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Wishaw
  • Scottish Gaelic: [Camas Neachdain] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)
  • Scots: [Wishae/Wisha] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)
Wishaw Health Centre Street View.jpg
Wishaw Health Centre, reconstructed 2015.
Wishaw is located in North Lanarkshire
Wishaw
Wishaw
Population 30,050 (2020)
OS grid reference NS795555
• Edinburgh 31 mi (50 km)
Council area
Lieutenancy area
Country Scotland
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town WISHAW
Postcode district ML2
Dialling code 01698
Police Strathclyde
Fire Strathclyde
Ambulance Scottish
EU Parliament Scotland
UK Parliament
  • Motherwell and Wishaw
Scottish Parliament
  • Motherwell and Wishaw
List of places
UK
Scotland
55°46′27″N 03°55′06″W / 55.77417°N 3.91833°W / 55.77417; -3.91833

Wishaw (Scots: [ Wishae or Wisha ] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help) Scottish Gaelic: [ Camas Neachdain] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)) is a large town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, on the edge of the Clyde Valley, 15 miles (24 km) south-east of Glasgow city centre. The Burgh of Wishaw was formed in 1855 within Lanarkshire. it formed a joint large burgh with its neighbour Motherwell from 1920 until its dissolution when Scottish local authorities were restructured in 1975, and was then in Motherwell district within the Strathclyde region until 1996. The town is part of the Motherwell and Wishaw constituency. It has the postal code of ML2 and the dialling code 01698.

History

It is not certain how the name Wishaw came about. The town is probably named after Wishaw House, built in the woods by the South Calder Water, which was likely built some time after the selling of Coltness, Wishaw, Watstein and Stain to Hamilton of Uddsten, the predecessor to Lord Belhaven. It was probably in these days that the estate was named, "wis" being Old Scotch for water, and "shaw" meaning forest or wood. Other theories exist; one such is that it may be derived from the Scots for "Wicket gate in the wood", and that it used to be called Wygateshaw. Alternatively, it may be from the Old English for "Willow Wood". Others believe the name was originally Viashaw, meaning way or road through the wood. Yet another theory is that the name derives from "Wee Shaw", meaning small wood.

The town itself is not very old, but settlement in the area dates back to the 12th century when St. Nethan established a kirk dedicated to St. Michael by a bend (Gaelic camus) in the Clyde near what is now Netherton. The area then became known as the parish of Cambusnethan, and remained so until the Reformation. The site of the original church remains as a ruined burial ground, including an impressive mausoleum to Lord Belhaven, although the church is in an irreparable state.

The village itself was laid out in 1794, named Cambusnethan, and later renamed Wishawtown. On 4 September 1855, the town was incorporated with the villages of Coltness and Stewarton to form the Burgh of Wishaw, with a population of approximately 5,000.

One notable visitor to Wishaw in the middle of the 19th Century was the Polish composer Frédéric Chopin. In the summer of 1848 Chopin travelled to Scotland at the behest of his Scottish benefactor Miss Jane Stirling. Chopin stayed with a number of families and played concerts in both Glasgow and Edinburgh. Chopin was entertained at Wishaw house and played there for the family, the Hamiltons of Belhaven. Chopin was already gravely ill with Tubercolosis and died in the following year. It can be imagined that the damp and smoke-filled air of central Scotland would not have helped his condition.

In November 1996, the world's worst recorded outbreak of E. coli O157 occurred in the town, in which 21 people died and around 200 were infected.[1]

The Wishaw Press is the town's local newspaper, and has been serving the town for over 50 years.

