Motherwell ( sco, Mitherwall, gd, Tobar na Màthar) is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

and former

burgh A burgh is an autonomous municipal corporation in Scotland and Northern England, usually a city, town, or toun in Scots. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burg ...

in North Lanarkshire,

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, United Kingdom, south east of

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

. It has a population of around 32,120.

Historically History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

in the parish of

Dalziel Dalziel, Dalzell or Dalyell ( ) is a Scottish surname. Pronunciation The unintuitive spelling of the name is due to it being an anglicisation of Scottish Gaelic ''Dail-gheal'', meaning bright dale. The sound now spelled with a or is historica ...

and part of

Lanarkshire Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark ( gd, Siorrachd Lannraig; sco, Lanrikshire), is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the central Lowlands of Scotland. Lanarkshire is the most populous county in Scotlan ...

, Motherwell is the headquarters for North Lanarkshire Council. Geographically the

River Clyde The River Clyde ( gd, Abhainn Chluaidh, , sco, Clyde Watter, or ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. It is the ninth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third-longest in Scotland. It runs through the major cit ...

separates Motherwell from

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

to the west whereas the

South Calder Water The South Calder Water, known locally as "The Cawder", or simply "Calder", is a river in Scotland. It runs west from the high plateau between Shotts and Fauldhouse to its joining with the much larger River Clyde. The high plateau is also the wa ...

separates Motherwell from Carfin to the north-east and New Stevenston and

Bellshill Bellshill (pronounced "Bells hill") is a town in North Lanarkshire in Scotland, southeast of Glasgow city centre and west of Edinburgh. Other nearby localities are Motherwell to the south, Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Hamilton to the south ...

towards the north. Motherwell is also geographically attached to

Wishaw Wishaw ( sco, Wishae or Wisha ; gd, Camas Neachdain) is a large town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, on the edge of the Clyde Valley, south-east of Glasgow city centre. The Burgh of Wishaw was formed in 1855 within Lanarkshire. it formed ...

and the two towns form a large urban area in North Lanarkshire, with both towns having similar populations and strong community ties.

History

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

road through central Scotland ran along Motherwell's side of the

, crossing the

near

Bothwellhaugh Bothwellhaugh was a Scottish coal mining village housing Hamilton Palace Colliery workers and their families. Locals referred to the village as The Pailis. It was located near to the towns of Motherwell, Bellshill and Hamilton in Lanarksh ...

. At this crossing a fort and bath house were erected, but the Roman presence in Scotland did not last much later than this. Motherwell's location in the

Scottish Lowlands The Lowlands ( sco, Lallans or ; gd, a' Ghalldachd, , place of the foreigners, ) is a cultural and historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Lowlands and the Highlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowl ...

means that it would have been inhabited by the Britons. Motherwell's name reportedly comes from a well, the Lady Well, formerly dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The site of this well is now marked by a plaque on Ladywell Road. The name "Moderwelt" appears on a map of Lanarkshire made by

Timothy Pont Rev Timothy Pont (c. 1560–c.1627) was a Scottish minister, cartographer and topographer. He was the first to produce a detailed map of Scotland. Pont's maps are among the earliest surviving to show a European country in minute detail, from an a ...

some time between 1583 and 1611 and printed in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

in around 1652. 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,

Jerviston Jerviston is a country estate on the north-eastern edge of the Scottish town of Motherwell in North Lanarkshire which is now occupied by ''Colville Park Country Club''. The estate was once the location of a small castle (Laird's House) construc ...

house. 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 connecting

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

with

and 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 1881 David Colville had 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. By the end of the 19th century

Motherwell Town Hall Motherwell Town Hall is a municipal facility in Hamilton Road, Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The town hall, which was the headquarters of the Burgh of Motherwell and Wishaw Council, is a Category C listed building. History In the mi ...

and

Dalziel High School Dalziel High School is a non-denominational secondary school in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The head teacher is Jaclyn Martin. Overview Dalziel High School was founded in 1898. James K. Scobbie, Rector from 1957 until 1974, greatly ...

had been built, the local football club had 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 become

Ravenscraig Ravenscraig is a village and new town, located in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, around 1½ miles east of Motherwell. Ravenscraig was formerly the site of Ravenscraig steelworks; once the largest hot strip steel mill in western Europe, the st ...

