Hamilton (; ) is a large town in

South Lanarkshire 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 bor ...

, Scotland. It serves as the main administrative centre of the South Lanarkshire

council area {{Unreferenced, date=May 2019, bot=noref (GreenC bot) A council area is one of the areas defined in Schedule 1 of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 and is under the control of one of the local authorities in Scotland created by that Ac ...

. It sits south-east of

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

, south-west of

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

and north of

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve forts along Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain. Due to its pro ...

. It is situated on the south bank of the

River Clyde The River Clyde (, ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde, in the west of Scotland. It is the eighth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the second longest in Scotland after the River Tay. It runs through the city of Glasgow. Th ...

at its confluence with the Avon Water. Hamilton is the

county town In Great Britain and Ireland, a county town is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county, and the place where public representatives are elected to parliament. Following the establishment of county councils in ...

of the historic county of

Lanarkshire Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark (; ), is a Counties of Scotland, historic county, Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and registration county in the Central Lowlands and Southern Uplands of Scotland. The county is no l ...

and is the location of the headquarters of the modern

local authority Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

of South Lanarkshire. The town itself has a population of around 55,000, which makes it the 9th largest locality in Scotland, and anchors a defined settlement of 84,000 (including neighbouring

Blantyre Blantyre is Malawi's centre of finance and commerce, and its second largest city, with a population of 800,264 . It is sometimes referred to as the commercial and industrial capital of Malawi as opposed to the political capital, Lilongwe. It is ...

Bothwell Bothwell () is a Protected area, conservation village in the South Lanarkshire council area of Scotland and part of the Greater Glasgow area. It lies on the north bank of the River Clyde, adjacent to Uddingston and Hamilton, Scotland, Hamilton, ...

and

Uddingston Uddingston (, ) is a small town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is on the north side of the River Clyde, south-east of Glasgow city centre, and acts as a dormitory suburb for the city. Geography and boundaries Uddingston is located to t ...

) which is the country's 8th largest.

History

The town of Hamilton was originally known as Cadzow or CadyouHamilton's royal past

South Lanarkshire Council South Lanarkshire Council is the unitary authority serving the South Lanarkshire council area in Scotland. The council has its headquarters in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Hamilton, has 16,000 employees, and an annual budget of almost £1bn. Th ...

(

Middle Scots Middle Scots was the Anglic language of Lowland Scotland in the period from 1450 to 1700. By the end of the 15th century, its phonology, orthography, accidence, syntax and vocabulary had diverged markedly from Early Scots, which was virtual ...

: ), the "" being the letter

yogh The letter yogh (ȝogh) ( ; Scots: ; Middle English: ) is a Latin script letter that was used in Middle English and Older Scots, representing ''y'' () and various velar phonemes. It was derived from the Insular form of the letter ''g'', Ᵹ ...

), pronounced /kadju/. It is an ancient settlement, possibly dating back to the days of

Strathclyde Strathclyde ( in Welsh language, Welsh; in Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic, meaning 'strath

alley An alley or alleyway is a narrow lane, footpath, path, or passageway, often reserved for pedestrians, which usually runs between, behind, or within buildings in towns and cities. It is also a rear access or service road (back lane), or a path, w ...

of the River Clyde') was one of nine former Local government in Scotland, local government Regions and districts of Scotland, regions of Scotland cre ...

, or perhaps earlier. The Roman fort of Bothwellhaugh lies nearby. A lost medieval settlement was excavated in the 2010s near the Clyde, only around 1 mile from the current town. It is known that kings of Strathclyde did have a hunting lodge near Cadzow, and the area may have been a royal centre during the later stages of the kingdom, as a precursor to

Cadzow Castle Cadzow Castle, now in ruins, was constructed between 1500 and 1550 at a site one mile south-east of the centre of Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The earlier medieval settlement of Hamilton was formerly known as ''Cadzow'' or ''Cadyou'' ( ...

. During the

Wars of Scottish Independence The Wars of Scottish Independence were a series of military campaigns fought between the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England in the late 13th and 14th centuries. The First War (1296–1328) began with the English invasion of Scotla ...

the Hamilton family initially supported the English and Walter fitz Gilbert (the head of the Hamilton family) was governor of

Bothwell Castle Bothwell Castle is a large medieval castle, sited on a high, steep bank, above a bend in the River Clyde in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is located between Bothwell and Uddingston, about south-east of Glasgow. Construction of the castle wa ...

on behalf of the English. However, he later changed loyalty to

Robert the Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (), was King of Scots from 1306 until his death in 1329. Robert led Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland during the First War of Scottish Independence against Kingdom of Eng ...