People

Notable people from Wishaw include:

  • Thomas Canfield Pomphrey, architect, was born here in 1881.
  • The Alexander Brothers, musicians and entertainers
  • Joe Baker, footballer
  • Andrew Barrowman, footballer
  • John Cleland, motor racing champion
  • Enrico Cocozza, underground filmmaker
  • Colin Cramb, footballer
  • Sir Samuel Curran, physicist, inventor of the scintillation counter, and founder of Strathclyde University
  • Alan Fisher, journalist
  • Tommy Gemmell, footballer
  • Jim Graham, Washington, D.C. politician
  • Roy Henderson, footballer
  • John Higgins, world snooker champion
  • Paul Higgins, actor and writer
  • Derek Holmes, footballer
  • The Jolt, 1970s pop group
  • Lewis Macleod, footballer
  • John Gibson Lockhart, biographer and novelist
  • Stan McEwan, footballer
  • Marie McLaughlin, opera singer
  • Lee Miller, footballer
  • Michael Moore, politician
  • Deborah Orr, journalist and columnist
  • Paul Quinn, footballer
  • Charles Reid (photographer) Victorian Photographer
  • Gordon Reid, actor
  • Anne Sharp, opera singer
  • Bill Scott, rugby player
  • Alison Turriff, musician
  • Frank S. Walsh, scientist
  • Alex Wilson, footballer
  • Thomas Winning, archbishop and cardinal
  • Nicholas McDonald, Singer and runner-up of ITV's The X Factor
  • Alan Love, footballer
  • Moe Cairns, Taking Over
  • Archibald Mason, Reformed Presbyterian Minister

Transport

Location grid

Bus

The town has a comprehensive bus network operated by First Glasgow. Other smaller providers include: JMB Travel, Stuart's, Henderson Travel, Coakley and Whitelaw's. Destinations that can be reached by bus from the town include:

Historically, bus services in the Wishaw area were operated by a local company, Hutchison's. Their distinctive blue and cream buses finally gave way in 2007 to a friendly takeover by one time rival First.

Despite initially closing the Hutchison depot in Overtown upon the takeover, and moving all staff and vehicles to Blantyre, First have since launched new services in the Wishaw area, that has required the re-opening of the depot and indeed a major recruitment campaign.

Wishaw was formerly served by an intensive network of services provided by McKindless. This company was wound up in 2010 following a tax investigation. This had the potential to leave many parts of Lanarkshire without a decent public transport link as McKindless had forced many other operators to abandon routes to places such as Lanark and Shotts. However, SPT and Irvine's and First stepped in to replace most services almost straight away.

Railway

Wishaw railway station on the Argyle line (running from Lanark and Carstairs to Milngavie and Dalmuir).

A half-hourly service provided by ScotRail connects Wishaw to places such as:

Wishaw also has a second station, Shieldmuir railway station, serving the Craigneuk area of the town. There is also a twice daily service to Edinburgh Waverley.

Trains on the West Coast Main Line pass through the town at 115 mph, but no passenger service trains stop there, as the main Wishaw South railway station on the line closed in 1958.

Roads

Wishaw is on the A71, Edinburgh, Livingston and Kilmarnock road which links the town to the M74 as well as the A73 which links the town with the Borders regions and the M8.

Following a campaign by local politicians, the area is now well signposted from the nearby M8 and M74 motorways. This move was considered necessary as although the town is not considered a principal destination from either of these roads and therefore not included as standard on the signage, it is now the home to the main hospital for an area stretching right down the M74 corridor almost to the English border approximately 75 miles (120 km) away.

Airport

The nearest airport to Wishaw is Glasgow Airport at 20 miles (32 km) distant, though at 26 miles (42 km) Edinburgh Airport is not much further. Connections to both airports are only via the cities they serve as no direct public transport links are available.

Sports, restaurants and recreation

The Commercial Hotel - geograph.org.uk - 3007349
The Commercial Hotel, conjoined to the Soul Suite nightclub

Leisure and entertainments

Wishaw has a very large Mecca Bingo hall in Kirk Road. In recent years, the town has turned into a nightspot when it comes to pubs and clubs that are on offer. The Commercial Hotel has a nightclub and also a restaurant, bar and hotel, with rooms and accommodation for overnight stay. Pubs include: Girdwood's', a well established and long running live music venue https://girdwoods.co.uk/', the Cross Keys, the Waverley, and The Corner which shut down in 2012 has been replaced with the bar-restaurant Corrigans. On Stewarton Street, near the town centre, there is an Irish pub named The Cross Keys Inn. The pub regularly shows Celtic games, as the majority of its customers are supporters of the club.

