Bellshill
| Bellshill | |
| Lanarkshire | |
|---|---|
 St Andrew's Church, Bellshill | |
| Location | |
| Location: | 55°48’59"N, 4°1’34"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 20,705 (2001) |
| Post town: | Bellshill |
| Postcode: | ML4 |
| Dialling code: | 01698 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | North Lanarkshire |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill |
Bellshill is a town in Lanarkshire, 10 miles southeast of Glasgow city centre. Other nearby towns are Motherwell (2 miles), Hamilton (3 miles) and Coatbridge (3 miles). It is overwhelmed by the nearby city and considered part of the "Greater Glasgow" area. The town had a population of 20,705 in 2001.
History
The earliest record of settlement in the Bellshill area is a village called Belmill, recorded on a map by Timothy Pont published in 1654. The village consisted of a row of quarry workers' houses owned by Mr. Bell, who owned a stone quarry to the south of Belmill. After the quarry closed, the village disappeared and a settlement developed nearby called Crossgates. About 1810, this new settlement took on the name Bellshill and continued to grow absorbing nearby villages such as Black Moss, Sykehead and Nesnas.
After the mid-19th century, large coal and iron deposits were discovered nearby and a number of mines opened, the first being the Thankerton mine. This rapidly increased the size of the town, even bringing in immigrants from abroad particularly Lithuania so much so it is sometimes referenced as little Lithuania.[1] The rise in the migrant Lithuanian population led to the opening of The Scottish Lithuanian Recreation and Social Club within Calder Road in the Mossend area.
A number of railway stations were opened in the area, including Mossend, Fallside and Bell Cross. (The town is now served by Bellshill railway station.)
In the 1870s, Bothwell Parochial Board built the two-ward Bellshill Hospital. During First World War, the hospital specialised in infection diseases. In 1917, the hospital began to specialise as a maternity hospital, the first in the Lanarkshire area, with new dedicated maternity buildings being opened in 1958 and 1962. The hospital was also the first in the world to have an 'Obstetric Flying Squad'. The hospital was the birthplace of many famous faces including politician Robin Cook, footballer Ally McCoist and singer Sheena Easton. The hospital closed down in 2001 and was demolished in 2003 to make way for new housing developments.
According to a report by the Halifax Building Society, in the first quarter of 2005 Bellshill was the United Kingdom's property hot-spot with a 46% rise in house prices. This took the average property price to £105,698 (according to reports published April 2005).
The streetscape project which will see Bellshill town centre completely changed started in April 2007 and is scheduled to run for 75 weeks, once complete this will see an end to Bellshill Cross and Main Street will be a one way street.
Churches
There are also several churches in the town, including:
- Church of Scotland:
- The West Church
- Macdonald Memorial Church
- United Free Church of Scotland: St Andrews
- Baptist: Bellshill Baptist Church
- Roman Catholic:
- St Gerard's
- Sacred Heart
Sport
- Football: Bellshill Athletic
The Sir Matt Busby Sports Complex in Bellshill is named after the late Manchester United manager who was born and brought up in the area
- Golf: course by Strathclyde Park
The Greenlink Cycle Path also travels through the golf course and the Orbiston area of Bellshill, heading towards Forgewood.
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Bellshill) |
- Bellshill.com - Information and Facts on Bellshill
- Towns and villages in Monklands area
