Bothwell

This article is about the Scottish town. For other places and people called Bothwell, see Bothwell (disambiguation).

Bothwell
Bothwell  Bothwell shown within South Lanarkshire
Population	6,379 (2001 Census)
OS grid reference	NS705585
Council area	South Lanarkshire
Lieutenancy area	Lanarkshire
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Glasgow
Postcode district	G71
Dialling code	01698
Police	Strathclyde
Fire	Strathclyde
Ambulance	Scottish
EU Parliament	Scotland
UK Parliament	Lanark and Hamilton East
Scottish Parliament	Hamilton North and Bellshill
List of places: UK • Scotland •

Bothwell is a small town in the South Lanarkshire council area of Scotland. It lies on the north bank of the River Clyde, adjacent to Uddingston and Hamilton, nine miles east-south-east of Glasgow city centre.

Bothwell is an affluent commuter town that has attracted a number of local celebrities including a number of Old Firm footballers. Thanks to a steady rise in property prices, Bothwell has earned its reputation as one of Glasgow's most prosperous satellites. A recent survey published in The Scotsman revealed that Bothwell's Imperial Way, site of the former home of ex-Celtic manager Gordon Strachan, is the fifth most expensive street in Scotland.

The parish church (which was restored at the end of the 19th century) contains the choir of the old Gothic church of 1398. A memorial honours the poet Joanna Baillie (1762–1851) who was born in the manse.

Bothwell Castle

The picturesque ruin of Bothwell Castle occupies a position on a bluff above a bend in the River Clyde on the edge of Bothwell, which here takes the bold sweep famed in Scottish song as the Bothwell bank. This fortress belonged to Sir Andrew de Moray, who was fatally wounded at the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297. It passed by marriage to the House of Douglas. The lordship was bestowed in 1487 on Patrick Hepburn, 3rd Lord Hailes, 1st Earl of Bothwell. When he resigned in 1491 the title passed to "Bell-the-Cat", Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus. The title ultimately passed to the Earls of Home. The castle is a fine example of Gothic architecture. It consists of a great quadrangle with circular towers on the south. At the east end stand the remains of the chapel. An unpretentious mansion was built nearby by Archibald Douglas, 1st Earl of Forfar (1653–1712), and was known as New Bothwell Castle, but suffered mining subsidence and was demolished in 1926.

Facilities

Bothwell has two primary schools, the newly rebuilt Bothwell Primary School and St Bride's Roman Catholic Primary School, golf and bowling clubs. There are several small shops and businesses in the town's Main Street, along with a handful of pubs and restaurants.

Until 1955 Bothwell had a station on the North British Railway. These are the remains in 1961

Sports

Speedway racing was staged in the Bothwell Castle estate area in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The track was constructed on old railway land by club members who used it as a training track. Occasional team matches saw the Bothwell Bulls take on other training venues such as Newtongrange and High Beech.

Tommy Miller, who had a meteoric rise to fame with Glasgow Tigers in 1950, and Ken McKinlay, arguably the best ever Scottish speedway rider, both started out at Bothwell. The venture, safety fence and all, moved to Chapelhall.

See also

• List of places in South Lanarkshire

References

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

External links

• Bothwell Castle information
• Bothwell Village website