District Chairman Mae Barr with president Dorothy Arthur
Delivering nightclothes to Wishaw General Children's Ward
Celebrating our 71st Birthday!
Motherwell & Wishaw makes the news
Motherwell & Wishaw Inner Wheel recently featured in an article in the Wishaw Press. Click here to read the article.
Other recent activities
Presentation to Streetchild
Dorothy Arthur receives her 40 year service certificate
About the area
The neighbouring towns of Motherwell and Wishaw are approximately14 miles south of Glasgow on the north bank of the River Clyde. Although best known as the "Joint Burgh" for the greater part of the 20th. Century, each is now an individual town within North Lanarkshire Council. In many respects however both towns continue to be part of a closely linked conurbation.
It is said that Motherwell can trace its origins to Roman Encampments around 79A.D., but even by the end of the 18th. Century, both Motherwell and Wishaw were still only small villages dependant mainly on agriculture and a little weaving. However the discovery of large deposits of coal and ironstone in the area plus the construction of the main London to Glasgow railway line caused a rapid growth of both industry and population, with immigrants coming from all over Scotland, Ireland and many parts of Europe such as Italy and Lithuania.
By the last quarter of the 19th. Century, both towns had become famous for the production of iron and steel with the Coltness Ironworks in Wishaw and the Dalziel Steelworks in Motherwell using locally mined coal to fire the furnaces which produced the high quality metals used both in Scotland and abroad in the construction of railways, bridges and in shipbuilding. This reliance on heavy industries lasted until the latter part of the last Century with the Ravenscraig Steelworks situated between the two towns but sadly the more recent decline of these industries has had a considerable effect on the prosperity of the area. The last few years however has seen a growth of smaller industrial units while the regeneration of the Ravenscraig site holds great potential for the economic revival of the area.
In spite of their mainly industrial environment both towns have easy access to the beautiful landscape of the Clyde Valley with its Orchards and Garden Centres as well as the many areas of natural beauty at the edge of the industrial belt such as Strathclyde Park, Dalziel Park and Coltness Woods. Sporting and leisure facilities are also excellent with a number of good Golf Courses, many Bowling Greens, Sports Centre and Aquatec. On the cultural side there is the Concert Hall and Theatre, Carfin Grotto and of course Fir Park, home of Lanarkshire's premier football team.