. 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. 40 locals from Lanarkshire travelled to become volunteers of the International Brigades to fight for the Republican cause in the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

. The Spanish Civil War memorial in Duchess Park in Motherwell commemorates them. 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 lost British Steel Corporation important contracts and markets, followed by the closure of important local customers such as the Linwood car factory and

Bathgate Bathgate ( sco, Bathket or , gd, Both Chèit) is a town in West Lothian, Scotland, west of Livingston and adjacent to the M8 motorway. Nearby towns are Armadale, Blackburn, Linlithgow, Livingston, West Calder and Whitburn. Situated sout ...

truck factory, Ravenscraig employed only 3,200 people by the end of the 1980s. 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 from

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...

into 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 and

are now effectively one continuous urban area, although the towns remain distinct.

Culture

Motherwell hosted the National Mòd in 1983.List of Mod's places
for each year on

Sabhal Mòr Ostaig Sabhal Mòr Ostaig () (Great Barn of Ostaig) is a public higher education college situated in the Sleat peninsula in the south of the Isle of Skye, with an associate campus at Bowmore on the island of Islay, Ionad Chaluim Chille Ìle (the ...

website

Strathclyde Park Strathclyde Country Park is a country park located on the outskirts of Motherwell in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, named after the former Strathclyde region of Scotland. It is often commonly referred to as Strathclyde, or simply Strathy. Des ...

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. 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

Motherwell is the headquarters for both North Lanarkshire Council, which is one of Scotland's most populous local authority areas, and of

Police Scotland Police Scotland ( gd, Poileas Alba), officially the Police Service of Scotland (), is the national police force of Scotland. It was formed in 2013, through the merging of eight regional police forces in Scotland, as well as the specialist service ...

"Q" division. These organisations cover an overall population of 327,000 people (59,000 in Motherwell and

) throughout the of North Lanarkshire. Motherwell was noted as the steel production capital of Scotland, nicknamed ''Steelopolis'',Robert Duncan (1992) "Steelopolis -The making of Motherwell c1750–1939" Motherwell District Council home of David Colville & Sons during the 19th and 20th centuries, with its

skyline A skyline is the outline or shape viewed near the horizon. It can be created by a city’s overall structure, or by human intervention in a rural setting, or in nature that is formed where the sky meets buildings or the land. City skylines ...

later dominated by the

water tower A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system, distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towe ...

and three

cooling tower A cooling tower is a device that rejects waste heat to the atmosphere through the cooling of a coolant stream, usually a water stream to a lower temperature. Cooling towers may either use the evaporation of water to remove process heat and ...

s of their Ravenscraig steelworks which closed in 1992. The Ravenscraig plant had one of the longest continuous casting,

hot rolling In metalworking, rolling is a metal forming process in which metal stock is passed through one or more pairs of rolls to reduce the thickness, to make the thickness uniform, and/or to impart a desired mechanical property. The concept is simil ...

, 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 Tata Steel Europe Ltd. (formerly Corus Group plc) was a steelmaking company headquartered in London, England, with its main operations in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. The company was created in 2007, when Tata Group took over the ...

. 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 centre A call centre ( Commonwealth spelling) or call center (American spelling; see spelling differences) is a managed capability that can be centralised or remote that is used for receiving or transmitting a large volume of enquiries by telephone. ...

s and

business park A business park or office park is a designated area of land in which many office buildings are grouped together. These types of developments are often located in suburban areas where land and building costs are more affordable, and are typically ...

s such as Strathclyde Business Park have since set up in the region. Large employers include

William Grant & Sons William Grant & Sons Ltd is an independent, family-owned Scottish company that distills Scotch whisky and other selected categories of spirits. It was established in 1887 by William Grant, and is run by Grant's descendants as of 2018. It is the ...

whisky distillers and the

heavy equipment Heavy equipment or heavy machinery refers to heavy-duty vehicles specially designed to execute construction tasks, most frequently involving earthwork operations or other large construction tasks. ''Heavy equipment'' usually comprises five e ...

manufacturer

Volvo Construction Equipment Volvo Construction Equipment - Volvo CE - (originally Munktells, Bolinder-Munktell, Volvo BM) is a major international company that develops, manufactures and markets equipment for construction and related industries. It is a subsidiary and busine ...

