Motherwell

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Coordinates: 55°47′02″N 3°59′07″W / 55.78396°N 3.98522°W / 55.78396; -3.98522

Motherwell
Scottish Gaelic: Tobar na Màthar
Scots: Mitherwall
Motherwell panorama.jpg
Panorama over the West Coast Main Line running through Motherwell
Motherwell is located in North Lanarkshire
Motherwell

 Motherwell shown within North Lanarkshire
Area  14.28 km2 (5.51 sq mi) [1]
Population 30,311 [2] (2001 Census)
    - Density  2,123 /km2 (5,500 /sq mi)
OS grid reference NS756563
    - Edinburgh  31 mi (50 km) ENE 
    - London  335 mi (539 km) SSE 
Council area North Lanarkshire
Lieutenancy area Lanarkshire
Country Scotland
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town MOTHERWELL
Postcode district ML1
Dialling code 01698
Police Scottish
Fire Scottish
Ambulance Scottish
EU Parliament Scotland
UK Parliament Motherwell and Wishaw
Scottish Parliament Motherwell and Wishaw
List of places
UK
Scotland

Motherwell (Scots: Mitherwall, Scottish Gaelic: Tobar na Màthar[3]) is a large town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, south east of Glasgow. The name "Moderwelt" appears on a map of Lanarkshire made by Timothy Pont some time between 1583 and 1611 and printed in the Netherlands in around 1652, although the settlement was probably little more than a hamlet at that time. The town was a burgh from 1865 until it merged with the burgh of Wishaw in 1920.

Motherwell was noted as the steel production capital of Scotland, nicknamed Steelopolis, home of David Colville & Sons during the 19th and 20th centuries, with its skyline later dominated by the water tower and three cooling towers of their Ravenscraig steelworks which closed in 1992.[4][5] The Ravenscraig plant had one of the longest continuous casting, hot rolling, steel production facilities in the world before it was decommissioned. The closure of Ravenscraig signalled the end of large scale steel making in Scotland, although the town's Dalzell steel plate works continues to be operated by Tata Steel Europe.[6]

In the past decade, Motherwell has to an extent recovered from the high unemployment and economic decline brought about by this collapse of heavy industry. A number of call centres and business parks such as Strathclyde Business Park have since set up in the region. Large employers include William Grant & Sons whisky distillers and the Heavy equipment manufacturer Terex.

Motherwell is the headquarters for both North Lanarkshire Council, which is one of Scotland's most populous local authority areas, and of Strathclyde Police "N" division. These organisations cover an overall population of 327,000 people (59,000 in Motherwell and Wishaw) throughout the 183 square miles (470 km2) of North Lanarkshire.

Motherwell has been a Fairtrade Town since January 2007.[7]

Contents

Transport [edit]

Railway [edit]

The town has two stations, the main railway station (known simply as Motherwell) and a smaller one located in Airbles. The main station runs on the West Coast Main Line from Glasgow to London via Edinburgh and Newcastle, and is located next to Brandon Shopping Centre. National train operators, such as Virgin Trains, East Coast, CrossCountry and TransPennine Express, pass through the main station, but not all stop there. The smaller station in the Airbles suburb of Motherwell only runs on the line to Dalmuir via Glasgow Central low level and Hamilton Central; however, it is closer to the Civic Centre and Fir Park stadium than the main-line station. That station is served by First ScotRail.

The (now defunct) firm of Hurst Nelson was a major railway rolling stock manufacturer based in the town. The company built trains for the London Underground, as well as main line railways.

Roads [edit]

Motherwell is very accessible, as it is right next to the M74 motorway beside the River Clyde. This road leads to Cumbria on the Anglo-Scottish border, where it becomes the M6. It is also about three miles (4.8 km) drive from the M8 motorway, between the two largest cities of Scotland, Glasgow and Edinburgh. In the future, there are plans to build a dual carriageway, that will travel through the town linking the two motorways.

Bus [edit]

There are a number of different bus companies that travel through the town to various different locations. Some examples include First, Whitelaws and Coakleys.

Some of the places that can be accessible by bus from Motherwell:

The three acute hospitals in Lanarkshire can also be reached by bus from Motherwell:

Nearest Airports [edit]

Since the M74 Extension has been completed, access to Glasgow Airport has become easier. The airport is approximately 16 miles (26 km) away from Motherwell. Edinburgh Airport is further away, at 31 miles (49.8 km), and can be reached by the M8.

Places of interest [edit]

North Lanarkshire Heritage Centre

There are many places of interest that have made Motherwell a place to visit. As well as the town's Country Park, The North Lanarkshire Heritage Centre, formerly the Motherwell Heritage Centre on High Road, situated next to the town's railway station, is a building that displays the history of Motherwell from the Roman era. The building also has a viewing tower on the fifth floor, giving visitors a good view of the town and other parts of Lanarkshire, as well as of mountains as far back as Ben Lomond.

