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Motherwell

Coordinates:55°47′02″N3°59′07″W/ 55.7839°N 3.9852°W/55.7839; -3.9852
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For other uses, seeMotherwell (disambiguation).

Motherwell
Town andadministrative centre
Panorama over the town centre of Motherwell
Motherwell is located in North Lanarkshire
Motherwell
Motherwell
Location withinNorth Lanarkshire
Area14.28 km2(5.51 sq mi)[1]
Population32,840 (2022)[2]
•Density2,300/km2(6,000/sq mi)
•Edinburgh31 mi (50 km)ENE
•London335 mi (539 km)SSE
Council area
Lieutenancy area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townMOTHERWELL
Postcode districtML1
Dialling code01698
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament
List of places
UK
Scotland
55°47′02″N3°59′07″W/ 55.7839°N 3.9852°W/55.7839; -3.9852

Motherwell(Scots:Mitherwall,Scottish Gaelic:Tobar na Màthar[3]) is atownand formerburghinNorth Lanarkshire,Scotland,United Kingdom, south east ofGlasgow.[4]It has a population of around 32,120.[5][6][7]Historicallyin the parish ofDalziel[8]and part ofLanarkshire,Motherwell is the headquarters forNorth Lanarkshire Council.Geographically theRiver Clydeseparates Motherwell fromHamiltonto the west whereas theSouth Calder Waterseparates Motherwell fromCarfinto the north-east andNew StevenstonandBellshilltowards the north.

Motherwellis also geographically attached toWishawand the two towns form a large urban area inNorth Lanarkshire,with both towns having similar populations and strong community ties.

History[edit]

ARomanroad[9]through central Scotland ran along Motherwell's side of theRiver Clyde,crossing theSouth Calder WaternearBothwellhaugh.At this crossing a fort and bath house were erected, but theRoman presence in Scotlanddid not last much later than this. Motherwell's location in theScottish Lowlandsmeans that it would have been inhabited by theBritons.Motherwell's name reportedly comes from a well, the Lady Well,[10]formerly dedicated to the Virgin Mary.[11]The site of this well is now marked by a plaque on Ladywell Road.[12]The name "Moderwelt" appears on a map of Lanarkshire made byTimothy Pontsome time between 1583 and 1611 and printed in theNetherlandsin around 1652.

Blaeu's map[13]based onPont'soriginal[14]"Glasgow and the county of Lanark" map c.1596 depicting Moderwelt east of Hamelton, south of Clydsid and north of Dalzel Castle

By the start of the 19th century Motherwell was a small hamlet, a farming community of some 600 people living adjacently to the 16th century laird's manor,Jervistonhouse.[15]The hamlet remained reasonably small, reaching 1,700 people by 1841, and centred on the crossroads between the main road following the Clyde, and the road connectingEdinburghwithHamiltonand the west.

Motherwell's fortunes changed dramatically in the second half of the 19th century. With the coming of the railway in 1848, came industry and money. By 1881David Colvillehad opened both an iron and steel works; Motherwell had a new piped water supply; had been granted burgh status and had its population swelled to 13,800 people.[15]

By the end of the 19th centuryMotherwell Town HallandDalziel High Schoolhad been built, thelocal football clubhad been founded, and its stadium,Fir Park,had been constructed.

At the start of the 20th century Motherwell stood a large and growing industrial centre, a town of 37,000 people and a wide variety of heavy industries such as munitions, trams and bridge components. By the 1930s most of Scotland's steel production was in Motherwell, and owned by the Colville family. In 1959 the Colville family were persuaded by the government to begin work of a vast new steel works, which would becomeRavenscraig.Within a few years, Ravenscraig was producing more than a million tonnes of steel per year. Following nationalisation of the steel industry, production at the plant was raised, with the Motherwell blast furnaces producing 3 million tonnes each year.[12]

40 locals from Lanarkshire travelled to becomevolunteers of the International Brigadesto fight for theRepublican causein theSpanish Civil War.TheSpanish Civil War memorialin Duchess Park in Motherwell commemorates them.[16]

By the middle of the 1970s, Motherwell's steel industry employed more than 13,000 people.

