Newarthill

Newarthill is a village in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, situated roughly three miles north-west of the town of Motherwell. It has a population of around 7,800. The Member of Parliament for the local area is Pamela Nash. The Member of the Scottish Parliament for the local area is Michael McMahon. Nash is elected to the constituency of Airdrie and Shotts in Westminster whilst McMahon is elected to the constituency of Hamilton North and Bellshill in the Scottish Parliament.

History

Situated on rich tracts of coal and other minerals, the original settlement of Newarthill occurred in the early to mid-nineteenth century. Originally thought to have been named after the larger and more northerly Harthill, is has recently been discovered that historical mentions of Newarthill actually pre-date Harthill. One quoted, but unproven, derivation is the Gaelic Nuadh-Ard, meaning New Hill, with a tautological "hill" added in the English translation.

Geography

The town of Newarthill is roughly bounded by the Legbrannock Burn to the north, the railway line connecting Carfin and Cleland to the south, the junction of the B7066 with Biggar Road to the east and the A723 to the west. Situated on the northern side of the Clyde Valley, the town rises highest in the north east and slopes downward to the west. The higher land was the centre of initial settlement and holds most of the town's oldest and most significant buildings. Several modern housing estates have appeared on the outskirts and greenbelt areas of the village, rendering it less distinct from the surrounding conurbation. There is no major town centre as such, with inhabitants chiefly relying on the amenities provided by neighbouring settlements such as Motherwell, Hamilton, Wishaw, Airdrie and Glasgow. It is generally considered to consist of two schemes, the older, formerly coal-heated east and the more recent, gas-powered west. This perception has altered slightly in light of large new housing estates encircling the village.

Amenities

The High Street, part of the B7066 connecting Motherwell with the M8, is probably the focal point of community activity with a newsagent, grocer, dental and medical surgeries, veterinarian, credit union, several hair salons and numerous public houses. A memorial to local men who gave their lives in the Great Wars can also be found here. Nearby Woodilee Road offers a small selection of services - supermarket, baker, tanning & beauty salon, short-lived hardware store, a bookmaker and a takeaway establishment. There are several shops and fast food outlets around the rest of the town. There used to be a local Post Office and Spar store, but it was demolished after a fire burned it down on Christmas Day 2009. A Nisalocal (opened Nov 2010) has been built on the Spar site, which does have a Post Office.The main tourist accommodation, the Silverburn Hotel was recently damaged in a fire and having been foreclosed for over a year, has recently been demolished.

The local schools are Newarthill Primary, Saint Teresa's Primary, Keir Hardie Memorial Primary and Brannock High School. The local authority-funded community centre, also on High Street, offers a range of activities from nursery care to computing classes. The library on Kirkhall Road offers a modern range of books and other media despite the distinctly 1970s exterior. Sports facilities are few and far between, with the existing pitches within school grounds long since closed to the general public. Newarthill Bowling Club exists just off High Street and adjacent to Newarthill Primary School, however it remains a members-only facility. On Mosshall Street, there are several football pitches and an amateur boxing club. A golf course and leisure facility between Newarthill and Newhouse remains incomplete.

The police station lies near the centre of the village, while fire brigade and hospital facilities have to be sought outwith Newarthill. The nearest hospitals are Wishaw General and Monklands Infirmary in Airdrie. There are two main places of worship, St. Teresa's Chapel and Newarthill Parish Church, with the nearest mosque in New Stevenston.

Travel and transport facilities

Newarthill is situated within close proximity to the M8, offering road connections to Glasgow, Edinburgh, between and beyond. The B7066 is the major connecting route to Carfin and Motherwell, while those heading west on minor roads will generally do so through Holytown, Mossend and beyond. These roads are well served by regular bus services by companies including First Glasgow, Coakleys, Stepend and Whitelaws. These services generally operate until 5pm. Service is limited on Sunday's. There are several local taxi companies with varying levels of service.

The closest railway stations, depending on your position in Newarthill, are to be found at Carfin and Holytown (rather confusingly,Carfin Station is geographically still located in the village of Newarthill and Holytown Station can be found in the village of New Stevenston).The Train Station's are named after the connecting roads they are located on i.e. "Carfin Road". These stations are served by regularly timetabled trains operated by First ScotRail, connecting Glasgow and Edinburgh and Lanark and Milngavie. Again, there are currently no services at these stations on Sundays. The nearest mainline station, connecting to services on the East Coast Main Line and West Coast Main Line, is Motherwell.

Sports and Leisure

Newarthill does not really have any leisure facility of note,the facilities within Brannock High School and at Mosshall Street (Where the Boxing Club is located) are the only real places within the village, with sports halls and football pitches. The village is, however, situated very close to several large sports facilities in the surrounding areas, with Dalziel Park, Colville Golf Club and Ravenscraig Sports Centre. The residents of Newarthill make use largely of the Aquatec Leisure Centre which is located on the outskirts of nearby Motherwell Town Centre. The facilities available here include a family friendly swimming pool and a well equipped Gym.

Public houses and takeaways

Newarthill, like several surrounding villages, boasts its fair share of public houses and licensed establishments. These are concentrated in the High Street area and have consistently closed and reopened at the mercy of the drinking public. Currently these include Bar Mango, the Cottage Inn, Newarthill Bowling Club, The Club (formerly Newarthill Working Men's Club), The Oranger, the Hibernian Social Club, and Gaughans (Brannock Inn).

There is a similar volume of fast food takeaways of the more traditional variety - there are Indian and fish and chip restaurants, but no McDonalds or similar multinational brands. Currently these include Sal's Fast Foods, the Chanda Cottage, the Yee Tung and the Good Luck. Chutneys is a sit-in restaurant offering a-la-carte fare.The recently opened Ayesha's which is an expansion of Chutneys and focuses on providing Indian cuisine to take out. The Bakers Oven, a small cafe, situated next to the co-op, has a small sit-in area, 'Taste' (a Coffee and Sandwich bar) was situated on the High Street but recently closed and the premises have been converted to an extension for the next door veterinary surgery.

Notable figures

• Sir Robert McAlpine - Construction industry figure
• Liz Lochhead - Playwright, author and current Poet Laureate of Glasgow
• James Mitchell I.T Industry figurehead Software engineer
• Gary McAllister - Former Scotland international midfielder
• Christopher Kane - Fashion Design
• Elaine C Smith- Comedian & Actress