county which had pre-existed as: Large burghs: the towns of Paisley, Greenock and Port Glasgow. These burghs continued to be responsible for most local services such as roads, water and housing. Small burghs: the towns of Renfrew, Johnstone, Barrhead and Gourock were responsible for services such as housing, parks and cleansing. Landward areas: all parts of the county that were not parts of a burgh, including the smaller settlements such as Bishopton and Clarkston. There were parish councils until 1930 when they were replaced by landward district councils with limited powers, such as over parks and recreation. Aside from burghs and parishes, the county was subdivided between a number of higher tiers of local government during certain points in its history. Between the 1880s and the early 20th century, it is recorded that the county is divided between an 'Upper Ward' consisting of the eastern two-thirds of the county centred on Paisley, and a 'Lower Ward' approximating the boundaries of the modern Inverclyde council area and consisting of the parishes of Inverkip, Greenock, Port Glasgow and Kilmacolm, with Greenock as district centre. In 1973, prior to the abolition of the county council under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, there were five districts in the landward areas of the county. The First District in the west formed part of Inverclyde District; the Second, Third and Fourth Districts in the geographical centre were grouped to form Renfrew District and the Fifth District in the east formed Eastwood District. County buildings The County Council formerly met in the County Buildings, a Gothic style constructed in County Square in Paisley c.1817 and demolished in the 1960-70s. New County Buildings were constructed in 1890 on Paisley's St James's Street in the Classical style and are now used to house Paisley's Sheriff Court. The County Council Chamber is now Court 8 within the building. Modern functions Lieutenancy Whilst no longer used as a local authority area, Renfrewshire remains used for ceremonial purposes as a Lieutenancy area. The Lord Lieutenant and a number of Deputy Lieutenants represent the monarch in the county, performing a number of ceremonial functions and arranging and co-ordinating Royal visits. When the county was abolished for local government purposes in 1975 the lieutenancy area was redefined to correspond to the new districts of Eastwood, Inverclyde, and Renfrew. The incumbent Lord Lieutenant of Renfrewshire since 2019 is Colonel Peter McCarthy. The Renfrewshire lieutenancy