, following the

Battle of Bannockburn The Battle of Bannockburn ( or ) was fought on 23–24 June 1314, between the army of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots, and the army of King Edward II of England, during the First War of Scottish Independence. It was a decisive victory for Ro ...

, and ceded Bothwell to him. For this act, he was rewarded with a portion of land which had been forfeited by the Comyns at Dalserf and later the Barony and lands of Cadzow, which in time would become the town of Hamilton. Cadzow was renamed Hamilton in the time of James, Lord Hamilton, who was married to Princess Mary, the daughter of

King James II James II and VII (14 October 1633 – 16 September 1701) was King of England and Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685, until he was deposed in the 1688 Glori ...

. The

Hamilton family The Hamiltons of the United States are a family of Scottish origin, whose most prominent member was Alexander Hamilton (1755/57–1804), one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Their ancestors and relations in Scotland included the Lai ...

themselves most likely took their name from the lands of Humbleton or Homildon in

Northumberland Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...

, or perhaps from a place near

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

The Hamiltons constructed many landmark buildings in the area including the Hamilton Mausoleum in Strathclyde Park, which has one of the longest reverb times of any manmade building at 15 seconds. The Hamilton family are major land-owners in the area to this day.

Hamilton Palace Hamilton Palace was a country house in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It was the seat of the Dukes of Hamilton and is widely acknowledged as having been one of the grandest houses in the British Isles.Hamilton Old Parish Church Hamilton Old Parish Church is a Church of Scotland parish church serving part of the Burgh of Hamilton in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is notable for its Georgian architecture and the church and grounds are Category A listed. History The chur ...

, a Georgian era building completed in 1734 and the only church to have been built by William Adam. The graveyard of the old parish church contains some Covenanter remains.

Hamilton Townhouse Hamilton Townhouse is a building in Cadzow Street in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, which is operated by South Lanarkshire Council. It contains both the town's main public hall (formerly known as Hamilton Tow ...

, which now houses a library and concert hall, underwent a sympathetic modernization in 2002 and opened to the public in summer 2004. The ruins of

also lie in Chatelherault Country Park, from the town centre.

Hamilton Palace Hamilton Palace was a country house in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It was the seat of the Dukes of Hamilton and is widely acknowledged as having been one of the grandest houses in the British Isles.Dukes of Hamilton Duke of Hamilton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in April 1643. It is the senior dukedom in that peerage (except for the Dukedom of Rothesay held by the sovereign's eldest son), and as such its holder is the premier peer of Sco ...

, it was built in 1695, subsequently much enlarged, and demolished in 1921 due to ground subsidence. It is widely acknowledged as having been one of the grandest houses in Scotland, was visited and admired by

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

, and was written about by

Daniel Defoe Daniel Defoe (; born Daniel Foe; 1660 – 24 April 1731) was an English writer, merchant and spy. He is most famous for his novel ''Robinson Crusoe'', published in 1719, which is claimed to be second only to the Bible in its number of translati ...

Hamilton Barracks Hamilton Barracks was a military installation in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire. History The barracks, which were originally designed for use by cavalry, were built between 1794 and 1795. The cavalry moved out to Maryhill Barracks in Glasgow in 187 ...

was formerly the Depot of the

Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) was a rifle regiment of the British Army, the only regiment of rifles amongst the Scottish regiments of infantry. It was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 26th Cameronian Reg ...

and the home of the 1st Battalion of the Regiment. The Regimental Museum is part of the Low Parks Museum. The Low Parks Museum is housed in what was a 16th-century inn and a staging post for journeys between Glasgow and Edinburgh. Recently refurbished, it is the oldest building in Hamilton and is to the north of the Palace Grounds. Renowned explorer and missionary

David Livingstone David Livingstone (; 19 March 1813 – 1 May 1873) was a Scottish physician, Congregationalist, pioneer Christian missionary with the London Missionary Society, and an explorer in Africa. Livingstone was married to Mary Moffat Livings ...

's house still stands at 17 Burnbank Road and has a plaque about him.

