Craigneuk
Encyclopedia
Craigneuk is a suburb of Wishaw
, North Lanarkshire
, Scotland
. The original village of Craigneuk was located in the area where Meadowhead Road meets Glasgow Road. It was originally part of Dalziel parish along with the other rural weaving villages of Flemington, Windmillhill and Motherwell. Craigneuk village was located close to the boundary with Cambusnethan parish.
Mining of coal and iron ore in the 1840s lead to industrialisation and rapid population growth from rural Scotland and large numbers of migrants from Ireland. Nearby, in Cambusnethan parish the industrial communities of Sheildmuir and Berryhill were established on the road leading to Wishaw
. In 1920 the joint Burgh of Motherwell and Wishaw was created and later abolished in the 1970s. In the 1930s the burgh council undertook a massive housing development program in the area to the east of Glasgow Road stretching from the village of Craigneuk to Berryhill. The entire area became known as Craigneuk. At the same time much of the area known as the "Berryhill Rows" was demolished to make way for the King George V Playing Fields.
The Ravenscraig Steelworks
was established in the area during the 1950s and the main employer until it was closed in 1992 and later demolished. Ravenscraig
, a new residential and commercial area is now emerging on this site to the north east of the original village. Wishaw General Hospital
was established in 2001 on the site of the original Berryhill School.
According to SIPs the population of Craigneuk was 3030 in 2000.
, such as Ladysmith Street, Mafeking Street and Kimberley Street.
closed in 2010.
There are no high schools located in Craigneuk but it is in the catchment area for both Dalziel High School
in Motherwell and Clyde Valley High School in Overtown
. Roman Catholic high schools in the catchment area include Our Lady's High School in Motherwell and St. Aidan's High School in Wishaw.
A new campus for Motherwell College
was opened in August 2009 at nearby Ravenscraig
.
, Matalan
, JJB Sports
and Homebase
. Nearby a KFC
drive-thru restaurant is located on the site of the former Texaco
petrol station. There are a small number of independent shops and pubs along Shieldmuir Street and Craigneuk Street.
On the residential streets there is a Spar grocery store at the western end of Laurel Drive and an independent newsagent on Hillcrest Avenue known locally as "Bell's" and another on Briarwood Road known as "Feeney's" These names refer to previous owners but have remained in common use.
The Craigneuk & Belhaven Old Parish Church (Church of Scotland) opened for worship on Craigneuk Street in 1897 and St Patrick's Roman Catholic Church on Shieldmuir Street in 1898 are major landmarks of the suburb.
There is also a small mosque just off Craigneuk Street.
King George V Playing Fields is a park next to Wishaw General Hospital which has a child's swing park and a games field. It is also used by the hospital as a helicopter landing pad. There are several areas of parkland in the suburb, including a swing park in a grassy area on Broompark Road. There was also originally a swing park in a small area behind Charles Street known locally as "the Ashey" (because of it once being surfaced with red shale - i.e. "ashes") This became a haunt of drinkers and has now been abandoned due the dangers of many years of deposited broken glass.
A junior football team, Craigneuk Amateurs, formed in 1995.
and Wishaw
runs though Craigneuk. From Wishaw the suburb begins after driving under under railway bridge at Glasgow Road and from Motherwell under the railway bridge at Craigneuk Street. A bus service runs along Glasgow Road and through some of the residential streets with a coach service to Glasgow
operated run by Irvines of Carluke
.
Shieldmuir Station
has trains to Motherwell, Glasgow and Lanark
, and is an important mail hub. The station opened in 1990 to give Craigneuk residents a closer alternative to Wishaw Station
.
Wishaw
Wishaw is a large town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is on the edge of the Clyde Valley, 15 miles south-east of Glasgow....
, North Lanarkshire
North Lanarkshire
North Lanarkshire is one of 32 council areas in Scotland. It borders onto the northeast of the City of Glasgow and contains much of Glasgow's suburbs and commuter towns and villages. It also borders Stirling, Falkirk, East Dunbartonshire, West Lothian and South Lanarkshire...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The original village of Craigneuk was located in the area where Meadowhead Road meets Glasgow Road. It was originally part of Dalziel parish along with the other rural weaving villages of Flemington, Windmillhill and Motherwell. Craigneuk village was located close to the boundary with Cambusnethan parish.
