Hamilton
| |
|---|---|
| Town andadministrative centre | |
    | |
  Hamilton Location withinSouth Lanarkshire | |
| Area | 16.3 km2 (6.3 sq mi) [1] |
| Population | 54,480 (2022)[2] |
| • Density | 3,342/km2 (8,660/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | NS712557 |
| • Edinburgh | 35 mi (56 km) |
| • London | 336 mi (541 km) |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | HAMILTON |
| Postcode district | ML3 |
| Dialling code | 01698 |
| Police | Scotland |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament |
|
| 55°46′37″N4°02′20″W / 55.777°N 4.039°W /55.777; -4.039 | |
Hamilton (Scots:Hamiltoun;Scottish Gaelic:Baile Hamaltan[ˈpaləˈhaməl̪ˠt̪ʰan]) is a large town inSouth Lanarkshire, Scotland. It serves as the main administrative centre of the South Lanarkshirecouncil area. It sits 10 miles (16 km) south-east ofGlasgow, 37 miles (60 km) south-west ofEdinburgh and 74 miles (120 km) north ofCarlisle. It is situated on the south bank of theRiver Clyde at its confluence with theAvon Water. Hamilton is thecounty town of thehistoric county ofLanarkshire and is the location ofthe headquarters of the modernlocal authority of South Lanarkshire.
The town itself has a population of around 55,000, which makes it the 9th largestlocality in Scotland, and anchors a definedsettlement of 84,000 (including neighbouringBlantyre,Bothwell andUddingston) which is the country's 8th largest.[2]
The town of Hamilton was originally known asCadzow orCadyou[3][4] (Middle Scots:Cadȝow), the "ȝ" being the letteryogh), pronounced /kadju/. It is an ancient settlement, possibly dating back to the days ofStrathclyde, or perhaps earlier. The Roman fort ofBothwellhaugh lies nearby. A lost medieval settlement was excavated in the 2010s near the Clyde, only around 1 mile from the current town. It is known that kings of Strathclyde did have a hunting lodge near Cadzow, and the area may have been aroyal centre during the later stages of the kingdom, as a precursor toCadzow Castle.[5]
During theWars of Scottish Independence the Hamilton family initially supported the English andWalter fitz Gilbert (the head of the Hamilton family) was governor ofBothwell Castle on behalf of the English. However, he later changed loyalty toRobert the Bruce, following theBattle of Bannockburn, and ceded Bothwell to him. For this act, he was rewarded with a portion of land which had been forfeited by the Comyns atDalserf and later the Barony and lands of Cadzow, which in time would become the town of Hamilton.[6]
Cadzow was renamed Hamilton in the time ofJames, Lord Hamilton,[4] who was married toPrincess Mary, the daughter ofKing James II. TheHamilton family themselves most likely took their name from the lands of Humbleton or Homildon inNorthumberland, or perhaps from a place nearLeicester.[7]
The Hamiltons constructed many landmark buildings in the area including theHamilton Mausoleum inStrathclyde Park, which has one of the longest reverb times of any manmade building at 15 seconds.[8] The Hamilton family are major land-owners in the area to this day.Hamilton Palace was the seat of the Dukes of Hamilton until the early-twentieth century.[4]
Other historic buildings in the area includeHamilton Old Parish Church, a Georgian era building completed in 1734 and the only church to have been built byWilliam Adam.[4] The graveyard of the old parish church contains some Covenanter remains.Hamilton Townhouse, which now houses a library and concert hall, underwent a sympathetic modernization in 2002 and opened to the public in summer 2004.[9] The ruins ofCadzow Castle also lie inChatelherault Country Park, 2 miles (3 km) from the town centre.[4]
Hamilton Palace was the largest non-royal residence in the Western world, located in the north-east of the town. A former seat of theDukes of Hamilton, it was built in 1695, subsequently much enlarged, and demolished in 1921 due to ground subsidence. It is widely acknowledged as having been one of the grandest houses in Scotland, was visited and admired byQueen Victoria, and was written about byDaniel Defoe.[10]
Hamilton Barracks was formerly the Depot of theCameronians (Scottish Rifles) and the home of the 1st Battalion of the Regiment. The Regimental Museum is part of theLow Parks Museum.[11]
The Low Parks Museum is housed in what was a 16th-century inn and a staging post for journeys between Glasgow and Edinburgh. Recently refurbished, it is the oldest building in Hamilton and is to the north of the Palace Grounds.[12]
Renowned explorer and missionaryDavid Livingstone's house still stands at 17 Burnbank Road and has a plaque about him.[13]
Hamilton is located within the Scottishcouncil area ofSouth Lanarkshire. Its local government services are provided by theunitary authority the South Lanarkshire Council, which is headquartered in Hamilton. Hamilton itself is divided between three wards, totalling 11 seats: Hamilton North and East, Hamilton West and Earnock and Hamilton South.