Governance

Hamilton is located within the Scottish

. Its local government services are provided by the

unitary authority A unitary authority is a type of local government, local authority in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Unitary authorities are responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are ...

the South Lanarkshire Council, which is headquartered in Hamilton. Hamilton itself is divided between three wards, totalling 11 seats: Hamilton North and East, Hamilton West and Earnock and Hamilton South. Hamilton is represented in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

by two Members of Parliament (MPs). The following MPs were elected from Hamilton in

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

: *

Imogen Walker Imogen Walker is a British Labour Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hamilton and Clyde Valley since the 2024 UK general election. She is currently a parliamentary private secretary for Chancellor of the Exc ...

( Labour) in Hamilton and Clyde Valley, first elected in

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

. *

Michael Shanks Michael Garrett Shanks (born December 15, 1970) is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his role as Daniel Jackson in the long-running military science fiction television series ''Stargate SG-1'' and as Dr Charles Harris in the Canadian medi ...

( Labour) in

Rutherglen Rutherglen (; , ) is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, immediately south-east of the city of Glasgow, from its centre and directly south of the River Clyde. Having previously existed as a separate Lanarkshire burgh, in 1975 Rutherglen lo ...

. Hamilton is also represented in the

Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament ( ; ) is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. It is located in the Holyrood, Edinburgh, Holyrood area of Edinburgh, and is frequently referred to by the metonym 'Holyrood'. ...

by two constituency MSPs. The following MSPs were elected from Hamilton in

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

: *

Christina McKelvie Christina McKelvie (4 March 1968 – 27 March 2025) was a Scottish politician and social worker who was a member of the Scottish National Party (SNP). She was the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse fro ...

( SNP) in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, first elected in

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

. *

Stephanie Callaghan Stephanie Callaghan (born 24 April 1971) is a Scottish politician who has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Uddingston and Bellshill since May 2021. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she was a councillor for So ...

( SNP) in Uddingston and Bellshill, first elected at this election, replacing Richard Lyle ( SNP). The Uddingston and Bellshill constituency covers the Whitehill and Bothwell Road areas of Hamilton.

Geography

Areas of Hamilton: * Avongrove *

Burnbank Burnbank is an area in the town of Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It was formerly a separate Mining town, mining village before being absorbed into the town. Location and governance Burnbank, previously an i ...

Barncluith Barncluith is an area of Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Hamilton in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. Barncluith forms the south-eastern part of the town, between the urban centre and the Avon Water. It lies either side of Carlisle Road (A72 road, A72), ...

* Brackenhill Park *

Earnock Estate Earnock Estate is a residential area in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, which is located east of High Earnock and south of Hillhouse, Hamilton, Scotland, Hillhouse. The area was developed in the 1960s and is home to some of the oldest buil ...

* Earnock Glen *

Ferniegair Ferniegair is a village across the Avon Water from Hamilton, Scotland, Hamilton, on the A72 road, A72 road to Larkhall in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The village contains the entrance to Chatelherault Country Park and Hamilton Golf Club. The r ...

* Eddlewood * Fairhill * Hamilton West * High Earnock * Hillhouse * Laighstonehall * Little Earnock * Low Waters * Meikle Earnock * Neilsland * Silvertonhill * Torheads Farm * Udston * Whitehill * Woodhead AM Hunting Lodge

Nearby prominent towns and cities: *

East Kilbride East Kilbride (; ), sometimes referred to as EK, is the largest town in South Lanarkshire in Scotland, and the country's sixth-largest locality by population. Historically a small village, it was designated Scotland's first "new town" on 6 Ma ...

The following towns/villages directly border Hamilton:

, Quarter,

Strathaven Strathaven ( ; from ) is a historic market town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland and is the largest settlement in Avondale. It is south of Hamilton. The Powmillon Burn runs through the town centre, and joins the Avon Water to the east of the to ...

Motherwell Motherwell (, ) is a List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Shires of Scotland, Historically in the p ...

, Limekilnburn. Hamilton is twinned with

Châtellerault Châtellerault (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Châteulrô/Chateleràud''; ) is a commune in the Vienne department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in France. It is located in the northeast of the former province Poitou, and the residents are cal ...

in France. This connection dates from the 16th century when the title Duc de Châtellerault was conferred on

James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince Ja ...

. The Duke's Chatelherault Hunting Lodge (now in Chatelherault Country Park), a primary school and new railway station are named ' Chatelherault' for this reason.