/Rokbak. Motherwell has been a Fairtrade Town since January 2007.

Transport

Railway

The town has three stations, a main railway station (known simply as Motherwell), and . The main station runs on the West Coast Main Line from

to London and on the East Coast Main Line via

and Newcastle, and is located next to Motherwell Shopping Centre. National train operators; Avanti West Coast,

CrossCountry CrossCountry (legal name XC Trains Limited) is a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by Arriva UK Trains, operating the Cross Country franchise. The CrossCountry franchise was restructured by the Department for Transport (DfT) ...

and TransPennine 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 Railway London North Eastern Railway (LNER) is a British train operating company. It is owned by the DfT OLR Holdings for the Department for Transport (DfT). The company's name echoes that of the London and North Eastern Railway, one of the Big Four ...

also provide a direct daily service between

London King's Cross King's Cross railway station, also known as London King's Cross, is a passenger railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden, on the edge of Central London. It is in the London station group, one of the busiest stations in the United King ...

and Glasgow Central that stops at Motherwell. The smaller station in the Airbles suburb of Motherwell only runs on the line to via low level and ; however, it is closer to the Civic Centre and Fir Park stadium 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 of

Hurst Nelson Hurst, Nelson and Company Ltd was a railway rolling stock manufacturer based in Motherwell, Scotland. The company also built many railway wagons, as well as trams and trolleybus carosseries for several local authorities. Products Glasgow Subway ...

was a major railway rolling stock manufacturer based in the town. The company built trains for the

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent ceremonial counties of England, counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and He ...

, and tramcars, as well as vehicles for main line railways.

Roads

Motherwell is very accessible, as it is right next to the

M74 motorway The A74(M) and M74 form a major motorway in Scotland, connecting it to England. The routes connect the M8 motorway in central Glasgow to the Scottish-English border at Gretna. In conjunction with their southward continuation, the M6 motorwa ...

beside the

. This road leads to

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumb ...

on the Anglo-Scottish border, where it becomes the M6. It is also about 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

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

First First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

(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: *

East Kilbride East Kilbride (; gd, Cille Bhrìghde an Ear ) is the largest town in South Lanarkshire in Scotland and the country's sixth-largest locality by population. It was also designated Scotland's first new town on 6 May 1947. The area lies on a rais ...

* Coatbridge * Airdrie *

Carluke Carluke (; gd, Cathair MoLuaig) is a town that lies in the heart of the Lanarkshire countryside in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, northwest of Lanark and southeast of Wishaw. Carluke is largely a commuting town, with a variety of small stores ...

* Lanark * Larkhall * Law * Shotts The three acute hospitals in Lanarkshire can also be reached by bus from Motherwell: * University Hospital Wishaw *

University Hospital Hairmyres University Hospital Hairmyres is a district general hospital in the Hairmyres neighbourhood of East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The hospital serves one of the largest elderly populations in Scotland. It is managed by NHS Lanarkshire. ...

* University Hospital Monklands

Nearest airports

Since the M74 Extension has been completed, access to Glasgow Airport has become easier. The airport is approximately away from Motherwell. Edinburgh Airport is further away, at , and can be reached by the M8.

Places of interest

As well as the town's Country Park, The

North Lanarkshire Heritage Centre The North Lanarkshire Heritage Centre is a four star heritage centre located near the town centre of Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The centre is seen as the main repository for archives and modern records for the whole of North Lanark ...

, 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 Civic Centre Motherwell Civic Centre is a municipal building in Windmillhill Street in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The building, which is the headquarters of North Lanarkshire Council, is a Category B listed building. History The facility was c ...

is the headquarters of North Lanarkshire Council (since 1996, previously the offices of

Motherwell District Council Motherwell ( sco, Mitherwall, gd, Tobar na Màthar) is a town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Historically in the parish of Dalziel and part of Lanarks ...

within the Strathclyde region since 1975). A number of

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...

s and musicals have taken place in the concert hall and theatre within the complex. As well as this, top-level

snooker Snooker (pronounced , ) is a cue sports, cue sport played on a Billiard table#Snooker and English billiards tables, rectangular table covered with a green cloth called baize, with six Billiard table#Pockets 2, pockets, one at each corner and o ...