Motherwell also has a Civic Centre, situated next to the town's police station and North Lanarkshire headquarters building. A number of pantomimes and musicals have taken place in the centre's large concert hall. As well as this, the Masters Snooker has also been an event held at the Civic Centre. Renovations have been completed, and the building has now re-opened for business.

The Dalzell House is a building that is situated to the South of the town, right on the banks of the River Clyde. This house is protected as a Category-A listed building.

One of the main attractions in Motherwell is the M&D's Amusement Park, which is situated next to Strathclyde Loch in Strathclyde Park. It is now recognised as Scotland's Theme Park.

Motherwell Cathedral [edit]

One main place of interest that is well known in Motherwell is The Cathedral Church of Our Lady of Good Aid, popularly known as Motherwell Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic Cathedral which is the Mother Church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Motherwell. It is the seat of the Bishop of Motherwell and its current bishop is Bishop Joseph Devine. The cathedral is open to the public most days and is considered a monument in Motherwell, as it attracts many Catholic Pilgrims from all over the Diocese. The Cathedral is also well known as a great venue for the performances of the Motherwell Diocesan Choir.

Education [edit]

Primary schools [edit]

The following primary schools are located in Motherwell:

  • Cathedral Primary School
  • Glencairn Primary School
  • Knowetop Primary School
  • Ladywell Primary School
  • Logans Primary School
  • Muirhouse Primary School
  • Muir Street Primary School
  • Sam Bell RC Primary School
  • St. Bernadette's Primary School
  • St Brendan's Primary School

Secondary schools [edit]

Dalziel High School

Dalziel High School is located in Crawford Street and has a school roll of around 1,025 pupils. Notable alumni of Dalziel include Motherwell, Wigan and current Rangers player Lee McCulloch and international television journalist, Alan Fisher.

Braidhurst High School, in the Forgewood area of Motherwell, serves areas including Forgewood, North Motherwell, The Globe and Jerviston. With a roll of around 500, Braidhurst is one of the smaller secondary schools in Lanarkshire. The main school building was recently modernised, with the outdated pink and yellow panels replaced by a modern-looking glass exterior. Notable alumni of Braidhurst include Elaine C Smith (actress), former Scotland national football captain Gary McAllister and Tam Cowan (comedian and writer).

Our Lady's High School is a Roman Catholic secondary located in Dalzell Drive, near Fir Park Stadium. At one point it was the largest school in Scotland, but the current school roll is around 700. Notable alumni of Our Lady's include Manchester City footballer and Manchester United manager Sir Matt Busby, Celtic F.C. footballer Billy McNeill and current Derby County footballer Stephen Pearson.

Other secondary schools in the Motherwell area (thought outside the boundaries of the town itself) include Brannock High School in Newarthill, Taylor R.C. High School in New Stevenston and Clyde Valley High School in Overtown. The nearest private school is Hamilton College in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire.

Further education [edit]

There is a Further Education college in Motherwell, known as Motherwell College. This was located next to Our Lady's High School in Dalzell Drive, though in 2009 relocated to Ravenscraig, about 1 km away from its former site. The current roll of students at the new building is approximately 20,000 students.

The former site at Barons Grange is now being regenerated into a modern housing area.

Sport [edit]

Football [edit]

The East Stand at Fir Park Stadium, home of Motherwell Football Club

Motherwell Football Club was established in 1886. Known as the "Steelmen" because of the history of steel making in the area, they play in the Scottish Premier League from their home ground at Fir Park Stadium. Like many smaller clubs in the area, Motherwell struggle to attract a large fanbase due to the attraction of Glasgow's "Old Firm" of Rangers and Celtic. However, the team attracts a regular home support of between five and six thousand fans. Also, the club is known to be one of the most established clubs in the top flight, having been in the top flight since the mid-80s. Again, due to the Old Firm's dominance of Scottish football, Motherwell's list of honours is somewhat modest. The club's last major trophy was the Scottish Cup in 1991 where they beat Dundee United F.C. by four goals to three in the final. More recently, they faced Rangers in the 2005 CIS Cup Final, but lost 5-1. In the 07-08 season, Motherwell (led by Mark McGhee) finished third behind Celtic F.C and Rangers F.C meaning that in the 08-09 season Motherwell got the chance of playing European (UEFA Cup) football. Motherwell lost out to French team AS Nancy in the first round (3-0 aggregate). They qualified for Europe the following two seasons, in the newly-formed Europa League. The manager is Stuart McCall, after Craig Brown resigned to become Aberdeen F.C. manager in December 2010. In the 2010-11 season, they faced Celtic in the Scottish Cup Final, but lost 3-0.

Speedway [edit]

Motherwell hosted motorcycle speedway racing at two venues. In 1930 and 1932 racing took place at a site in Airbles Road and the 1930 speedway venture was known as Paragon Speedway. The venture was run by a group of riders who were regulars at White City in Glasgow and known collectively as The Blantyre Crowd.