Economy

Service industries and local government are major employers in Hamilton. The town centre has been regenerated with new indoor shopping centres (the Regent Shopping Centre, New Cross Shopping Centre) Hamilton Retail Park and the Palace Grounds Retail Park. Restaurants and national retail outlets are situated in a redeveloped part of the Palace Grounds that are visible upon entering the town from the

M74 motorway The A74(M) and M74 form a major motorway in Scotland, connecting it to England. The routes connect the M8 motorway (Scotland), M8 motorway in central Glasgow to the Scottish-English Anglo-Scottish border, border at Gretna, Scotland, Gretna. T ...

. The creation of a circular town square has resulted in Hamilton receiving numerous town planning awards during the past decade. This development transformed the Hamilton side of Strathclyde Park, which was the original site of the Duke's palace. Hamilton has been a

Fairtrade Town The Fair Trade Towns campaign is the result of a grass-roots citizens movement that started in the UK in 2001 (see below). It allows citizens to get together in order to self-proclaim their town (or other local geographical area) as a region that ...

since 2005.

Transport

Hamilton has three railway stations,

Hamilton Central Hamilton Central is the central business district of Hamilton, New Zealand. It is located on the western banks of the Waikato River. Demographics Hamilton Central Business District, called Hamilton Centre by Stats NZ, covers and had an est ...

, Hamilton West and Chatelherault on the

Argyle Line The Argyle Line is a suburban railway located in West Central Scotland. The line serves the commercial and shopping districts of Glasgow's central area, and connects towns from West Dunbartonshire to South Lanarkshire. Named for Glasgow's Arg ...

's Hamilton Circle. Hamilton Central is approx 25 minutes from Glasgow on the

Larkhall Larkhall (, ) is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, around southeast of Glasgow. It is twinned with Seclin in northern France. Larkhall sits on high ground between the River Clyde to the East and the Avon Water to the West. Larkhall ...

Dalmuir Dalmuir (; ) is an area northwest of Glasgow, Scotland, on the western side of Clydebank, and part of West Dunbartonshire Council Area. The name is a lowland Scots language, Scots derivation of the Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic meaning Big Field. ...

service. It was once served by the

North British Railway The North British Railway was one of the two biggest of the five major Scottish railway companies prior to the 1923 Grouping. It was established in 1844, with the intention of linking with English railways at Berwick. The line opened in 1846, ...

, which had three stations in the area - Hamilton (NBR), Peacock Cross railway station and

. Beside

lies

Hamilton Bus Station Hamilton Bus Station is a bus station that serves Hamilton, a large town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. Overview Managed by the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, Hamilton Bus Station is ideally situated. It is next to the two Hamilton sh ...

, providing links to surrounding towns and cities, also offering an express bus to

and also some parts of England.

National Express Mobico Group, formerly National Express Group, is a British multinational public transport company with headquarters in Birmingham, England. Domestically it currently operates bus and coach services under brands including National Express. Th ...

services run to London and Birmingham from this station. Major roads in the town include the A72 running south-east to

, the A723 south to

/ north-east to

, and the A724 west towards

, while to the west at

, the A725 dual carriageway connects the area to

Coatbridge Coatbridge (, ) is a town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, about east of Glasgow city centre, set in the central Lowlands. Along with neighbouring town Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, Airdrie, Coatbridge forms the area known as the Monklands (popula ...

and the M8. By road the town is to the west of the M74 motorway, the main southerly link to England, which joins the M6 just north of

. The main route from Edinburgh is the M8, leaving at junctions 6 or 7. Cycling paths run from Strathclyde Park to Chatelherault Country Park following the banks of the Clyde and Avon. These are being expanded at part of the

Sustrans Sustrans ( ) is a United Kingdom-based walking, wheeling and cycling charity, and the custodian of the National Cycle Network. Its flagship project is the National Cycle Network, which has created of signed cycle routes throughout the United ...

Connect2 Connect2 was a five-year project run by Sustrans beginning in 2006 to develop new walking and cycle routes in 79 communities around the UK. Project Connect2 was a five-year project run by Sustrans. It involves the creation of new cycle and w ...

project and will make up part of the National Cycle Route 74 which will run from

Carlisle, Cumbria Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland (unitary authority), Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve castra, forts along Hadrian's ...

Education

There are currently three comprehensive high schools in the town – Hamilton Grammar, Holy Cross High School and St.John Ogilvie High School. The former Earnock High School merged with Blantyre High School in 2008 to create

Calderside Academy Calderside Academy is a Scottish secondary school in Blantyre. It was created by merging two local secondary schools (Blantyre High School and Earnock High School) on the land where Blantyre High School was. The school opened in January 2008 and ...

