Strathaven is a small town in
South LanarkshireSouth Lanarkshire is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of the former county of Lanarkshire. It borders the south-east of the city of Glasgow and contains many of Glasgow's suburbs, commuter towns and smaller villages....
,
ScotlandScotland 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 town was granted a Royal Charter in 1450, making the Town of Strathaven a Burgh of Barony.
Location
The town is located on the edge of the valley of the
Avon WaterAvon Water, also known locally as the River Avon, is a 24 mile-long river in Scotland, and a tributary of the River Clyde.The Avon Water rises in the hills on the boundary between East Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire, close to the head of the Irvine Water...
, around 6 miles from Hamilton, and 23 miles from
GlasgowGlasgow 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...
. The
A71The A71 is a major road in Scotland linking Edinburgh with Lanarkshire and Ayrshire. It adjoins the Livingston Bypass A899.It runs south west from Edinburgh for approximately 70 miles, through Saughton, Wilkieston and south of Livingston, Whitburn and Wishaw, then by way of the Garrion Bridge,...
, which connects
EdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland. It is the second largest Scottish city, after Glasgow, and the seventh-most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas....
and
KilmarnockKilmarnock is a large burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland, with a population of 44,170. It is roughly equidistant between Glasgow and Ayr, and is the second largest town in Ayrshire...
passes through the town. In the 2001 census the town had a population of 7,875. Strathaven has one
secondary schoolSecondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of compulsory schooling, known as secondary education, takes place. It follows on from elementary or primary education....
and three primary schools - Kirklandpark Primary, Wester Overton Primary, and St Patrick's Primary. It also has a
grass airfield about two miles to the north west, on Lethame Road.
History
Strathaven has a long history as a market town. A
RomanRoman Britain was those parts of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire between AD 43 and about 410. The Romans referred to their province as Britannia...
road passes close by, on the south side of the Avon Water, which led to the Roman fort at
Loudoun HillLoudoun Hill, also commonly Loudounhill is a volcanic plug in East Ayrshire, Scotland. It is located near the head of the River Irvine, east of Darvel. One real and one fictional battle have been fought around Loudoun Hill.-Location:...
near
DarvelDarvel is a small town in East Ayrshire, Scotland, located at the eastern end of the Irvine Valley and is sometimes referred to as "The Lang Toon" due to its quaint appearance on Ordnance Survey maps....
. The origins of
Strathaven CastleStrathaven Castle is located in the centre of the small town of Strathaven, in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The ruin is publicly accessible, and can be found at grid reference...
are obscure, but it is believed to have been built around 1350 by the Bairds, on a bend of the Powmillon Burn. Today it is a ruin, with a single tower and sections of wall remaining beside the A71.
The Barony of Strathaven was acquired in 1362 by Archibald the Grim, Lord of Galloway, by his marriage to Joanna, daughter to Maurice de Moravia, 1st Earl of Strathearn, great Moray heiress. The settlement within the lands of Strathaven became a
Burgh of baronyA burgh of barony is a type of Scottish town .They were distinct from royal burghs as the title was granted to a tenant-in-chief, a landowner who held his estates directly from the crown....
in 1450. It still retains its traditional character despite the growth of more modern housing. The centre of the town is occupied by the market square, formerly a grassed common, and still known as Common Green, or just 'The Green'. Linking the town and the castle is the old 'Boo Backit Brig' ('bow-backed bridge'), a small arched bridge. The Old Parish Church, with its landmark spire, was built in 1772, and was the place of worship of the
Dukes of HamiltonThe Dukedom of Hamilton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in 1643; its holder is the premier peer of Scotland. The title, Hamilton, Scotland, and many places around the world are named for members of this family...
who maintained a shooting lodge at nearby Dungavel House.
The town prospered in the 18th and 19th centuries as a weaving town, although there were many merchants living here too. The town played a significant part in the
Radical WarThe Radical War, also known as the Scottish Insurrection of 1820, was a week of strikes and unrest, a culmination of Radical demands for reform in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland which had become prominent in the early years of the French Revolution, but had then been repressed...
of 1820, when James Wilson led a band of radicals on a march to Glasgow, to join a rumoured general uprising, which never actually happened. Wilson was hanged for treason, and in 1846 a memorial was built in his honour in the town cemetery. The history of Strathaven is now documented in the town's John Hastie Museum.
Its most famous 'modern' resident was Sir
Harry LauderSir Henry Lauder , known professionally as Harry Lauder, was a notable Scottish entertainer, described by Sir Winston Churchill as "Scotland's greatest ever ambassador!"-Early life:...
(1870-1950) whose mansion, Lauder Ha', or Hall, was just above the town on the road to Kilmarnock. Sir Harry spent the Second World War years there, and died in February 1950. The family retained the property until Death Duties of 65% forced a sale in the late 1960s. It remains a private residence.
