(
Scots ''Wishae'') 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: .
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 Ex-
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.
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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.
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 , 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 . On
September 4 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.
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
Wishaw is served by the bus companies First, 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, though the main Wishaw South station on the line closed almost 40 years ago. Wishaw is also on the A71 to
Edinburgh ,
Livingston and
Kilmarnock .
The Main Street is the predominant shopping street in Wishaw. It is mainly made up of small retailers, although there are major stores. There are many supermarkets in the area, with a new
Asda store currently being constructed in the eastern suburb of
Newmains and due to be opened in early 2008. A new
Tesco is also currently under construction adjacent to the railway station.
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 consisting of other national store chains, such as
Argos and
Homebase .
The modern cinema closed over five years ago and the site has been purchest by supermarket Aldi. There is a large
Bingo hall in Kirk Road.
The local nightclub is called Baker Street.The commercial hotel has also recently opened an over 30s nightclub.
Pubs include Wishaw Malt, Caledonian Bar, Harvies, Girdwoods, Sherlocks, Cross Keys, The Commercial, The West End and The Yard.
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 astroturf 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 by St.Ignatius Primary and Wishaw Academy Primary The local council has made no announcement on whether these facilities will be replaced.