. Hamilton also has one private school,

Hamilton College Hamilton College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York, Clinton, New York. It was established as the Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and received its c ...

, a Christian co-educational establishment comprising nursery, primary and high school. There are 17 local authority primary schools in Hamilton; nine

non-denominational A non-denominational person or organization is one that does not follow (or is not restricted to) any particular or specific religious denomination. The term has been used in the context of various faiths, including Jainism, Baháʼí Faith, Zoro ...

and eight

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

schools. There are also provisions for children with Additional Support Needs, and the Hamilton School for the Deaf. Hamilton is a university town with The

University of the West of Scotland The University of the West of Scotland (), formerly the University of Paisley, is a public university with four campuses in south-western Scotland, in the towns of Paisley, Blantyre, Dumfries and Ayr, as well as a campus in London, England. T ...

campus formerly sited on Almada Street, but now relocated to Hamilton International Technology Park in High Blantyre.

Sports

Hamilton Academical Football Club (the Accies) was formed in 1874 and is one of Scotland's oldest senior clubs. It takes its name from Hamilton Academy, now called

Hamilton Grammar School Hamilton Grammar School is a secondary school serving Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. Its predecessors can trace their history back to 1452. With the introduction of comprehensive schools and the abolition of selective schools such as Ha ...

, the oldest school in the town (founded 1588). It is the only professional football team in the UK to originate from a school team and they currently play in the

Scottish League One The Scottish League One, known as William Hill (bookmaker), William Hill League One for sponsorship reasons, is the third tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional association football, foot ...

. Their stadium is

New Douglas Park New Douglas Park, also known as ZLX Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, which serves as the home of Scottish League Two side Clyde, also formerly being home to Scottish League One sid ...

, built in 2001 near the site of the former ground

Douglas Park Douglas Park was a football stadium in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, the home ground of Hamilton Academical from 1888 to 1994. The stadium holds the record for Hamilton Academical's largest ever attendance, 28,690 people against Hearts in 193 ...

(which was demolished in 1994 to make way for a retail park). Hamilton Rugby Club is based at the Laigh Bent sports ground, Bent Road. They currently play in Tennent's National League Division Three.

Hamilton Park Racecourse Hamilton Park racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue in Hamilton, Scotland to the south of Glasgow. It is a flat racing venue, with a season which runs from May to September. The very first race to take place in Hamilton was in 1782 ...

, a horseracing, wedding and event venue, is located in the town. Hamilton's Ice Rink hosts facilities for ice skating, curling, ice hockey and squash to both the general public and competitive teams. SLC Leisure has a number of facilities based in Hamilton. There are three council run Leisure Centres which comprise gyms, swimming pools, fitness classes and more Hamilton Palace Sports Grounds provide the town with rugby, cricket, tennis, football and bowling areas. Strathclyde Park Golf Centre driving range and 9-hole course is based in Hamilton, while the Hamilton Golf Club (dating from 1892) is situated across the Avon Water in nearby

. The town is also home to several large gym chains, such as David Lloyd (formerly Virgin Active Health Club), which hosted the tennis at the 2011

International Children's Games The International Children's Games (ICG) is an International Olympic Committee-sanctioned event held every year where children from cities around the world and between the ages of 12 and 15 participate in a variety of sports and cultural activitie ...

. Speedway racing was staged in Hamilton for one off shows from 1947 to 1955 on the old ash football pitches of Strathclyde Park (now covered by the town square).

Entertainment

Hamilton Townhouse Theatre is a 712-seat venue in the Cadzow Street area of the town. It is the first cultural venue in Scotland to attain the Quest accreditation. A multiplex Vue Cinema is located in the redeveloped Palace Grounds area close to the ROC nightclub.

Notable people

Science and exploration

Charles Alston Charles Henry "Spinky" Alston (November 28, 1907 – April 27, 1977) was an American painter, sculptor, illustrator, muralist and teacher who lived and worked in the New York City neighborhood of Harlem. Alston was active in the Harlem Renaissa ...

(botanist) *

Matthew Baillie Matthew Baillie FRS (27 October 1761 – 23 September 1823) was a British physician and pathologist, credited with first identifying transposition of the great vessels (TGV) and situs inversus. Early life and education Matthew Baillie was born ...