(the

Scottish Masters The Scottish Masters, often known by its sponsored names, the Lang's Scottish Masters or the Regal Scottish Masters, was a non-ranking professional snooker tournament held every year from 1981 until 2002, with the exception of 1988. The tourn ...

event) was also held there. The

Dalzell House Dalzell House ( ) is a historic house in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is located to the south of the town, on the north bank of the River Clyde. At its core is a 15th-century tower house, with extensive additions built during th ...

is a building that is situated to the south of the town, right on the banks of the

. 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

Motherwell Cathedral

The Cathedral Church of Our Lady of Good Aid, popularly known as

Motherwell Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Our Lady of Good Aid, popularly known as Motherwell Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is the seat of the Bishop of Motherwell, and mother church of the Dioces ...

, is a Roman Catholic cathedral which is the Mother Church of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Motherwell The Roman Catholic Diocese of Motherwell ( la, Dioecesis Matrisfontis, links=no) is an ecclesiastical diocese of the Catholic Church in Scotland. The diocese, which was erected on 25 May 1947 by Pope Pius XII from the Archdiocese of Glasgow, ...

. It is the seat of the Bishop of Motherwell and its current bishop is

Joseph Toal Joseph Anthony Toal (born 13 October 1956) is a Scottish Roman Catholic bishop. On 29 April 2014 he was named by Pope Francis as the fifth Bishop of Motherwell, having served as Bishop of Argyll and the Isles since 2008. Biography Born in Roy ...

. The cathedral is open to the public most days. It is used as a venue for performances of the Motherwell Diocesan Choir.

Education

Primary schools

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

Dalziel High School, Motherwell - geograph

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 Lee Henry McCulloch (born 14 May 1978) is a Scottish professional football coach and former player. He is the first team assistant manager at Scottish Premiership club Heart of Midlothian. McCulloch was capped on eighteen occasions by the Sc ...

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 Gary McAllister MBE (born 25 December 1964) is a Scottish professional football coach and former player. McAllister played primarily as a midfielder in a career spanning over nineteen years. He started his career at local side Motherwell b ...

and

Tam Cowan Thomas Cowan (born 21 April 1969) is a Scottish football journalist and radio presenter who was previously also a television presenter. Early life He was educated at Braidhurst High School in Motherwell where he was one of the school captains. ...

(comedian and writer). Our Lady's High School is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

secondary located in Dalzell Drive, near

Fir Park Stadium Fir Park Stadium is a football stadium situated in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The stadium plays host to the home matches of Scottish Premiership club Motherwell and was the temporary home of Gretna for the 2007–08 SPL season. Mo ...

. 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 include

Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...

footballer and

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

manager Sir Matt Busby, Celtic F.C. footballer Billy McNeill, Derby County footballer Stephen Pearson, Celtic F.C. footballer

Kieran Tierney Kieran Tierney (born 5 June 1997) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a left-back or centre-back for Premier League club Arsenal and the Scotland national team. Tierney came through the Celtic youth system and made his first t ...

and Motherwell F.C. footballer

Chris Cadden Christopher Cadden (born 19 September 1996) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Scottish Premiership club Hibernian. Cadden, who is a product of the Motherwell Academy, made his first full international appearan ...

. Other secondary schools in the Motherwell area (though outside the boundaries of the town itself) include

Brannock High School Brannock High School is a non-denominational, co-educational comprehensive secondary school in Newarthill, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is situated on Loanhead Road. Feeder schools The school catchment area takes in Carfin, Holytown, New S ...

Newarthill Newarthill is a village in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, situated roughly three miles north-east of the town of Motherwell. It has a population of around 6,200. Most local amenities are shared with the adjacent villages of Carfin, Holytown and Ne ...

, 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 gd, Siorrachd Lannraig a Deas , image_skyline = , image_flag = , image_shield = Arms_slanarkshire.jpg , image_blank_emblem = Slanarks.jpg , blank_emblem_type = Council logo , image_map ...

Further education

There is a Further Education college in Motherwell, known as

New College Lanarkshire New College Lanarkshire is a further education institution in Scotland in North Lanarkshire. The college was created in November 2013 from the merger of Cumbernauld College and Motherwell College, and in 2014 it absorbed Coatbridge College. It ...