Hamilton is represented in theHouse of Commons by twoMembers of Parliament (MPs). The following MPs were elected from Hamilton in2019:
Hamilton is also represented in theScottish Parliament by two constituencyMSPs. The following MSPs were elected from Hamilton in2021:
Areas of Hamilton:
Nearby prominent towns and cities:
The following towns/villages directly border Hamilton:Blantyre,East Kilbride,Quarter,Strathaven,Motherwell,Bothwell,Ferniegair, Limekilnburn.
Hamilton is twinned withChâtellerault in France. This connection dates from the 16th century when the titleDuc de Châtellerault was conferred onJames Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran. The Duke's Chatelherault Hunting Lodge (now in Chatelherault Country Park), a primary school and new railway station are named 'Chatelherault' for this reason.
Service industries and local government are major employers in Hamilton. The town centre has been regenerated with new indoor shopping centres (the Regent Shopping Centre, New Cross Shopping Centre) Hamilton Retail Park and the Palace Grounds Retail Park.
Restaurants and national retail outlets are situated in a redeveloped part of the Palace Grounds that are visible upon entering the town from theM74 motorway. The creation of a circular town square has resulted in Hamilton receiving numerous town planning awards during the past decade. This development transformed the Hamilton side of Strathclyde Park, which was the original site of the Duke's palace. Hamilton has been aFairtrade Town since 2005.[15]
Hamilton has three railway stations,Hamilton Central,Hamilton West andChatelherault on theArgyle Line'sHamilton Circle. Hamilton Central is approx 25 minutes from Glasgow on theLarkhall-Dalmuir service. It was once served by theNorth British Railway, which had three stations in the area -Hamilton (NBR), Peacock Cross railway station andBurnbank.
BesideHamilton Central liesHamilton Bus Station, providing links to surrounding towns and cities, also offering an express bus toGlasgow and also some parts of England.National Express services run to London and Birmingham from this station.
Major roads in the town include theA72 running south-east toLarkhall, theA723 south toStrathaven / north-east toMotherwell, and theA724 west towardsRutherglen, while to the west atBlantyre, theA725 dual carriageway connects the area toEast Kilbride,Coatbridge and theM8. By road the town is to the west of theM74 motorway, the main southerly link to England, which joins theM6 just north ofCarlisle. The main route from Edinburgh is theM8, leaving at junctions 6 or 7.
Cycling paths run fromStrathclyde Park toChatelherault Country Park following the banks of the Clyde and Avon. These are being expanded at part of theSustransConnect2 project[16] and will make up part of theNational Cycle Route 74 which will run fromUddingston toCarlisle, Cumbria
There are currently three comprehensive high schools in the town –Hamilton Grammar,Holy Cross High School andSt.John Ogilvie High School. The formerEarnock High School merged with Blantyre High School in 2008 to createCalderside Academy. Hamilton also has one private school,Hamilton College, a Christian co-educational establishment comprising nursery, primary and high school.
There are 17 local authority primary schools in Hamilton; ninenon-denominational and eightRoman Catholic schools.[17] There are also provisions for children withAdditional Support Needs, and the Hamilton School for the Deaf.
Hamilton is a university town with TheUniversity of the West of Scotland campus formerly sited on Almada Street, but now relocated to Hamilton International Technology Park in High Blantyre.
Hamilton Academical Football Club (the Accies) was formed in 1874 and is one of Scotland's oldest senior clubs. It takes its name from Hamilton Academy, now calledHamilton Grammar School, the oldest school in the town (founded 1588). It is the only professional football team in the UK to originate from a school team and they currently play in theScottish League One. Their stadium isNew Douglas Park, built in 2001 near the site of the former groundDouglas Park (which was demolished in 1994 to make way for a retail park).
Hamilton Rugby Club is based at the Laigh Bent sports ground, Bent Road. They currently play inTennent's National League Division Three.
Hamilton Park Racecourse, a horseracing, wedding and event venue, is located in the town.[18]
Hamilton's Ice Rink hosts facilities for ice skating, curling, ice hockey and squash to both the general public and competitive teams.[19]
SLC Leisure has a number of facilities based in Hamilton. There are three council run Leisure Centres which comprise gyms, swimming pools, fitness classes and more[20] Hamilton Palace Sports Grounds[21] provide the town with rugby, cricket, tennis, football and bowling areas. Strathclyde Park Golf Centre driving range and 9-hole course is based in Hamilton,[22] while the Hamilton Golf Club (dating from 1892) is situated across theAvon Water in nearbyFerniegair.
The town is also home to several large gym chains, such asDavid Lloyd formerly (Virgin Active Health Club), which hosted the tennis at the 2011International Children's Games.
Speedway racing was staged in Hamilton for one off shows from 1947 to 1955 on the old ash football pitches of Strathclyde Park (now covered by the town square).[23]
Hamilton Townhouse Theatre is a 712-seat venue in the Cadzow Street area of the town. It is the first cultural venue in Scotland to attain the Quest accreditation.[citation needed] A multiplex Vue Cinema is located in the redeveloped Palace Grounds area close to the ROC nightclub.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