Mining of coal and iron ore in the 1840s lead to industrialisation and rapid population growth from rural Scotland and large numbers of migrants from Ireland. Nearby, in Cambusnethan parish the industrial communities of Sheildmuir and Berryhill were established on the road leading to Wishaw
Wishaw
Wishaw is a large town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is on the edge of the Clyde Valley, 15 miles south-east of Glasgow....
. In 1920 the joint Burgh of Motherwell and Wishaw was created and later abolished in the 1970s. In the 1930s the burgh council undertook a massive housing development program in the area to the east of Glasgow Road stretching from the village of Craigneuk to Berryhill. The entire area became known as Craigneuk. At the same time much of the area known as the "Berryhill Rows" was demolished to make way for the King George V Playing Fields.
The Ravenscraig Steelworks
Ravenscraig steelworks
The Ravenscraig steelworks, operated by Colvilles and latterly by British Steel, consisted of an integrated iron and steel works and a hot strip steel mill. They were located in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland....
was established in the area during the 1950s and the main employer until it was closed in 1992 and later demolished. Ravenscraig
Ravenscraig
Ravenscraig is an area of land located in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. Ravenscraig was previously inhabited by steel industry workers, as it was formerly the site of Ravenscraig steelworks...
, a new residential and commercial area is now emerging on this site to the north east of the original village. Wishaw General Hospital
Wishaw General Hospital
Wishaw General Hospital is a district general hospital in the Craigneuk area of Wishaw, North Lanarkshire.-The Hospital:Wishaw General Hospital opened on 29 May 2001. It is a 633-bedded hospital, with the second-largest maternity unit in Scotland, delivering 5500 babies each year...
was established in 2001 on the site of the original Berryhill School.
According to SIPs the population of Craigneuk was 3030 in 2000.
Industry
Despite the closure of most of its heavy industry, Craigneuk still retains the Lanarkshire Welding company which supply heavy steel components for the construction business, and heavy goods vehicles can often be seen on John Street transporting heavy fabricated steel items.Street names
Several of the street names to the west of Glasgow Road are named after towns made famous by sieges and battles in the Boer WarBoer War
The Boer Wars were two wars fought between the British Empire and the two independent Boer republics, the Oranje Vrijstaat and the Republiek van Transvaal ....
, such as Ladysmith Street, Mafeking Street and Kimberley Street.
Education
Craigneuk has one primary school, the non-denominational Berryhill Primary School. The original Berryhill Primary School was located on the land now occupied by Wishaw General Hospital, but the school was demolished due to mining subsidence and rebuilt in its current location on Hillcrest Avenue in the early 1970s. St. Matthews Roman Catholic Primary School in nearby WishawhillWishawhill
Wishawhill is a small suburb located in Wishaw, North Lanarkshire. It is located to the north of the town. The suburb can be entered by Heathery Road or Cleland Road, with both roads leading onto the A721 or Glasgow Road running towards Wishaw Main Street....
closed in 2010.
There are no high schools located in Craigneuk but it is in the catchment area for both Dalziel High School
Dalziel High School
Dalziel High School is a non-denominational secondary school that is based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The current rector of the school is Levi toi.1.-Overview:...
in Motherwell and Clyde Valley High School in Overtown
Overtown, North Lanarkshire
Overtown is a village in North Lanarkshire located next to the bigger town of Wishaw. It has a population of 2,500.The village only has a few buildings of note, Clyde Valley High School, which is located to the North-West, and Overtown Primary School. Overtown also has a community centre, and a...
. Roman Catholic high schools in the catchment area include Our Lady's High School in Motherwell and St. Aidan's High School in Wishaw.
A new campus for Motherwell College
Motherwell College
Motherwell College is a further education college located in the Ravenscraig area of Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The college moved into a new campus in 2009, which is located 1 km from the old site....
was opened in August 2009 at nearby Ravenscraig
Ravenscraig
Ravenscraig is an area of land located in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. Ravenscraig was previously inhabited by steel industry workers, as it was formerly the site of Ravenscraig steelworks...
.
Shops
The Caledonian Centre on Glasgow Road has national store chains such as ArgosArgos (retailer)
Argos is the largest general-goods retailer in the United Kingdom and Ireland with over 800 stores. It is unique amongst major retailers in the UK in that it is a catalogue merchant...
