HamiltonScottish Gaelic: Hamaltan Hamilton shown within ScotlandPopulation48,546[1] (2001 census)OS grid referenceNS712557Council areaSouth
LanarkshireLieutenancy areaLanarkshireConstituent countryScotlandSovereign stateUnited
KingdomPost
townHAMILTONPostcode districtML3Dialling code01698PoliceStrathclydeFireStrathclydeAmbulanceScottishEuropean ParliamentScotlandUK ParliamentLanark
and Hamilton EastRutherglen and Hamilton
WestScottish ParliamentHamilton SouthHamilton North and BellshillCentral
ScotlandList of places: UK • Scotland
Hamilton is
a town in South Lanarkshire, in the west-central Lowlands of Scotland.
It serves as the main administrative centre of the South
Lanarkshire council area. It is the fifth largest town (excluding
cities) in Scotland after Paisley, East
Kilbride, Livingston and Cumbernauld, and is situated 7 miles (11.3 km)
south-east of Glasgow, and 35 miles (56.3 km) south-west of Edinburgh on
the south bank of the River Clyde at its confluence with the Avon
Water.
Hamilton was the county town of Lanarkshire.
Contents [hide]
1History
2Economy
3Sport
4Entertainment
5Education
6Famous Hamiltonians
7Geography
8See also
9Town twinning
10References
11External links
11.1Tourism
11.2Other
[edit]History
The town of Hamilton was originally known as Cadzow (Middle Scots: Cadȝow, the "ȝ" being the letter yogh, pronounced Cadihou),
but was re-named in honor of James Hamilton, 1st Lord Hamilton. The
Hamilton family constructed many landmark buildings in the area
including theMausoleum in Strathclyde Park, which has the longest echo
of any building in the world.
Other
historic buildings in the area include Hamilton Old Parish Church, a
Georgian era building completed in 1734 and the only church to have been
built by William Adam. The graveyard of the old parish church contains
some Covenanter remains. The former Edwardian Town Hall now houses the
library and concert hall. The Townhouse complex underwent a sympathetic
modernization in 2002 and opened to the public in summer 2004. The ruins
of Cadzow Castle also lie in Chatelherault Country Park, two miles from
the town centre.
Hamilton
Palace was the largest non-royal residence in the Western world,
located in the north-east of the town. A former seat of the Dukes 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 by Queen Victoria, and was written about by Daniel Defoe.
Hamilton
is twinned with Châtellerault in France. This connection dates from the
16th century when the title Duc de Châtellerault was conferred on James
Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran. The Duke's hunting lodge (now in
Chatelherault Country Park), a primary school and new railway station
are named 'Chatelherault' for this reason.
To
the north of the Palace Grounds is the Low Parks Museum, housed in an
old inn and recently refurbished. The oldest building in Hamilton, the
museum, was a 16th century inn and an old staging post for journeys
between Glasgow and Edinburgh. The museum contains extensive exhibits on
Hamilton Palace and also on the local Cameronian Scottish
Rifles regiment (disbanded in 1968).
[edit]Economy
Service
industries and local government are major employers in Hamilton, as are
HSBC/First Direct and Philips, the Dutch electronics conglomerate. The
town centre has been regenerated over the last decade by creating two
new indoor shopping centres (One of them known as the Regent Shopping
Centre) 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 the M74
motorway. The creation of a circular Town Square (now the site of a
Frankie & Bennies restaurant) 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. The area is still under development
with the remainder of the indoor town centre due to be finished by early
2009.
Hamilton Townhouse & Library
Hamilton has been a Fairtrade Town since 2005.
[edit]Sport
The
area near Hamilton West railway station and Peacock Cross has also
changed with the demolition ofHamilton Academical Football Club's
original Douglas Park stadium in 1994. A retail park was built on the
site with New Douglas Park added behind it in 2001. Hamilton Academical
F.C. (the Accies) was formed in 1874 and is one of Scotland's oldest
senior clubs. It takes its name from Hamilton Academy, now
called Hamilton 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 play in the Scottish Premier League, having won
the Scottish First Division title during 2007/2008.
The Hamilton
Rugby Club can be found at the Leigh Bent sports ground, Leigh Bent
Road. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League 2.
Hamilton Park Racecourse is situated alongside the town's Bothwell Road.
Speedway
racing was staged in Hamilton between 1947 and 1955. The annual meeting
was staged as part of the annual Lanarkshire Show and featured riders
from across Scotland. The site of the track was the old ash football
pitches of Strathclyde Park – an area now covered by the town square.