The 1980s brought a catastrophic collapse in the industry of Motherwell. The steel strike of 1980 lostBritish Steel Corporationimportant contracts and markets, followed by the closure of important local customers such as theLinwoodcar factory andBathgatetruck factory, Ravenscraig employed only 3,200 people by the end of the 1980s.[12] Ravenscraig closed on 24 June 1992, and was demolished in July 1996, bringing 400 years of Scottish iron production to an end. Today the Dalzell Plate Mill is all that remains of Motherwell's industrial heritage, rolling steel fromMiddlesbroughinto steel plates of various sizes.

By the start of the 21st century Motherwell had begun to transform itself with the service industry thriving, the large scale unemployment of the previous twenty years had been largely remedied. Through the expansion of both towns, Motherwell andWishaware now effectively one continuous urban area, although the towns remain distinct.

Culture[edit]

Motherwell hosted theNational Mòdin 1983.[17]

Strathclyde Parkpreviously hosted the major Scottish music festival,T in the Park,until 1996, when it was moved to a disused airfield inBalado,Kinross-shire. It has also hosted other music festivals such asRetrofest. Modern authors Des McAnulty and Mark Wilson have written novels of critical acclaim which are based in the town (LIFE IS LOCAL, McAnulty) and neighbouring town Bellshill (BOBBY'S BOY, Wilson).

Economy[edit]

Motherwell is the headquarters for bothNorth Lanarkshire Council,which is one of Scotland's most populouslocal authority areas,and ofPolice Scotland"Q" division. These organisations cover an overall population of 327,000 people (59,000 in Motherwell andWishaw) throughout the 183 square miles (470 km2) of North Lanarkshire.

Motherwell was noted as the steel production capital of Scotland, nicknamedSteelopolis,[18]home ofDavid Colville & Sonsduring the 19th and 20th centuries, with itsskylinelater dominated by thewater towerand threecooling towersof their Ravenscraig steelworks which closed in 1992.[19][20]The Ravenscraig plant had one of the longestcontinuous 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 byTata Steel Europe.[21]

In the past decade,[when?]Motherwell has to an extent recovered from the high unemployment and economic decline brought about by this collapse ofheavy industry.A number ofcall centresandbusiness parkssuch as Strathclyde Business Park have since set up in the region. Large employers includeWilliam Grant & Sonswhiskydistillersand theheavy equipmentmanufacturerVolvo Construction Equipment/Rokbak.[22]

Motherwell has been aFairtrade Townsince January 2007.[23]

Transport[edit]

Railway[edit]

The town has three stations,a main railway station(known simply as Motherwell),AirblesandShieldmuir.The main station runs on theWest Coast Main LinefromGlasgowto London and on the East Coast Main Line viaEdinburghandNewcastle,and is located next toMotherwell Shopping Centre.National train operators;Avanti West Coast,CrossCountryandTransPennine Express,pass through the main station, but not all stop there. The station is also served by Abellio ScotRail who provide direct services to Carstairs, Coatbridge Central, Cumbernauld, Dalmuir, Edinburgh, Lanark, Milngavie and North Berwick.London North Eastern Railwayalso provide a direct daily service betweenLondon King's CrossandGlasgow Centralthat stops at Motherwell. The smaller station in theAirblessuburb of Motherwell only runs on the line toDalmuirviaGlasgow Centrallow level andHamilton Central;however, it is closer to the Civic Centre andFir Parkstadium than the main-line station. That station is served by Abellio ScotRail.

Formerly, Motherwell, Wishaw and Hamilton were served by the Lanarkshire Tramways (closed 1931), which were connected to the very large Glasgow electric tramway system (closed 1962) at both Cambuslang and Uddingston. At its maximum extent, the 200-mile system extended to Balloch, Milngavie, Airdrie, Larkhall, Clarkston, Barrhead, Kilbarchan and Renfrew, besides providing a dense network of lines offering pollution-free electric transport in the city centre.

