is a large town in west central
Scotland , which serves as the main administrative centre of the
South Lanarkshire council area. It lies 12 miles south-east of
Glasgow , and 35 miles south-west of
Edinburgh . It sits on the south bank of the
River Clyde , close to its confluence with the
Avon Water .
The town of Hamilton was originally known as (the "z" representing the letter
Yogh , ie pronounced ''Cadihou''), but was re-named in honour of
James Hamilton, 1st Lord Hamilton . The Hamilton family constructed many landmark buildings in the area including the
Mausoleum in
Strathclyde Park , which has the longest echo of any building in the world.
Other historic buildings in the area include
Hamilton Old Parish Church - a Georgian era building completed in (1734)- and the only church to have been built by
William Adam . The graveyard of the old parish church contains some of the remains of the Covenanters. The old
Edwardian Town Hall now houses the library and concert hall. The Townhouse complex underwent a sympathetic modernisation in 2002 and opened to the public in summer 2004. The ruins of
Cadzow Castle also lie in
Chatelherault Country Park , 2 miles from the town centre.
Hamilton Palace was the largest non-Royal residence in the Western World, located in the north-east of the town. A former seat of the Dukes of Hamilton, it was built in 1695, subsequently much enlarged, and demolished in 1921 due to ground subsidence. It is widely acknowledged as having been one of the grandest houses in Scotland, was visited and admired by Queen Victoria, and was written about by Daniel Defoe.
Hamilton is twinned with
Châtellerault in
France . This connection dates from the 16th century when the title
Duc De Châtellerault was conferred on
James Hamilton, 2nd Earl Of Arran . The Duke's hunting lodge (now in Chatelherault Country Park), a primary school and new railway station are named 'Chatelherault' for this reason.
To the north of the Palace Grounds is the
Low Parks Museum , housed in an old inn and recently refurbished. The oldest building in Hamilton, the museum was a 16th century inn and was an old staging post for journeys between Glasgow and Edinburgh. The museum contains extensive exhibits on Hamilton Palace and also on the local
Cameronian Scottish Rifles regiment (disbanded in 1968).
Service industries and local government are the main employers in Hamilton. The town centre has been regenerated over the last decade by creating two new indoor shopping centres and the Palace Grounds Retail Park and leisure facilities. (Stores include Marks & Spencer, WH Smith, BHS, Woolworths, Body Shop, Costa Coffee, Game, Subway, McDonalds, Boots, Burtons, Dorothy Perkins, Vodafone, and Hallmark.)
The Vue Cinema and various other national retail outlets are situated in a redeveloped part of the Palace Grounds that are visible from the
M74 Motorway . The creation of a circular Town Square has resulted in Hamilton receiving numerous town planning awards during the past decade. This development transformed the Hamilton side of Strathclyde Park, which was the original site of the Duke's palace. The area is still under development with the remainder of the indoor town centre due to be finished by late 2008/ early 2009. A landmark Holiday Inn hotel opened in early June 2007.
Hamilton has been a
Fairtrade Town since 2005.
The area near
Hamilton West Railway Station and Peacock Cross has also changed with the demolition of Hamilton Accies' original
Douglas Park stadium in 1994. A retail park was built on the site with
New Douglas Park added behind it in 2001.
Hamilton Academical Football Club (the 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 School , the oldest school in the town (founded 1588). They are the only professional football team in the UK to originate from a school team and currently play in the Scottish First Division.
The
Hamilton Accies Rugby Club can be found at the Leigh Bent sports ground, Leigh Bent Road. The first XV currently play in the Scottish Premier 2 League following seven successive promotions.
The town of Hamilton has many other forms of entertainment throughout. The Vue Cinema is located near the local Asda. There is a nightclub within Hamilton called the Hamilton Palace, most notably recognised for being Tiger Tim's old DJ spot. There are many grounds to participate in leisure activites located right beside the famous Mausoleum. Also, half of Strathclyde Park is within the Hamilton boundaries which contains many boating competitions and activities.
There are currently three comprehensive high schools in the town - Hamilton Grammar, John Ogilvie and Holy Cross. Another high school, Earnock, was closed at the end of the 2006/2007 school year and merged with Blantyre High, Blantyre, in a new school based in
Blantyre called Calderside Academy. Hamilton also has one private school -
Hamilton College , next to the
Hamilton Park racecourse.
Hamilton is also a university town with a campus of
Paisley University based in Almada Street. This campus was, until
31 July 2007 , the main campus for
Bell College which merged with the university. There are plans to change the name of the combined institution to the University of the West of Scotland.
Hamilton has three railway stations, Hamilton Central, Hamilton West & Chatelherault on the
Hamilton Circle railway line and is 22 minutes from Glasgow.
By road the town is to the west of the
M74 motorway, which is the main southerly link to
England which joins the M6 just north of Carlisle.
The main route from Edinburgh is the M8 (leave at junction 6 or 7).
