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Born in Wales but of Scottish parentage, he moved to Scotland as a child and was educated in Dalkeith. He studied at the Trustees Academy under William Allan and at the RSA Life School from 1841 until 1843. He moved to London for a period and studied at the Royal Academy Schools. He also travelled in France, Germany and Italy before moving back to Edinburgh in 1841. In 1858 he moved back to London finding the Scottish climate harsh due to increasing health problems. In addition to his oil paintings often of historical genre depicting scenes from the English Civil War, Houston also painted in watercolours. His work from the 1850s onwards is identified as revealing Pre - Raphaelite tendencies. He exhibited at the RSA Annual Exhibitions from 1833 until 1884. He became an Associate Member of the RSA in 1842 and an Academician in 1845.