The (now defunct) firm ofHurst Nelsonwas a major railway rolling stock manufacturer based in the town. The company built trains for theLondon Underground,and tramcars, as well as vehicles for main line railways.

Roads[edit]

Motherwell is very accessible, as it is right next to theM74 motorwaybeside theRiver Clyde.This road leads toCumbriaon theAnglo-Scottish border,where it becomes theM6.It is also about 3 miles (5 km) drive from theM8 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 includeFirst(Routes 201, 240, 242, 254 and 355), JMB Travel (Routes 41, 56, 211 and 802), Whitelaws Coaches and United Coaches (Route 1).

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 theM74 Extensionhas been completed, access toGlasgow Airporthas become easier. The airport is approximately 16 miles (26 km) away from Motherwell.Edinburgh Airportis further away, at 31 miles (50 km), and can be reached by the M8.

Places of interest[edit]

North Lanarkshire Heritage Centre
Motherwell Civic Centre

As well as thetown's Country Park,TheNorth 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 asBen Lomond.

Motherwell Civic Centreis the headquarters of North Lanarkshire Council (since 1996, previously the offices ofMotherwell District Councilwithin theStrathclyderegion since 1975).[24]A number ofpantomimesand musicals have taken place in the concert hall and theatre within the complex.[25]As well as this, top-levelsnooker(theScottish Mastersevent) was also held there.[26]

TheDalzell Houseis a building that is situated to the south of the town, right on the banks of theRiver Clyde.This house is protected as a Category-A listed building.

One of the main attractions in Motherwell is theM & D's Amusement Park,which is situated next to Strathclyde Loch inStrathclyde Park.

Motherwell Cathedral[edit]

The Cathedral Church of Our Lady of Good Aid, popularly known asMotherwell Cathedral,is a Roman Catholic cathedral which is the Mother Church of theRoman Catholic Diocese of Motherwell.It is the seat of the Bishop of Motherwell and its current bishop isJoseph Toal.The cathedral is open to the public most days. It is used as a venue for 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
  • St. Bernadette's Primary School
  • St Brendan's Primary School
  • Firpark Primary School

Secondary schools[edit]

Dalziel High School

Dalziel High Schoolis located in Crawford Street and has a school roll of around 1,025 pupils. Notable alumni of Dalziel include former Motherwell, Wigan and Rangers playerLee McCullochand international television journalist,Alan Fisher.

Braidhurst High School,in theForgewoodarea 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), formerScotland national footballcaptainGary McAllisterandTam Cowan(comedian and writer).

Our Lady's High Schoolis aRoman Catholicsecondary located in Dalzell Drive, nearFir Park Stadium.At one point it was the largest school in Western Europe, but the current school roll is around 700. Notable alumni of Our Lady's includeManchester Cityfootballer andManchester UnitedmanagerSir Matt Busby,Celtic F.C. footballer Billy McNeill,Derby CountyfootballerStephen Pearson,Celtic F.C.footballerKieran TierneyandMotherwell F.C.footballerChris Cadden.

Other secondary schools in the Motherwell area (though outside the boundaries of the town itself) includeBrannock High SchoolinNewarthill,Taylor R.C. High SchoolinNew Stevenstonand Clyde Valley High School inOvertown.The nearest private school isHamilton Collegein Hamilton,South Lanarkshire.

Another former pupil of Garrion Academy, (later Clyde Valley High School), Deborah Orr, became an award winning journalist in London & was married for a time to Will Self. Her personal memoir "Motherwell" 2020 by Weidenfeld & Nicolson ISBN 978 1 4746 1146 6, gives a clear eyed description of the town as she knew it from the 1960s onwards.

