 |
| Forth | |
|---|---|
  Forth Location within South Lanarkshire | |
| Population | 2,140 (mid-2020 est.) [1] |
| OS grid reference | NS9435352017 |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Postcode district | ML |
| Dialling code | 01555 |
| Police | Scotland |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
Forth is a village in South Lanarkshire, Scotland with a population of around 3,500 people. It is situated near Lanark, and stands 1,000 feet (320 metres) above sea level.
The town of Forth is thought to take its name from the meaning "the open air". The town itself is first mentioned in a great seal charter of 1599. The first jobs available in the town of Forth were thought to be handloom weavers who, after an increase in the towns capacity to 170, were replaced by different trades such as ironstone, limestone and coalminers. The latter trades contribute to why it is known as a mining village.
Amongst the historic buildings in the village, Forth Parish Church was built in 1875 and the stone used was quarried directly from nearby Hailstonegreen. The first Police Station in Forth was opened in 1886 and is now home to the local Health Clinic.
The main street garage which still stands today was first opened in the same spot back in 1926 by Sanny Griffin.
Forth Railway Station at Wilsontown was built in 1867. This proved a great success and helped the town move forward. This, however became obsolete in coming years and was eventually closed in the 1950s.
The War had a devastating effect on the town of Forth: forty-nine men from Forth lost their lives. This number is even more significant when you take into consideration that the combined population of Forth was just 1000.
Some traditions from the past are still going today. In 1932, the first "Queen of Heather" was crowned, and this tradition became part of a Gala day for the town of Forth and has continued until this present day. [2]
Black Law Wind Farm, once the largest on-land windfarm in Britain, is situated in an area bounded by the nearby hamlet of Climpy, and the moorland outskirts of Carluke and Shotts.
Forth is host to an annual Music Festival called the Gentle Giant Music Festival, named after George Gracie.
Forth has a small nursery and primary school and this feeds to Carluke High School. There is a small library attached to the school which is home to several clubs such as a book club for the younger children on Tuesdays. Additionally, there is a youth club held for primary children on a Friday night and for older children on a Monday night.
One of the main facilities in Forth is the Sports Centre. [3]
The Centre runs a number of different classes for all ages. There are fitness classes for adults - including gym circuit and body combat classes. There is also a creche for the children of those who wish to use the facilities. Older children can attend classes such as trampolining and gymnastics. There is a gym which is open to everybody aged 14 and over. The halls are available to let out for special occasions; such as parties and conferences.
There are a number of football pitches in Forth. There are lighted pitches, which are free for young children and can be leased by adults. There are also a number of parks where anybody can play for free. Additionally, the local football team, Forth Wanderers own a pitch where they play home matches and have their training sessions.
At the other end of the town, there is a bowling club named Forth & Wilsontown Bowling Club.
There are a number of shops in Forth. These include: The Co-op mini supermarket; a McColls general store; U Save newsagent and grocery shop; Gillespies butcher shop; A motor bike and quad shop, Sam Dornan's Car Sales; A & C Ross garage and shop; and a Breast Cancer Care charity shop.
There are a number of places to eat out in Forth as well as a number to get a takeaway including Roccos chip shop, and Wongs Cuisine. Additionally, The Inns on the Main Street offer bar meals.
The Haven is a local charity supporting the community of Forth & rural Clydesdale. The Haven offers support to families affected by a life limiting condition such as Cancer, Multiple Sclerosis, Motor Neurone Disease, Huntington's Disease, Parkinson's Disease and Dementia. Support is provided by highly experienced Nurses, Therapists and Volunteers.
Forth also has a doctors' surgery and a chemist.
3.5 kilometers to the north of Forth, just of the A706 road to Fauldhouse, is the hill called Leven Seat. Sat atop the hill is the Leven Seat Buddha. [4] This small effigy of Buddha sits atop the trig point facing eastwards. The effigy used to sit in a small shrine amongst a pile of rocks at the bottom of the hill in the water trough. It was frequently carried to the top of the hill and back down but now sits permanently at the top. It has been painted from its original grey to white and more recently gold.
The village also has a Boys' Brigade company, 1st Forth. The company has an anchor section for primary 1–3, a junior section for primary 4-6 and a company section for primary 7 and upwards. Since the BB headquarters passed that companies can now accept girls and so the company now has a Girls' Association that meets at the same time as the boys. The company and junior sections meet on a Thursday night and the anchor section meets on a Friday night.
The company always turns out for the annual Remembrance day parade in November and Escort the banner at the Gala Day. The company also provides the guard of honour to the Gala Court when possible.
There is an hourly bus service run by Stuart's to Lanark, and the Blue Bus Company run a bus to Livingston several times a day.
Famous or noted residents who have lived in, or were born, in Forth include George Gracie who was included in the Guinness Book of Records as Scotland's tallest man, [5] and footballer Willie Waddell. [6] Also Billy Ritchie, known as Rock music's first lead keyboard player and member of pioneering 60s/70s band Clouds. Crawford Robertson, guitarist of the band Violet Tides.
South Lanarkshire is one of 32 unitary authorities of Scotland. It borders the south-east of the Glasgow City council area and contains some of Greater Glasgow's suburban towns, as well as many rural towns and villages. It also shares borders with Dumfries and Galloway, East Ayrshire, East Renfrewshire, North Lanarkshire, the Scottish Borders and West Lothian. It includes most of the historic county of Lanarkshire.
Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark, is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. The county is no longer used for local government purposes, but gives its name to the two modern council areas of North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire.
Lanark is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, located 20 kilometres to the south-east of Hamilton. The town lies on the River Clyde, at its confluence with Mouse Water. In 2016, the town had a population of 9,050.
East Kilbride is the largest town in South Lanarkshire in Scotland, and the country's sixth-largest locality by population. It was also designated Scotland's first new town on 6 May 1947. The area lies on a raised plateau to the south of the Cathkin Braes, about eight miles southeast of Glasgow and close to the boundary with East Renfrewshire.
Motherwell is a town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Historically in the parish of Dalziel and part of Lanarkshire, Motherwell is the headquarters for North Lanarkshire Council. Geographically the River Clyde separates Motherwell from Hamilton to the west whereas the South Calder Water separates Motherwell from Carfin to the north-east and New Stevenston and Bellshill towards the north.
New Lanark is a village on the River Clyde, approximately 1.4 miles from Lanark, in Lanarkshire, and some 25 miles (40 km) southeast of Glasgow, Scotland. It was founded in 1785 and opened in 1786 by David Dale, who built cotton mills and housing for the mill workers. Dale built the mills there in a brief partnership with the English inventor and entrepreneur Richard Arkwright to take advantage of the water power provided by the only waterfalls on the River Clyde. Under the ownership of a partnership that included Dale's son-in-law, Robert Owen, a Welsh utopian socialist and philanthropist, New Lanark became a successful business and an early example of a planned settlement and so an important milestone in the historical development of urban planning.
Wishaw is a large town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, on the edge of the Clyde Valley, 15 miles (24 km) south-east of Glasgow city centre. The Burgh of Wishaw was formed in 1855 within Lanarkshire. it formed a joint large burgh with its neighbour Motherwell from 1920 until its dissolution when Scottish local authorities were restructured in 1975, and was then in Motherwell district within the Strathclyde region until 1996. The town is part of the Motherwell and Wishaw constituency. It has the postal code of ML2 and the dialling code 01698.
Carluke is a town that lies in the heart of the Lanarkshire countryside in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, 4+3⁄4 miles northwest of Lanark and 4+1⁄4 mi (7 km) southeast of Wishaw.
Leven is a seaside town in Fife, set in the east Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on the coast of the Firth of Forth at the mouth of the River Leven, 8.1 miles (13.0 km) north-east of the town of Kirkcaldy and 6.4 miles (10.3 km) east of Glenrothes.
Bargeddie is a village in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, just inside the suburban fringe of Glasgow, 8 miles (13 km) east of the city centre, and close to the junction of the M73 and M8 motorways. The nearest major town is Coatbridge, 2 miles (3 km) to the east.
Fauldhouse is a village in West Lothian, Scotland. It is about halfway between Glasgow and Edinburgh. The nearest towns to Fauldhouse are Whitburn and Livingston. Other neighbouring villages include Longridge, Shotts and Stoneyburn. At approximately 750 feet above sea level, Fauldhouse is one of the highest villages in West Lothian.
Broomhill is a district in the West End of the city of Glasgow, Scotland. North of the River Clyde, it is bounded by the districts of Thornwood and Partick to the south, Hyndland to the east, and Jordanhill, Scotstoun and Victoria Park to the west.
Cambusnethan is a large village and suburb on the eastern edge of Wishaw, North Lanarkshire in Scotland. It is approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long, straddling both sides of the A722 on a hill overlooking Wishaw.
Carluke railway station is a railway station on the West Coast Main Line (WCML) that serves the town of Carluke, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The station is managed by ScotRail and is predominantly served by Argyle Line commuter trains running between Lanark and Glasgow Central. The station lies at the western edge of the town, and enjoys panoramic views of the Clyde Valley and beyond to the hills of Lanarkshire and Ayrshire.
Torbothie is a small area in the town of Shotts, North Lanarkshire. Shotts has an overall population of approximately 8,570. Torbothie has a mixture of properties including council-letted accommodations and private dwellings, a Salvation Army Corps, a graveyard, large areas of forestry, a football ground, and Stane Primary School, as well as a small man made loch called The Voe, also known locally and informally as 'Torbothie Beach.' Torbothie is close to Springhill, Stane and Dykehead, which are other areas of the town of Shotts. Torbothie means "the bothie on the hill".
The Wishaw and Coltness Railway was an early Scottish mineral railway. It ran for approximately 11 miles from Chapel Colliery, at Newmains in North Lanarkshire connecting to the Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway near Whifflet, giving a means of transport for minerals around Newmains to market in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Kilncadzow is a small village in rural Lanarkshire, Scotland. It lies two miles southeast of Carluke and three miles north of Lanark on the A721 road, part of the old road from Glasgow to Peebles.
Crossford is a village in South Lanarkshire, Scotland.
The 2020–21 SFA South Region Challenge Cup was the 14th edition of the annual knockout cup competition for senior non-league clubs in the central and southern regions of Scotland. This season sees the tournament increase from 70 to 121 teams thanks to additional clubs joining the East of Scotland Football League and the inclusion of 67 clubs from the inaugural West of Scotland Football League.