Speedway returned to the town in 1950 and the then newly constructed greyhound racing stadium (The Stadium)in Milton Street. The Lanarkshire Eagles staged open meetings from July to September 1950. In 1951 the Eagles started out in the National League Second Division with veteran ex-Glasgow Tigers Will Lowther and Joe Crowther in the line up. They operated until the end of the 1954 season.

The top man was Derrick Close, signed from the Newcastle Diamonds in 1951, and he was supported by Gordon McGregor who was a founder Eagle. Eagles also featured Aussies Keith Gurtner and Ron Phillips who moved over when Ashfield left the League. Popular Australian Noel Watson was killed in his home country in 1953. However, due to his "never say die" approach, the fans' favourite was Bluey (Eric) Scott, who joined the Eagles in 1951. The pioneer Eagles featured Bill Baird from Forth who became the only rider to ride for all four Scottish teams.

Tommy Miller, one of the top Scottish speedway stars of the day, joined the Eagles in 1954 but moved on to the Coventry Bees mid-season. A short season in 1958 under former Glasgow Tigers promoter Ian Hoskins saw the end of the events at The Stadium but a short lived Long Track venture and a small speedway track staged four events —three on the long track and one on the short track —in 1972.

Derrick Close represented Lanarkshire Eagles and England in the 1952 Speedway World Championship Final. He was the third Scottish based rider to achieve this feat after Ken Le Breton (Ashfield Giants and Australia) in 1949 and Jack Young (Edinburgh Monarchs and Australia) in 1950 and 1951.

Rugby Union [edit]

Dalziel Rugby Club play at Dalziel Park (formerly Cleland Estate) between the villages of Carfin and Cleland (both near Motherwell). They recently won promotion to Scottish hydro electric Premier 3 via winning the national league 1 with an undefeated league season. The club has a strong mini and midi section.

Cycling [edit]

There are cycle routes based in Motherwell and in neighboring Strathclyde Country Park. The Greenlink Cycle Path is a cycle path that acts as a direct route from Strathclyde Park to Motherwell Town Centre. The path was formed in 2005 and may expand into Ravenscraig in the future.

Golf [edit]

Motherwell has a golf course based within the town, the Colville Park Golf Club, based at Jerviston Estate, on the former site of Jerviston House (the ruins are still visible in the grounds). A second golf course is located at the Dalziel Park Hotel and Golf Club.

Hockey [edit]

The Motherwell Hockey Club is a field hockey club based at the astroturf hockey pitches in Dalziel Park.

Athletics [edit]

Athletics is a common sport in Motherwell, as the town has a number of athletics clubs in different locations. The main club, Motherwell Athletics Club, is based down at the Boathouse Gym at Strathclyde Country Park. In recent years there have been top class sports facilities built just outside the town, first Dalziel Park and most recently Ravenscraig Sports Centre, with the latter containing a top-class indoor athletics track. The sports facility in the new town of Ravenscraig will be one of the main venues for the 2011 International Children's Games in Lanarkshire, and is currently hosting the athletics events.

Strathclyde Park [edit]

Recreation [edit]

Strathclyde Country Park contains many sports and leisure facilities and also has sites for bird-watchers and anglers. As well as the M&D's theme park, there is also woodland and grass areas that are ideal for picnicking and leisurely strolls. Excavations in the park have revealed a site of archaeological interest including a Roman mosaic, Roman bath house and bridge (currently closed for health and safety reasons). Strathclyde Park is also on the site of the former mining village, Bothwellhaugh, with much of the town submerged after abandonment.

Strathclyde Park previously hosted the major Scottish music festival, T in the Park, until 1996, when it was moved to a disused airfield in Balado, Kinross-shire. It has also hosted other music festivals such as Retrofest.

Major events [edit]

The park will be a venue for the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the 2011 International Children's Games. It will host the Triathlon event in both. It was previously a venue for the rowing events at the 1986 Commonwealth Games.

Town twinning [edit]

Notable people [edit]

Steven Bowman - Local Junkie

Location grid [edit]


 Bellshill (3.2 km),
Hamilton (5 km) Wishaw (6.4 km),
  Motherwell  
Larkhall (9.2 km),

References [edit]

  1. ^ 2001 census
  2. ^ "Scotland's Census Results Online". Retrieved 2012-04-29. .
  3. ^ Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba ~ Gaelic Place-Names of Scotland
  4. ^ "RAVENSCRAIG STEEL WORKS 1954 - 1992". 
  5. ^ "Ravenscraig Steelworks at Railbrit.co.uk". 
  6. ^ "The Dalzell Steel Works Story". 
  7. ^ "Fairtrade Towns". 
  8. ^ Scottish Government — Chapter Three: Existing Engagement between Scotland and Germany

External links [edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Motherwell
 
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Other towns and villages
Places of interest
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