Wishaw
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Wishaw | |
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| Population | 28,565 (2001 census) |
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| OS grid reference | |
| Lieutenancy area | Lanarkshire |
| Post town | WISHAW |
| Postcode district | ML2 |
| Dial code | 01698 |
| UK Parliament | Motherwell and Wishaw |
| Scottish Parliament | Motherwell and Wishaw Central Scotland |
| List of places: UK | |
- For the village in England, see Wishaw, Warwickshire
Wishaw is a large town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is located in the Clyde Valley, 15 miles south-east of Glasgow.
The main areas of Wishaw are: Cambusnethan, Coltness (East & West), Craigneuk, Gowkthrapple, Greenhead, Netherton, Pather and Waterloo. There are two adjoining villages: Overtown and Newmains.
Wishaw has long lived in the shadow of its bigger and better known neighbour, Motherwell, with which it formed the joint large burgh in 1920, the Burgh of Motherwell and Wishaw, until its dissolution when Scottish local authorities were restructured in 1975. The Motherwell and Wishaw constituency is represented in the UK Parliament by Frank Roy MP. In the Scottish Parliament the constituency is represented by current First Minister of Scotland Jack McConnell.
In November 1996, the world's worst recorded outbreak of E.coli 0157 occurred in the town, in which 20 people died and around 200 were infected.[1]
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[edit] History
The origin of the name is uncertain. One theory is that it derives from the Latin for "Wicket gate in the wood", and that it used to be called Wygateshaw. An alternative theory is that it was originally Viashaw, meaning way or road through the wood. Yet another theory is that the name derives from "Wee Shaw", meaning small wood. Some locals call it Wishy.
The town of Wishaw itself is not very old, but settlement in the area dates back to the 12th century with the establishment of a kirk dedicated to St. Nethan by a bend ( Gaelic camus) in the Clyde. This became known as Cambusnethan, and was in use as a church until the Reformation. The site remains as a ruined burial ground, including an impressive mausoleum to Lord Belhaven, although the church is long gone.
The village itself was laid out in 1794, named Cambusnethan, and later renamed Wishawtown. On 4th September 1855, the town was incorporated with the villages of Coltness and Stewarton to form the Burgh of Wishaw, with a population of around 5,000.
[edit] People
Wishaw's contributors to Scottish culture (popular or otherwise) include:
- John Higgins, world snooker champion
- Enrico Cocozza, underground film-maker
- John Cleland, motor racing champion
- The Jolt, 1970s pop group
- Freddy Bence and Harry Bence, musical directors and big-band leaders
- The Alexander Brothers, musicians and entertainers
- Gordon Reid, actor
- Marie McLaughlin, opera singer
- Joe Baker, footballer
- Alan Fisher, journalist
- Alex Wilson, footballer
- John Gibson Lockhart, biographer and novelist
- Thomas Winning, archbishop and cardinal
- Tommy Gemmell, footballer
- Michael Moore, politician
[edit] Transport
Wishaw is served by the bus companies First, Hutchisons, McKindless, Irvines, Stuart and Coakley. Wishaw also has a railway station on the Lanark to Glasgow line (Argyle Line), with a half hourly service to places such as Motherwell, Carluke, Hamilton, Cambuslang, Bellshill and Dalmuir. It also has a twice daily service to Edinburgh Waverley. The West Coast Main Line passes through town at 115mph, but no trains stop there, in fact the main Wishaw South station on the line having been closed for almost 40 years.
[edit] Shopping
The Main Street is the predominant shopping street in Wishaw. It is mainly made up of small retailers; however there are major stores such as WH Smith, Woolworths, Tesco, Peacocks, Select, Poundland and Cash Generators. Recently, a new Subway restaurant has been opened on the Main Street. Supermarkets: Spar, Iceland and Tesco can be found in Main Street, Morrisons in Kirk Road, and Farmfoods in Russell Street. A Lidl can also be found in a street next to Main Street. A new Asda has been planned for the eastern suburb of Newmains, the land for this areas is now being cleared for construction. There is also Londis stores in Wishaw and the Somerfield closed on the 20th of April 2006.
The original Safeway on Kirk Road is now a small mall and hosts various small stalls and a cafe.
The Caledonian Centre is an out-of-town shopping complex in Glasgow Road made up of Argos, JJB Sports, Matalan, Brantano Footwear, General George, Instore and Homebase.
[edit] Sports and recreation
[edit] Nightlife/Going Out
The modern cinema closed over five years ago and is now being demolished for housing. There is a large imposing bingo hall in Kirk Road, which regularly attracts large crowds from all over west central Scotland.
The local nightclub is called Baker Street. The commercial hotel has also recently opened an over 30s nightclub, which is very popular.
Pubs include Wishaw Malt, Caledonian Bar, Harvies, Girdwoods, Sherlocks, Cross Keys, The West End and The Yard.
[edit] Sportsfields
Wishaw has a King George's Field in memorial to King George V. Wishaw also has a running track at the Wishaw Sports Centre. The sports centre also includes two swimming pools, badminton and martial arts facilities, and gymnastic equipment. There are also 5-aside astrograss pitches for football, and construction of a skatepark is planned.
Elsewhere, all-weather pitches and a children's play area behind Morrisons have been closed for a new shared campus primary school. The local council has made no announcement on whether these facilities will be replaced.