Strathaven railway stations
Strathaven had, at various times, three railway stations.
- Strathaven station, the first station, was the terminus of the Hamilton and Strathaven Railway
The Hamilton and Strathaven Railway was an historic railway in Scotland. It ran from a junction with the Hamilton Branch of the Caledonian Railway to a terminus at Strathaven...
. The railway was taken over by the Caledonian RailwayThe Caledonian Railway was a major Scottish railway company operating in Scotland. It was formed in the early 19th century and it was absorbed almost a century later into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, in the 1923 railway grouping, by means of the Railways Act 1921...
; and the station was replaced by Strathaven North railway station.
- Strathaven North railway station, a terminal station on the Hamilton and Strathaven Branch of the Caledonian Railway, opened in October 1904, closed temporarily during World War I
World War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
; and closed on 30 September 1945.
- Strathaven Central railway station, on the line from Stonehouse
Stonehouse is a small rural village in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is located on Avon Water in an area of natural beauty and historical interest, near to the Clyde Valley.In 1971, Stonehouse was designated to become one of Scotland's New Towns...
to Drumclog, closed in June 1964.
Sport
Strathaven is home to several sports clubs, which include:
- Strathaven Dynamo AFC
- Strathaven Rugby Club
Strathaven RFC are a rugby union team from the south Lanarkshire town of Strathaven. Founded in 1984 Strathaven RFC play at Whiteshawgate Park on the Hamilton Road....
- Strathaven Striders
- Strathaven Golf Club
- Strathaven Bowling Club
- Avondale Bowling Club
- Strathaven Tennis Club
- Strathaven Badminton Club (Currently Meets in Larkhall due to the rebuilding of the sports centre).
- Avon Angling Club
Strathaven's Sport Centre is currently being rebuilt along with the academy. It is expected to reopen in the summer of 2009.
Sport facilities in Strathaven include an 25 m Indoor Swimming pool and Gym, 3 Grass football pitches, 2 Ash Football Pitches, 4 Tennis Courts, 2 Rugby pitches and several Badminton courts in Church and Primary school halls
Famous Residents (Past and Present)
- Bertie Auld
Robert "Bertie" Auld is a Scottish former football player and manager, most notable as member of Celtic's Lisbon Lions side of 1967. He also earned three caps for Scotland early in his career....
Footballer and one of the Lisbon LionsThe Lisbon Lions is the nickname given to the Celtic team that won the European Cup at the Estádio Nacional in Lisbon, Portugal on 25 May 1967, defeating Inter Milan 2–1. All the members of this team were born within 30 miles of Glasgow, Scotland. Celtic's style was the antithesis of the...
who played with CelticThe Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. Since the club's formation in 1888, Celtic have won the Scottish championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the 2007/08 season, and the Scottish...
- William Cochran Painter
- Sir Robert Giffen Financial editor of The Times
The Times is a daily national newspaper published in the United Kingdom since 1785 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register....
newspaper and President of the Royal Statistical SocietyThe Royal Statistical Society is a learned society for statistics and a professional body for statisticians in the UK. It was founded in 1834 as the Statistical Society of London . At that time there were many provincial statistics societies throughout Britain, but most have not survived...
- Andy Kerr
Andy Kerr is a Labour Member of the Scottish Parliament for East Kilbride constituency, a seat which he has held since 1999....
Labour Politician and former Scottish ExecutiveThe Scottish Government , legally the Scottish Executive, is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was established in 1999 as the Scottish Executive, from the extant Scottish Office, and the term Scottish Executive remains its legal name under section 44 of the Scotland Act...
Health Minister
- Sir Harry Lauder Singer, comedian and music hall entertainer
- Una McLean
Una McLean MBE is a Scottish actress and comedian, best known for appearing in pantomimes.She trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and began her career at the Byre Theatre in St Andrews in 1955. She joined the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow in 1959...
Actress and comedian
- Ricky Warwick
Ricky Warwick is probably best known as the frontman for the UK band The Almighty...
Singer and guitarist with rock bands The AlmightyThe Almighty are a hard rock/heavy metal band, from Glasgow in Scotland who formed in 1988. They have released seven studio albums, two anthologies and one live album.-1988-1993:...
and Circus DiabloCircus Diablo is a Los Angeles-based hard rock band, formed in early 2006 by Billy Morrison , Billy Duffy and Ricky Warwick . Former Fuel frontman Brett Scallions and Velvet Revolver drummer Matt Sorum subsequently joined the band on bass and drums, respectively...
- James Wilson
James Wilson was born on September 3, 1760 in the parish of Avondale in Scotland. He was a weaver from the town of Strathaven in Lanarkshire, but as the Industrial Revolution impacted on the weaving trade he had to find alternative work....
Revolutionary leader who participated in the Scottish Insurrection of 1820
External links