. This was located next to Our Lady's High School in Dalzell Drive, though in 2009 relocated to

, 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

Football

Motherwell Football Club Motherwell Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, which plays in the Scottish Premiership. Motherwell have not dropped out of the top-flight of Scottish football since 1985, and have lif ...

was established in 1886. Known as the "Steelmen" because of the history of steel making in the area, they play in the

Scottish Premiership The Scottish Premiership, known as the cinch Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish ...

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":

Rangers A Ranger is typically someone in a military/paramilitary or law enforcement role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called “ranging”. The term most often refers to: * Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with protecting and ...

and

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

. 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 the Scottish 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 the

1990–91 Scottish Cup The 1990–91 Scottish Cup was the 106th staging of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. The Cup was won by Motherwell who defeated Dundee United F.C. in the final. First round Replays Second round Replays Third rou ...

, when they beat Dundee United 4–3 in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

. Motherwell have qualified for European football several times in recent seasons, usually competing in the qualifying rounds of the

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...

. It has been reported that the famous

Viking Thunder Clap The Viking Thunder Clap or Viking Clap is a football chant, consisting of a loud shout and a clap in unison, which is then repeated initially several seconds later and gradually speeding up over time. The chant has been performed by fans of a numb ...

originated from Motherwell F.C. and was passed onto Icelandic football club Stjarnan when they played them in a

Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...

game in 2014.

Speedway

Motherwell hosted motorcycle speedway racing at two venues. In 1930 and 1932 racing took place at Airbles Road which would soon be called the

Clyde Valley Greyhound Track Clyde Valley Greyhound Track was a greyhound racing track on Airbles Road, Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The racecourse was situated between Airbles Road and Hamilton Road on the edge of Logans Plantation (now Strathclyde Country Par ...

and the 1930

speedway Speedway may refer to: Racing Race tracks *Edmonton International Speedway, also known as Speedway Park, a former motor raceway in Edmonton, Alberta *Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a motor raceway in Speedway, Indiana Types of races and race cours ...

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 at the then newly constructed Parkneuk Sports Stadium in Milton Street. The

Lanarkshire Eagles Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark ( gd, Siorrachd Lannraig; sco, Lanrikshire), is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the central Lowlands of Scotland. Lanarkshire is the most populous county in Scotlan ...

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 Joseph Cameron Crowther (27 April 1913 – 22 February 1991) was an English motorcycle speedway rider who had his greatest success in the period immediately after World War II. Career Crowther was born in Stanley, County Durham on 27 April 19 ...

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 Gordon Roy McGregor, (September 26, 1901 – March 3, 1971) was a Canadian businessman and the first president of Air Canada. Early life Born in Montreal, Quebec, he graduated from McGill University in 1923 with a degree in engineering. F ...

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 George Noel Watson (1884–1980) known as Noel was a manager and later the secretary of Nottingham Forest. Watson was also a referee who took charge of the 1925 FA Cup Final between Sheffield United and Cardiff City at Wembley. He also refereed ...

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

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 Ashfield Giants were a motorcycle speedway team based at Saracen Park, Glasgow, Scotland between 1949 and 1953. The track operated on an open licence in 1953 and were reformed for a one of season during the 2000 Speedway Conference League. Hist ...

and Australia) in 1949 and Jack Young ( Edinburgh Monarchs and Australia) in 1950 and 1951.

Greyhound racing

Motherwell had two greyhound tracks in the town. The first opened in 1932 and was called the

, it was located on Airbles Road and closed in 1959. The second was the Parkneuk Sports Stadium near Milton Street and was opened in 1949 but closed in 1972.

Rugby union

Dalziel Rugby Club play at

Dalziel Park Dalziel Park is an area located between the villages of Carfin, Cleland, North Lanarkshire, Cleland and Newarthill in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. Other nearby settlements include the large town of Motherwell and the new town of Ravenscraig. T ...

(formerly Cleland Estate) between the villages of Carfin and Cleland (both near Motherwell).

Cycling

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

Motherwell has a

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

based within the town, the Colville Park Golf Club, based at Jerviston Estate, on the former site of

House (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

The Motherwell Hockey Club and Dalziel High School Former Pupils (D.H.S.F.P) Ladies Hockey Club are

field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ci ...

clubs based at the astroturf hockey pitches in Dalziel Park.