Eating establishments

Wishaw is not short of eating establishments, from small local cafes to international global chains such as McDonald's. As well as the Commercial, the town is home to a Wetherspoons restaurant, known as the Wishaw Malt, directly opposite the Mecca bingo. There is an Indian buffet restaurant, known as the Pink Turban, located in the Waterloo suburb. Wishaw has a McDonald's restaurant and a KFC restaurant (both located on Glasgow Road), which opened in 2004 and 1942 respectively. The grand opening of KFC was a joyous occasion with Frank Roy MP cutting the ribbon and also being the first person in Wishaw to sample a Zinger box meal. The main street also contains two national sandwich chains, Subway and Greggs. The town is also host to a modern Scottish restaurant called Artisan, which may have one of the largest ranges of whisky in Scotland. It also has large number of independent takeaway restaurants and cafes, most of which are located in the main street. The Cafe Shabbab is located in Newmains.

A Pizza Hut opened in 2017, located on Main Street from an old Blockbuster LLC and a Domino's opened in September 2018, in a previously abandoned shop on Kirk Road.

Sports facilities

There is no professional football team in Wishaw. Many of the town's residents are followers of Rangers, Celtic and near-neighbours Motherwell. There is however a junior football team, Wishaw, which plays its home games at Beltane Park, near to the town's sports centre. There is also a large juvenile football club, Wishaw Wycombe Wanderers, who have many registered young players, playing football in age groups from Under 6s to Under 21s.

Wishaw has a King George's Field in memorial to King George V, next to the town's hospital. This small park has two full-sized football pitches as well as a swing park and play area.

To the northwest of the town, there is a large golf course.

Wishaw from the air (geograph 5719026)
Wishaw Sports Centre from the air (top centre), during winter.

The town's municipal sports centre also includes two small swimming pools, badminton and martial arts facilities and gymnastic equipment. A full-length running track is also on site along with a full-sized football pitch. Long jump pits and throwing cages are also issued within the track. There are also 5-a-side astroturf pitches for football, where many local games are held. Elsewhere, all-weather pitches and a children's play area behind Morrison's have been closed for a new shared campus primary school by St. Ignatius Primary and Wishaw Academy Primary. The local council has made no announcement on whether these facilities will be replaced.

The town previously had a large swimming pool complete with a large spectator grandstand, an underwater viewpoint and diving facilities (with boards at 1.5m, 3m and 5m). This was closed during the late 1990s to make way for a much smaller facility on the site of the town's sports centre. The reason given for this decision was the cost of maintaining such a facility for a town as small as Wishaw. Over the years it had played host to many regional swimming events and also benefited from being within walking distance of the two main secondary schools in the area as well as a host of primary schools.

Wishaw General Hospital also has a heat pool for specialist physio treatment.

Town park

Wishaw also has a town park named after Lord Belhaven, Belhaven Park. It has a swing park with plenty of climbing frames and slides, and plenty of benches. There is a pathway at the back of the park which leads through the trees and into a council estate. In March 2011, the parks play-area underwent a significant upgrade.

Geography and climate

Wishaw lies within a very populated area in North Lanarkshire, which itself is the 4th largest local authority in Scotland (based on population).

The town is located in the relatively level Central Belt area of Scotland. While there are valleys and high moors within this area, there are no hills or summits over 1,640 feet.

The climate is temperate maritime, which leads to mild but wet winters and dry humid summers. Snow is not a regular occurrence during winter months, though rain is very regular. In the summer the area benefits from unobstructed warm southwesterly winds.

Location grid


Education

At present there are three high schools in the area: Clyde Valley High School in Overtown, and Coltness High School and St Aidan's High School, both in Coltness. St. Aidan's High School serves not only Catholic pupils from Wishaw, but nearby towns such as Newmains, Shotts and Carluke. St. Aidans, therefore has the highest number of pupils at around 1,100.

Primary schools in Wishaw include Calderbridge, St. Thomas', Thornlie, St. Aidan's, Cambusnethan, St. Ignatius' and Wishaw Academy (with both the latter two schools being a joint campus).

The town does not have a university or college at present, with the nearest college being Motherwell College, based in Ravenscraig, and the University of the West of Scotland (formerly Bell College of Technology) in Hamilton being the nearest university.

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Wishaw para niños

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