

Howwood shares the mild, wet climate of Renfrewshire. The weather station in nearby Paisley records 1991 to 2020 averages of 7.2 C (45 F) by day and 2.1 C (36 F) at night in January, when about 146 millimeters (5.8 inches) of rain falls. July is the warmest month, with highs of 19.8 C (68 F), lows of 12.1 C (54 F) and about 83 millimeters (3.3 inches) of rain. The yearly total comes to about 1,263 millimeters (49.7 inches), with about 1,280 hours of sunshine. Spring and autumn sit between the two, with changeable skies and frequent showers.

Inside the church, the weather shows up through the glass. The three lancets above the altar and the two windows on the side wall take their light from the sky, so their colors look stronger on a bright day than under heavy cloud. Day length swings widely at this latitude, from about 17.5 hours in late June to about 7 hours in late December, which changes how much daylight reaches the sanctuary through the year.

Things to Do Near Howwood

Castle Semple Loch begins less than 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) west of the church. The Castle Semple Visitor Centre at Lochwinnoch, in the heart of Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park, is the base for sailing, kayaking and paddleboarding on the loch. A level, traffic-free path on National Cycle Route 7, the Glasgow to Irvine route along the old railway line, links the visitor center with Howwood. RSPB Lochwinnoch, about 4.3 kilometers (2.7 miles) southwest of the church, is a protected wetland reserve with bird hides, a boardwalk and a visitor center.

Howwood has a few landmarks of its own: The Temple, a circular folly built around 1760 on Kenmure Hill, the ruins of Elliston Castle, and Walls Hill, the site of an Iron Age hillfort. Farther afield, the Wallace Memorial in Elderslie stands about 5.4 kilometers (3.4 miles) to the northeast, and Paisley Abbey is about 9.6 kilometers (6 miles) away in the center of Paisley.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Christ the King Church in Howwood?

Christ the King Church is on Bowfield Road, Howwood, Renfrewshire PA9 1BZ, in the west of Scotland. Howwood lies between Johnstone and Lochwinnoch, about 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) west-southwest of George Square in Glasgow.

What can you see on the Christ the King Howwood Webcam?

The camera faces the sanctuary from a raised position. The high altar, the carved reredos and the three stained glass lancet windows fill the center of the frame, with the freestanding altar and the lectern in front, a Sacred Heart statue on the left and a yellow side wall with two more windows on the right.

What are the Mass times at Christ the King, Howwood?

The Diocese of Paisley’s parish listing gives a Saturday Vigil Mass at 5 pm and Sunday Mass at 10 am, with Confession on Saturday from 10:30 to 11 am. The diocese asks people to check times with the parish before traveling, as they can change at short notice.

Who runs the Christ the King Howwood Webcam?

The stream is broadcast on YouTube by Network Scotland, a channel that streams Mass from several Catholic churches in the west of Scotland. RCDOP in the stream’s title stands for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paisley, to which the parish belongs. The current broadcast has been running since December 2022.

What is the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Howwood?

Christ the King Church hosts the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, Howwood. From May to October, a vigil is held there on the 12th of each month at 7:30 pm, with a Rosary procession, Mass, Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction.

What is the weather like in Howwood?

Mild and wet. At nearby Paisley, January highs average 7.2 C (45 F) and July highs 19.8 C (68 F), with rain spread through the year.

How do you get to Christ the King Church in Howwood?

Howwood railway station is about 400 meters (a quarter of a mile) from the church, with trains to Paisley and Glasgow. By road, Howwood sits just off the A737, and Glasgow Airport is about 10.4 kilometers (6.5 miles) away.

Source: Network Scotland