Athletics

Athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competiti ...

is 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 recently

Ravenscraig Sports Centre The Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility is a public leisure centre that is located in the Ravenscraig area of Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. History The sports facility first came to attention when plans were being drawn up to form a ...

, with the latter containing a top-class indoor athletics track. The sports facility in the new town of

hosts athletic events and was one of the main venues for the 2011

International Children's Games The International Children's Games (ICG) is an International Olympic Committee-sanctioned event held every year where children from cities around the world and between the ages of 12 and 15 participate in a variety of sports and cultural activitie ...

Strathclyde Park

Recreation

Strathclyde Country Park Strathclyde Country Park is a country park located on the outskirts of Motherwell in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, named after the former Strathclyde region of Scotland. It is often commonly referred to as Strathclyde, or simply Strathy. De ...

contains many sport and leisure facilities and also has sites for bird-watchers and anglers. As well as the

M&D's M&D's Scotland's Theme Park is an amusement park located in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. Bordering on Strathclyde Park, the park contains four operating rollercoasters, two water rides, several fairground rides, an arcade, a thea ...

theme park, there are

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the ''plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (see ...

and grass areas that are popular for picnicking and walks. Excavations in the park have revealed a site of

archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

interest including a

mosaic A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...

, Roman bath house and bridge (currently closed for health and safety reasons). The park is on the site of the former mining village,

, and much of the town was submerged after it was abandoned.

Major events

The park was a venue for the

2014 Commonwealth Games The 2014 Commonwealth Games ( gd, Geamannan a' Cho-fhlaitheis 2014), officially known as the XX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Glasgow 2014, ( sco, Glesca 2014 or Glesga 2014; gd, Glaschu 2014), was an international multi-sport ev ...

and the 2011

. It hosted the

triathlon A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of Swimming (sport), swimming, Cycle sport, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the t ...

event in both. It was previously a venue for the rowing events at the 1986 Commonwealth Games.

Town twinning

* Schweinfurt, Germany *

Motherwell, Eastern Cape Motherwell is a township in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It forms part of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality which is the metropolitan area comprising Port Elizabeth, Despatch, Uitenhage and other surrounding towns ...

, South Africa

Notable people

Iain Bonomy, Lord Bonomy Iain Bonomy, Lord Bonomy, (born 15 January 1946) is a former Senator of the College of Justice, a judge of the Supreme Courts of Scotland, sitting in the High Court of Justiciary and the Inner House of the Court of Session from 2010 to 2012. Fr ...

–

Senator of the College of Justice The senators of the College of Justice are judges of the College of Justice, a set of legal institutions involved in the administration of justice in Scotland. There are three types of senator: Lords of Session (judges of the Court of Session); ...

, attended Dalziel High *

William Clamp William Charles Clamp VC (28 October 1892 – 9 October 1917) was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces ...

– recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

* Jim Conacher – retired ice hockey player who played 324 NHL games for the

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

, and

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...

– sports journalist * Gordon Dalziel – former footballer and manager, formerly of Raith Rovers * The Delgados – former indie rock band from Motherwell * Alan Fisher – broadcast journalist working for international news channel,

Al Jazeera English Al Jazeera English (AJE; ar, الجزيرة‎, translit=al-jazīrah, , literally "The Peninsula", referring to the Qatar Peninsula) is an international 24-hour English-language news channel owned by the Al Jazeera Media Network, which is own ...

* Tommy Gemmell – former footballer, formerly of

and best known as one of the

Lisbon Lions The Lisbon Lions is the nickname given to the Celtic team that won the European Cup at the Estádio Nacional in Lisbon, Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose ma ...

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

and Scottish international footballer * Alexander Gibson – Principal Conductor of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (1959–1984) * Paul Higgins – actor, best known as Jamie MacDonald in '' The Thick of It'' and '' In The Loop'' * Hamish Imlach – folk singer; lived in Muirhouse, Motherwell *

Margaret Jarvie Margaret Jarvie (née Bolton; 20 January 1928 – 15 April 2004) was a Scottish swimmer and counsellor. She taught at the University of Edinburgh's Moray House. Biography Jarvie was born on 20 January 1928 in Motherwell, to fishmongers Ka ...