Further education[edit]

There is a Further Education college in Motherwell, known asNew College Lanarkshire.This was located next to Our Lady's High School in Dalzell Drive, though in 2009 relocated toRavenscraig,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 atFir ParkStadium, home ofMotherwell Football Club

Motherwell Football Clubwas established in 1886. Known as the "Steelmen" because of the history of steel making in the area, they play in theScottish Premiershipfrom their home ground atFir ParkStadium. Like many smaller clubs in the area, Motherwell struggle to attract a large fanbase due to the attraction of Glasgow's "Old Firm":RangersandCeltic.The team attracts a regular home support of between five and six thousand fans. Motherwell is one of the most established clubs in the top division of theScottish football league system,having been in the top flight continuously 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 the1990–91 Scottish Cup,when they beatDundee United4–3 in thefinal.Motherwell have qualified for European football several times in recent seasons, usually competing in the qualifying rounds of theUEFA Europa League.It has been reported that the famousViking Thunder Claporiginated fromMotherwell F.C.and was passed onto Icelandic football clubStjarnanwhen they played them in aEuropa Leaguegame in 2014.

Speedway[edit]

Motherwell hosted motorcycle speedway racing at two venues. In 1930 and 1932 racing took place at Airbles Road which would soon be called theClyde Valley Greyhound Trackand the 1930speedwayventure was known asParagon Speedway.The venture was run by a group of riders who were regulars at White City in Glasgow and known collectively asThe Blantyre Crowd.

Speedway returned to the town in 1950 at the then newly constructedParkneuk Sports Stadiumin Milton Street. TheLanarkshire Eaglesstaged open meetings from July to September 1950. In 1951 the Eagles started out in theNational League Second Divisionwith veteran ex-Glasgow TigersWill Lowther andJoe Crowtherin the line up. They operated until the end of the 1954 season.

The top man was Derrick Close, signed from theNewcastle Diamondsin 1951, and he was supported byGordon McGregorwho was a founder Eagle. Eagles also featured Aussies Keith Gurtner and Ron Phillips who moved over when Ashfield left the League. Popular AustralianNoel Watsonwas 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 theCoventry Beesmid-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 representedLanarkshire Eaglesand England in the1952 Speedway World ChampionshipFinal. He was the third Scottish based rider to achieve this feat afterKen Le Breton(Ashfield Giantsand Australia) in 1949 andJack Young(Edinburgh Monarchsand Australia) in 1950 and 1951.

Greyhound racing[edit]

Motherwell had two greyhound tracks in the town. The first opened in 1932 and was called theClyde Valley Greyhound Track,it was located on Airbles Road and closed in 1959. The second was theParkneuk Sports Stadiumnear Milton Street and was opened in 1949 but closed in 1972.[27]

Rugby union[edit]

Dalziel Rugby Clubplay atDalziel Park(formerly Cleland Estate) between the villages ofCarfinandCleland(both near Motherwell).

Cycling[edit]

There are cycle routes based in Motherwell and in neighboring Strathclyde Country Park. TheGreenlink Cycle Pathis 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 agolf coursebased within the town, the Colville Park Golf Club, based at Jerviston Estate, on the former site ofJervistonHouse (the ruins are still visible in the grounds). A second golf course is located at the Dalziel Park Hotel and Golf Club.

Torrance Park Golf Club is a third located in Newarthill.

Hockey[edit]

The Motherwell Hockey Club and Dalziel High School Former Pupils (D.H.S.F.P) Ladies Hockey Club arefield hockeyclubs based at the astroturf hockey pitches in Dalziel Park.

Athletics[edit]

Athleticsis a popular sport in Motherwell, as the town has a number of athletics clubs in different locations. The main club, Motherwell Athletics Club, is based 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 recentlyRavenscraig Sports Centre,with the latter containing a top-class indoor athletics track. The sports facility in the new town ofRavenscraighosts athletic events and was one of the main venues for the 2011International Children's Games.

Strathclyde Park[edit]

Recreation[edit]

Strathclyde Country Parkcontains many sport and leisure facilities and also has sites forbird-watchersandanglers.As well as theM&D'stheme park, there arewoodlandand grass areas that are popular for picnicking and walks. Excavations in the park have revealed a site ofarchaeologicalinterest including aRomanmosaic,Romanbath houseand bridge (currently closed for health and safety reasons). The park is on the site of the former mining village,Bothwellhaugh,and much of the town was submerged after it was abandoned.