(scientist) (attended the local grammar school) *

William Cullen William Cullen (; 15 April 17105 February 1790) was a British physician, chemist and agriculturalist from Hamilton, Scotland, who also served as a professor at the Edinburgh Medical School. Cullen was a central figure in the Scottish Enli ...

(physician & chemist) *

(explorer and missionary) (Born in Blantyre and lived in Hamilton as an adult.) * John Roberton (physician and controversial social reformer) * John Roberton (obstetrician and social reformer)

Business, military and political

* W. G. S. Adams (political scientist) * Alexander Cairncross (economist) (educated at Hamilton Academy) * Alexander Cullen (architect) *

Doug Finley Michael Douglas Finley (July 25, 1946 – May 11, 2013) was a Canadian Senator and was Campaign Director for the Conservative Party of Canada during the 2006 and 2008 federal elections and the party's director of Political Operations. History ...

(Canadian

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

and principal operational strategist of the

Conservative Party of Canada The Conservative Party of Canada (CPC; , ), sometimes referred to as the Tories, is a Government of Canada, federal List of political parties in Canada, political party in Canada. It was formed in 2003 by the merger of the two main Right-wing ...

) * William Logan (philanthropist) *

Margo MacDonald Margo Symington MacDonald (''née'' Aitken; 19 April 1943 – 4 April 2014) was a Scottish politician, teacher and broadcaster. She was the Scottish National Party (SNP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Glasgow Govan from 1973 to 1974 and was D ...

(politician) * Sir

George Arthur Mitchell Sir George Arthur Mitchell FRSE MIME (1860–1948) was a Scottish mining engineer and company director. He was Director of both the Clydesdale Bank and Midland Bank and of several collieries. He endowed the Mitchell Lectures at Glasgow Universit ...

(businessman) * Iain Stewart (politician)

Art and literature

Joanna Baillie Joanna Baillie (11 September 1762 – 23 February 1851) was a Scottish poet and dramatist, known for such works as ''Plays on the Passions'' (three volumes, 1798–1812) and ''Fugitive Verses'' (1840). Her work shows an interest in moral philoso ...

(poet) (lived in the town as a child) *

Martin Boyce Martin Boyce (born 1967) is a Scottish sculptor inspired by early 20th century modernism. Boyce was born in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire and educated at Holy Cross High School in Hamilton. He studied at the Glasgow School of Art, graduating with ...

(artist) * David Carlyle (actor) * Thomas Clark (writer) * Robin Jenkins (novelist) (attended Hamilton Academy) * John Mather (artist)

Sport

Jim Bett James Bett (born 25 November 1959) is a Scottish former professional footballer who played in central or left midfield. He played with Aberdeen for nine seasons and had shorter spells at other clubs in Belgium, Iceland and Scotland. He earned 26 ...

(Aberdeen & Scotland footballer) * Craig Brown (Scotland football manager and former Aberdeen FC Manager) *

Jamie Burnett Jamie Burnett (born 16 September 1975) is a Scottish former professional snooker player from Hamilton, South Lanarkshire. A journeyman, Burnett was ranked within the world's top 64 players for 20 consecutive years between 1996 and 2016, reachi ...

(snooker professional) * Bill Carnihan (footballer) *

Davie Cooper David Cooper (25 February 1956 – 23 March 1995) was a Scottish professional association football, footballer who played as a winger (association football), winger. Born in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Hamilton, Cooper played as a youth for l ...

(Clydebank, Rangers, Motherwell & Scotland footballer) *

Barry Ferguson Barry Ferguson (born 2 February 1978) is a Scottish football coach, former player and pundit who was most recently caretaker manager of Scottish Premiership club Rangers. Ferguson spent most of his playing career at Rangers, in two spells ei ...

(Rangers & Scotland Captain) * Steven Fletcher (Wolves & Scotland footballer) * Elenor Gordon (swimmer) *

Paul Hartley Paul Hartley (born 19 October 1976) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He is the manager of Scottish League One side Cove Rangers. As a player, Hartley won trophies with both Hearts and C ...

(Dundee manager & Scotland footballer) * David Herd (Arsenal, Manchester United & Scotland footballer) * John Paul McBride (St. Johnstone footballer) *

Walter McGowan Walter McGowan, MBE (13 October 1942 – 15 February 2016), was a Scottish boxer born in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire. He was known for having been the world flyweight champion (Lineal champion. Recognized by European Boxing Union, British Boxi ...