, Matalan
Matalan
Matalan is a British retailer that specialises in shoes and clothes. It was founded by John Hargreaves in 1985. It currently has 200 stores across the UK. The 200th store opened on 22 September 2006 in Croydon...
, JJB Sports
JJB Sports
JJB Sports plc is a United Kingdom sports retailer. It currently operates 251 stores in the UK and Ireland.- History :The sportshop chain was founded in 1971, when ex-footballer Dave Whelan acquired a single sports shop in Wigan. The original store was established by JJ Broughton in the early...
and Homebase
Homebase
Homebase is a British home improvement store and garden centre, with 350 stores across the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It is well known by its green and orange colour scheme. Together with its sister company Argos , it forms part of Home Retail Group. Homebase recorded sales figures...
. Nearby a KFC
KFC
KFC, founded and also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States. KFC has been a brand and operating segment, termed a concept of Yum! Brands since 1997 when that company was spun off from PepsiCo as Tricon Global...
drive-thru restaurant is located on the site of the former Texaco
Texaco
Texaco is the name of an American oil retail brand. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owns the Havoline motor oil brand....
petrol station. There are a small number of independent shops and pubs along Shieldmuir Street and Craigneuk Street.
On the residential streets there is a Spar grocery store at the western end of Laurel Drive and an independent newsagent on Hillcrest Avenue known locally as "Bell's" and another on Briarwood Road known as "Feeney's" These names refer to previous owners but have remained in common use.
Community Life
The Craigneuk Community Centre was named the Jim Foley Community Centre in 1999 to honour the long serving local Councillor. It is the venue for many community activities including majorettes, exercise and slimming classes, services for the disabled and the Clyde Valley Community Church. Craigneuk Public Library and the Craigneuk War Memorial are located next to the community centre.The Craigneuk & Belhaven Old Parish Church (Church of Scotland) opened for worship on Craigneuk Street in 1897 and St Patrick's Roman Catholic Church on Shieldmuir Street in 1898 are major landmarks of the suburb.
There is also a small mosque just off Craigneuk Street.
King George V Playing Fields is a park next to Wishaw General Hospital which has a child's swing park and a games field. It is also used by the hospital as a helicopter landing pad. There are several areas of parkland in the suburb, including a swing park in a grassy area on Broompark Road. There was also originally a swing park in a small area behind Charles Street known locally as "the Ashey" (because of it once being surfaced with red shale - i.e. "ashes") This became a haunt of drinkers and has now been abandoned due the dangers of many years of deposited broken glass.
A junior football team, Craigneuk Amateurs, formed in 1995.
Transport
The A721 between MotherwellMotherwell
Motherwell is a town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, south east of Glasgow. The name "Moderwelt" appears on a map of Lanarkshire made by Timothy Pont some time between 1583 and 1611 and printed in the Netherlands in around 1652, although the settlement was probably little more...
and Wishaw
Wishaw
Wishaw is a large town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is on the edge of the Clyde Valley, 15 miles south-east of Glasgow....
runs though Craigneuk. From Wishaw the suburb begins after driving under under railway bridge at Glasgow Road and from Motherwell under the railway bridge at Craigneuk Street. A bus service runs along Glasgow Road and through some of the residential streets with a coach service to Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
operated run by Irvines of Carluke
Carluke
The town of Carluke lies in the heart of the Lanarkshire countryside in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, 5.4 miles northwest of Lanark and 4 miles southeast of Wishaw....
.
Shieldmuir Station
Shieldmuir railway station
Shieldmuir railway station is a railway station in the Craigneuk suburb of Wishaw, North Lanarkshire, Scotland, and lies on the West Coast Main Line, although it is not served by mainline services - local commuter services from the station are provided via the Argyle Line by First ScotRail on...
has trains to Motherwell, Glasgow and Lanark
Lanark
Lanark is a small town in the central belt of Scotland. Its population of 8,253 makes it the 100th largest settlement in Scotland. The name is believed to come from the Cumbric Lanerc meaning "clear space, glade"....
, and is an important mail hub. The station opened in 1990 to give Craigneuk residents a closer alternative to Wishaw Station
Wishaw railway station
Wishaw railway station is a railway station in Wishaw, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The station is managed by First ScotRail and lies on the Wishaw Deviation Line just south of the single track link line which connects to the West Coast Main Line at Shieldmuir....
.