There
are a number of high quality football, cricket, and rugby pitches in
the Palace Grounds area alongside the Mausoleum. Furthermore, part of
Strathclyde Park is sited within Hamilton's boundary, providing world
class water-sport facilities.
[edit]Entertainment
Hamilton
Town House Theatre is a 500 seat venue in the Cadzow Street area of the
town. It is the first cultural venue in Scotland to attain the
prestigious Quest accreditation. A multiplex Vue Cinema is located in
the redeveloped Palace Grounds area close to the Hamilton Palace
nightclub.
[edit]Education
There
are currently three comprehensive high schools in the town – Hamilton
Grammar, John Ogilvie and Holy Cross. Hamilton also has one private
school, Hamilton College, next to theHamilton Park racecourse.
Hamilton is a university town with The University of the West of Scotland campus sited on Almada Street.
[edit]Famous Hamiltonians
Charles Alston (Botanist)
Joanna
Baillie (Poet) NB Joanna Baillie is from Bothwell, five miles from
Hamilton, where a beautiful memorial may be seen in the church grounds.
Matthew Baillie (Scientist)
Jim Bett (Aberdeen & Scotland Footballer)
Jackie Bird (Broadcaster)
Laurie Brett (Eastenders Actress)
Ian Buchanan (Emmy Award Winning Actor)
Jamie Burnett (Snooker-pro)
Alexander Cairncross (Economist)
Brian Connolly (Musician)
Davie Cooper (Rangers & Scotland Footballer)
William Cullen (Physician & Chemist)
Barry Ferguson (Rangers & Scotland Captain)
Mark Gardiner (Video Gamer)
Gay Hamilton (Actress)
Paul Hartley (Celtic & Scotland Footballer)
Robin Jenkins (Novelist)
Jackie Oakes (Blackburn Rovers, Manchester City and Queen of the South F.C. footballer)
Allan Lee (Film Editor)
William Logan (Philanthropist)
Margo McDonald (Politician)
Walter McGowan (World Champion Boxer)
Mark McManus (Actor)
James MacPherson (Actor)
Paul McStay (Celtic & Scotland Footballer)
Arthur Numan (Former Dutch International Footballer, lives in Hamilton)
Phil O'Donnell (Former Motherwell, Celtic & Scotland Footballer)
Helen Orr Gordon (Swimmer)
John Roberton (Physician and controversial social reformer)
John Roberton (Obstetrician and social reformer)
Steven Fletcher (Hibernian FC)
Raymond Robertson (Politician)
Bobby Shearer (Rangers & Scotland Footballer)
Robert Stewart (Boxer, 1939 Scottish Welterweight Champion)
Jock Stein (Former Celtic & Scotland Manager)
Alison Walker (Broadcaster)
Nicol Williamson (Actor, Tony Award Nominee)
[edit]Geography
Chatelherault Hunting Lodge
Hamilton
has three railway stations, Hamilton Central, Hamilton West
& Chatelerault on the Hamilton Circlerailway line and is 22 minutes
from Glasgow.
By
road the town is to the west of the M74 motorway, the main southerly
link to England which joins the M6 just north of Carlisle.
The main route from Edinburgh is the M8, leaving at junctions 6 or 7.
Areas of Hamilton:
Avongrove
Burnbank
Barncluith
Earnock Estate
Eddlewood
Fairhill
Ferniegair
High Earnock
Hillhouse
Little Earnock
Low Waters
Meikle Earnock
Silvertonhill
Torheads Farm
West Craigs
Whitehill
Hamilton Old Parish Church
Towns and cities near Hamilton:
Glasgow 7 miles
Blantyre (borders the Burnbank,Hillhouse and Whitehill areas)
Bothwell 1 mile
Motherwell 1 mile
Strathaven 7 miles
East Kilbride 5 miles
Rutherglen 6 miles
Edinburgh 35 miles
Carlisle 75 miles
[edit]See also
Udston mining disaster
List of places in South Lanarkshire
Communication links:
Hamilton Circle Railway Line
Glasgow International Airport (25 minutes drive)
Edinburgh International Airport (35 minutes drive)
Glasgow Prestwick Airport (45 minutes drive)
[edit]Town twinning
Châtellerault, France
[edit]References
^ "Scotland's Census Results Online". Retrieved on 2009-05-03..
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