Major events[edit]

The park was a venue for the2014 Commonwealth Gamesand the 2011International Children's Games.It hosted thetriathlonevent in both. It was previously a venue for the rowing events at the 1986 Commonwealth Games.

Town twinning[edit]

Notable people[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^2001 census
  2. ^"Mid-2020 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland".National Records of Scotland.31 March 2022.Retrieved31 March2022.
  3. ^"Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba (AÀA) – Gaelic Place-names of Scotland".www.gaelicplacenames.org.Archived fromthe originalon 9 January 2015.Retrieved2 August2013.
  4. ^"25-inch O.S. Map with zoom and Bing overlay".National Library of Scotland.Ordnance Survey.Retrieved30 December2017.
  5. ^"Key Facts 2016 – Demography".North Lanarkshire Council.Archived fromthe originalon 4 January 2018.Retrieved3 January2018.
  6. ^"Estimated population of localities by broad age groups, mid-2012"(PDF).Retrieved3 January2018.
  7. ^Not including nearby villagesCarfin,Cleland,Newarthill,HolytownandNew Stevenstonwhich arerecorded separately.
  8. ^History and directory of Motherwell. 1899–1900. [With a plan.](2nd ed.). Hamilton: W. Naismith. 1899. pp. 17–56.Retrieved15 January2018.
  9. ^Miller, S. N. (1952).The Roman Occupation of South Western Scotland Being Reports of Excavations And Surveys Carried Out Under The Auspices of the Glasgow Archaeological Society By John Clarke, J. M. Davidson, Anne S. Robertson, J. K. St. Joseph, Edited for the Society with an Historical Survey By S. N. Miller.Glasgow: Robert Maclehose & Company Limited. p. 78.Retrieved11 October2017.
  10. ^"Motherwell, Lady Well".Canmore.Historic Environment Scotland.Retrieved15 January2018.
  11. ^Meek, William; Buchan, William (1845).The new statistical account of Scotland(Vol 6 ed.). Edinburgh and London: William Blackwood and Sons. p. 269.Retrieved3 January2018.
  12. ^abc"History of Motherwell".
  13. ^Blaeu, Joan."Glottiana Praefectura Inferior".National Library of Scotland.Retrieved30 December2017.
  14. ^"Glasgow and the county of Lanark – Pont 34".Maps of Scotland.Timothy Pont (16th century).Retrieved31 December2017.
  15. ^ab"Timeline of Motherwell".
  16. ^"Lanarkshire's Spanish Civil War fighters remembered".Mothwerwell Times.6 August 2020. Archived fromthe originalon 7 August 2020.Retrieved27 June2021.
  17. ^List of Mod's placesfor each year onSabhal Mòr Ostaigwebsite
  18. ^Robert Duncan (1992) "Steelopolis -The making of Motherwell c1750–1939" Motherwell District CouncilISBN0903207990
  19. ^"RAVENSCRAIG STEEL WORKS 1954 – 1992".Archived fromthe originalon 23 November 2008.Retrieved4 August2012.
  20. ^"Ravenscraig Steelworks at Railbrit.co.uk".
  21. ^"The Dalzell Steel Works Story".
  22. ^"Motherwell | Volvo Construction Equipment Global".www.volvoce.com.Retrieved14 January2022.
  23. ^"Fairtrade Towns".Archived fromthe originalon 1 February 2010.
  24. ^"Council offices".North Lanarkshire Council.Retrieved17 April2020.
  25. ^"Motherwell Concert Hall and Theatre".What's on Lanarkshire.Retrieved17 April2020.
  26. ^"Motherwell Civic Centre".Snooker.org.Retrieved17 April2020.
  27. ^Barnes, Julia (1988).Daily Mirror Greyhound Fact File.Ringpress Books. p. 419.ISBN0-948955-15-5.
  28. ^"Scotland's International Strategy: Existing Engagement between Scotland and Germany".18 September 2007.
  29. ^"Scottish Left Review".www.scottishleftreview.org.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toMotherwell.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide forMotherwell.
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