(boxer) *

Paul McStay Paul Michael Lyons McStay, (born 22 October 1964) is a Scottish former professional footballer who spent his entire career with Celtic, making his senior debut in 1982 and retiring in 1997. He captained both Scotland and Celtic at all age lev ...

(Celtic & Scotland footballer) *

Jackie Oakes John Oakes (6 December 1919 – 3 December 1995) was a Scottish footballer who played for Wolverhampton Wanderers, Queen of the South, Blackburn Rovers and Manchester City. Born in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, his position was left winger. Oa ...

(

Blackburn Rovers F.C. Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewo ...

Manchester City F.C. Manchester City Football Club is a professional football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's (West Gorton), they became Ardwick Assoc ...

and

Queen of the South F.C. Queen of the South Football Club is a Scottish professional football club formed in 1919 in Dumfries. The club plays in , the third tier of Scottish football. They are traditionally nicknamed the '' Doonhamers'' but are more usually referred ...

footballer) * Phil O'Donnell (Motherwell, Celtic, Sheffield Wednesday & Scotland footballer) *

Bobby Shearer Bobby Shearer (29 December 1931 – 5 November 2006) was a Scottish professional football player and manager. Shearer represented Scotland in four full international games. Playing career Shearer, a right-back, played 423 times in all competitio ...

(Rangers & Scotland footballer) *

Jock Stein John Stein (5 October 1922 – 10 September 1985) was a Scottish association football, football player and manager (association football), manager. He was the first manager of a club from a Northern European country to win the European Champio ...

(Celtic & Scotland manager) born Burnbank * John Fox Watson (Real Madrid & Fulham footballer)

Entertainment and broadcasting

Jackie Bird Jacqueline Weir (née Macpherson, formerly Bird; born 31 July 1962) is a Scottish journalist and broadcaster, best known as a former anchor of the BBC Scotland's national news programme ''Reporting Scotland'' until April 2019. Since 2022, she h ...

(broadcaster) (attended school in Hamilton) *

Laurie Brett Laurie Brett (born 28 March 1969) is a Scottish actress, best known for her roles as Jane Beale in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'' and Christine Mulgrew in the BBC One drama series '' Waterloo Road''. Early and personal life Brett was b ...

(actress) *

Ian Buchanan Ian Buchanan (born 16 June 1957) is a Scottish television actor who has appeared on multiple American soap operas including ''General Hospital'', ''Port Charles'', ''The Bold and the Beautiful'', ''All My Children'', and ''Days of Our Lives''. ...

(actor) *

Brian Connolly Brian Francis Connolly (5 October 1945 – 10 February 1997) was a Scottish singer-songwriter, musician and actor, best known as the lead singer of glam rock band Sweet between 1968 and 1979 and known for his charismatic stage presence and di ...

(musician) *

Patricia Dainton Patricia Dainton (born Margaret Bryden Pate; 12 April 1930 – 31 May 2023) was a British actress who appeared in a number of films and television roles between 1947 and 1961. Early years Margaret Bryden Pate was born in Hamilton, Scotland, th ...

(actress) * Sir Harry Lauder (entertainer) (lived in Hamilton) *

Allan Lee Allan Lee (born in Hamilton, Scotland) is a film editor who lives in Vancouver, Canada and works regularly in Europe, UK and Canada. Selected filmography *1993 – '' Highlander'' *1995 – '' Magic in the Water'' *1997 – ''Bliss'' *199 ...

(film editor) * Marie McLaughlin (opera singer) *

Mark McManus Mark McManus (21 February 1935 – 6 June 1994) was a Scottish actor known for his roles in the British television series '' Sam,'' '' Bulman, The Brothers, Strangers,'' and '' Dramarama'' and the feature film '' 2000 Weeks''. He was best know ...

(actor) *

James MacPherson James Macpherson ( Gaelic: ''Seumas MacMhuirich'' or ''Seumas Mac a' Phearsain''; 27 October 1736 – 17 February 1796) was a Scottish writer, poet, literary collector, and politician. He is known for the Ossian cycle of epic poems, which he ...

(actor) *

Nicol Williamson Thomas Nicol Williamson (14 September 1936 – 16 December 2011) was a British actor. He was once described by playwright John Osborne as "the greatest actor since Marlon Brando". He was also described by Samuel Beckett as "touched by genius" an ...

(Actor, Tony Award nominee)

References

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