– swimmer and counsellor *

The LaFontaines The LaFontaines are a rock band from Motherwell, Scotland. Their line up consists of Kerr Okan (vocals), Jamie Keenan (drums, vocals) and Darren McCaughey (guitars, production). The band was formed in 2008 and have released three studio albums: ...

– band founded by Kerr Okan, Darren McCaughey, Jamie Keenan, Anna Smith and Iain Findlay *

Scott Leitch Donald Scott Leitch (born 6 October 1969) is a Scottish former football player and coach, who played as a midfielder. He played professionally for Dunfermline Athletic, Heart of Midlothian, Swindon Town and Motherwell, and managed Ross Count ...

– former footballer, formerly of

Motherwell Motherwell ( sco, Mitherwall, gd, Tobar na Màthar) is a town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Historically in the parish of Dalziel and part of Lanarks ...

* Katie Leung – stage and screen actress whose roles include the ''Harry Potter'' film series and the BBC miniseries ''

One Child ''One Child'' is a memoir by American author and psychologist Torey Hayden. It was first published in the United States in 1980, becoming a best seller in the 00s. This book has been translated into 27 languages and dramatized as an interacti ...

'' *

Eddie Linden Edward Sean Linden (born John Edward Glackin; 5 May 1935) is a Scottish poet, literary magazine editor and political activist. From 1969 to 2004, he published and edited the poetry magazine ''Aquarius'', which, according to ''The Irish Post'', m ...

– poet and magazine editor *

Ethel MacDonald Camelia Ethel MacDonald (24 February 1909 – 1 December 1960) was a Glasgow-based Scottish anarchist, activist, and 1937, Spanish Civil War broadcaster on pro-Republican, anti-Fascist Barcelona radio. Early years Camelia Ethel McDonald wa ...

– anarchist who was active in Barcelona during the Spanish Civil War * Walton Newbold (8 May 1888 – 20 February 1943) – first Communist Party MP to be elected in the United Kingdom *

Deborah Orr Deborah Jane Orr (23 September 1962 – 19 October 2019) was a British journalist who worked for ''The Guardian'', ''The Independent'' and other publications. Early life and education Orr was born on 23 September 1962 to Winifred "Win" and John ...

– journalist *

Nan Rae A. W. "Nan" Rae (born 13 January 1944) is a Scottish former competitive swimmer. Swimming career She won a bronze medal in the women's 400-metre freestyle at the 1958 European Aquatics Championships. She finished sixth in the same event at the ...

– former swimmer; competed at the

1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ( it, Giochi della XVII Olimpiade) and commonly known as Rome 1960 ( it, Roma 1960), were an international multi-sport event held ...

Douglas Miller Reid Douglas Miller Reid (1897–1959) was a 20th-century Scottish schoolmaster and noted amateur botanist and botanical author. Life He was born in Motherwell on 25 November 1897 and educated at Motherwell Academy. In 1918, aged only 21, he be ...

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

FLS FZS (1897–1959) – teacher at

Harrow School (The Faithful Dispensation of the Gifts of God) , established = (Royal Charter) , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school , religion = Church of E ...

and noted botanical author *

Ian St. John John "Ian" St John (; 7 June 1938 – 1 March 2021) was a Scottish professional association football, football player, coach and broadcaster. St John played as a Forward (association football), forward for Liverpool F.C., Liverpool throughout mo ...

– former Scottish international footballer, formerly of

and

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

* Anne Sharp – opera singer * Andy Thomson – former footballer, formerly of Queen of the South *

Doogie White Douglas "Doogie" White (born 7 March 1960) is a Scottish rock vocalist who currently sings for La Paz and Alcatrazz. He has also notably sung for Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force, Praying Mantis and Tank. Early li ...

– rock vocalist, singer for Rainbow,

Michael Schenker Group The Michael Schenker Group (often abbreviated as MSG) are a guitar-oriented hard rock band, formed in London in 1979 by former Scorpions and UFO guitarist Michael Schenker. In 1986, Schenker and vocalist Robin McAuley formed the McAuley Schenke ...

and other bands

References

External links

*
North Lanarkshire Council

''Motherwell Times'' newspaper

North Lanarkshire Heritage Centre

Motherwell Information and Facts
{{Authority control Towns in North Lanarkshire Burghs