| Hamilton, South Lanarkshire |
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Hamilton ( in central Scotland . The administrative centre of South Lanarkshire , Hamilton sits on the junction of Avon Water and the River Clyde . The town was originally named Cadzow and was re-named in honour of the Duke Of Hamilton . The Hamilton family built many of the existing landmark buildings in the area including the Mausoleum and their hunting lodge in Chatelherault Country Park , which is at Ferniegair on the outskirts of Hamilton. Until 1900 they lived in the Hamilton Palace , one of the most elegant houses in the United Kingdom . Unfortunately, coal mining caused severe subsidence and the palace was demolished. (It is thought by some local historians that the subsidence was in fact a cover story and that it was actually demolished for financial reasons.) Nowadays the Hamilton Palace refers to the town's only nightclub. The 2001 Census recorded a population of 48,546 in Hamilton and the town is twinned with Châtellerault in France . This connection dates from the 16th century when the title Duc De Châtellerault was conferred on James Hamilton . There is still a vast park in Hamilton called Châtellerault Country Park. This park incorporates the hunting lodge of several Dukes More recently the town has become a seat of power for local government. The Edwardian Town Hall building sits overlooking Cadzow Street and now houses the library and Townhouse concert hall. The high-rise County Buildings on Almada Street tower over the area as the seat of South Lanarkshire council. Other historic buildings include Hamilton Old Parish Church - a fine Georgian Building ( 1734 ), the only church to have been built by the architect William Adam . The ruins of Cadzow Castle also lie in a country park outside the town. Hamilton town centre has been regenerated over the last decade by creating an indoor shopping centre on Regent Way and the Palace Grounds Retail Park and leisure facilities. This development transformed the Hamilton side of Strathclyde Park , the original site of the Duke's palace and, in the mid-1990s, T In The Park , Scotland's main music festival (which now takes place in Perthshire ). The creation of a circular Town Square on the edge of the town and the mixture of artworks leading to it have been controversial. The most infamous of these was the constantly-vandalised glass clocktower in the Town Square which has now been taken down and moved to another area in the county. Many of Hamilton's main facilities have been moved out of it's traditional town centre to the Palace Grounds including the Vue (formerly SBC) cinema and large Asda store visible from the M74 Motorway . To the north of these is the Low Parks Museum, housed in an old inn and recently refurbished. The museum contains extensive exhibits on Hamilton Palace , and also on the local Cameronian Scottish Rifles regiment (disbanded in 1968). The area near Hamilton West Railway Station and Peacock Cross has also changed with the demolition of Hamilton 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 Accies were formed in 1874 and are one of Scotland's oldest senior clubs. They take their name from Hamilton Academy, now called Hamilton Grammar, the oldest school in the town. Many Hamilton primary and secondary schools are being rebuilt or refurbished during 2005/6. This includes the controversial closure of Earnock secondary school, which is being merged with Blantrye High. This leaves three high schools - the Grammar and the two denominational schools, John Ogilvie and Holy Cross. Hamilton also has one private school - Hamilton College, a Christian school on Bothwell Road, next to the modernised Hamilton Park racecourse. It is host to a nursery as well as both a primary and secondary school. Bell College - Hamilton's only Tertiary Education college - has its campus nearby, behind its main building on Almada Street. On February 7, 2005, Hamilton was granted Fairtrade Town status. Areas of Hamilton: Burnbank , Cadzow , Eddlewood , Fairhill , High Earnock , Earnock Hillhouse , Laighstonehall , Little Earnock , Low Waters , Meikle Earnock , Silvertonhill , Udston , and Whitehill . Towns near Hamilton: Communication Links: LOCATION AND GETTING THERE Hamilton is on the Hamilton Circle Railway line and can be reached in 30 minutes from Glasgow Central Station . By road it is to the west of the M74 motorway, which is the main southerly link to England . From Edinburgh and the northern areas of Scotland Hamilton is reached via the M8 Motorway which connects to the M74 at Uddingston . The nearest commercial airport is Glasgow International Airport . HAMILTON DISTRICT
During the 1975–1996 period Hamilton lent its name to a Local Government District (Hamilton District) within the Strathclyde Region . TOWN TWINNING REFERENCES |
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