About Us - Carluke Town
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The Community of Carluke
Carluke is the largest town in the Clydesdale area of South Lanarkshire, the political and administrative Local Authority. With a population now bordering on 18,000 people it enjoyed the title of Carluke Parish until 1929.
Lying approximately 600 feet in altitude above the river Clyde and 800 feet above sea level to the east of the river it is within easy reach of main roads and motorways being situated 6.5 miles from Junction 8 of the M74 and 8 miles from Junction 6 of the M8. The town benefits from frequent direct rail services to Lanark, Motherwell, Hamilton and Glasgow
in addition to a twice daily commuter service to Edinburgh (Sundays excepted). There is also an hourly express coachervice to Glasgow that runs non-stop from the outskirts of Motherwell via the M74, M73 and M8 motorways. Within the town there is a circular town bus route that connects the town centre with several local housing schemes.
Large housing developments have brought about a considerable change in the geographic nature of Carluke, which could now be loosely described as a dormitory town. Apart from housing, the demise of steel manufacture and heavy engineering in Motherwell, Wishaw and surrounding areas has caused much of the population of Carluke to travel further for employment. One benefit of these circumstances has been to allow Carluke to retain some of the rural charm now extinc in other populated areas of Scotland.
The town centre, as part of the town's 2.35 million Streetscape Project funded by South Lanarkshire Council, was redesigned to create an attractive shopping environment and work finished in 2006. As a result, after many years of pedestrianisation, unidirectional vehicular traffic is now permitted along the town's High Street and Hamilton Street outwith business hours. Recent funding by South Lanarkshire Council has seen the completion of the new Lifestyle Centre. The next big step for Carluke is Tesco scheduled for 2011.
The town is well served by the newly built Health Centre. Carluke Leisure Centre, adjacent to Carluke High School, is a multi-purpose wet and dry sports and leisure centre, with state of the art health and fitness facilities, and 20 metre swimming pool. It is open to the general public when not in use by schools from Carluke or surrounding areas.
The town currently has five primary schools: Carluke Primary, High Mill Primary, Kirkton Primary, Crawforddyke Primary and St Athanasius Primary, all of which are newly rebuilt or refurbished. Secondary education is provided by the newly rebuilt Carluke High School, which has approximately 1300 pupils and a staff of 100 representing twenty departments, which also serves Law village, Braidwood and Forth.
In addition Carluke is home to a state funded Special School, Victoria Park. The school serves the whole of South Lanarkshire Council and provides education for primary and secondary pupils aged 3 to 18 with special educational needs.
There are also playgroups and nurseries for pre-school age children.
Carluke Lifestyles Centre is equipped to deliver a range of services including – A large hall containing a stage, state of the art sound/lighting system, kitchen and bar facilities, library with ACTIVE IT learning centre.
Snooker/games room with full sized tables. Starbucks café and central courtyard.
The remains of an original windmill built in 1797 still stand near the town centre at High Mill, powered by steam from the 1830’s until just before the first world war, it ceased to operate in the 1930’s. Now a listed building, a trust was set up in 1988 to restore it to working condition. Close to the town of Carluke are some items of historical interest including the Barony of Lee with a seat referred to as Lee Castle. The Tower of Hallbar lies between Braidwood and Crossford, a medieval tower house, built in 1327 now in ownership of the Vivat Trust and used for holiday homes, available to rent.
The town has the distinction of being home to three gallant recipients of the Victoria Cross - William Angus; Thomas Caldwell; and Donald Cameron. Among its other sons of note is Major General William Roy, the father of Ordnance Survey, born in Carluke in 1726 to whom a monument in the form of a “Trig” point stands in Miltonhead Road close to his place of birth.