Carluke (; gd, Cathair MoLuaig) is a town that lies in the heart of the Lanarkshire countryside in
South Lanarkshire
gd, Siorrachd Lannraig a Deas
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,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...
, northwest of
Lanark
Lanark (; gd, Lannraig ; sco, Lanrik) 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 ...
and southeast of
Wishaw
Wishaw ( sco, Wishae or Wisha ; gd, Camas Neachdain) is a large town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, on the edge of the Clyde Valley, south-east of Glasgow city centre. The Burgh of Wishaw was formed in 1855 within Lanarkshire. it form ...
.
Carluke is largely a
commuting town, with a variety of small stores and supermarkets available at its centre. The surrounding villages of
Braidwood,
Forth
Forth or FORTH may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''forth'' magazine, an Internet magazine
* ''Forth'' (album), by The Verve, 2008
* ''Forth'', a 2011 album by Proto-Kaw
* Radio Forth, a group of independent local radio stations in Scotla ...
,
Kilncadzow, and
Law are supported by the various shops and services available in Carluke.
Carluke today
Carluke is Clydesdale's largest town with a population of 13,300. It sits on a high plateau overlooking the River Clyde, right in the heart of Lanarkshire's fruit growing area.
It has a locally important shopping centre and it has seen a recent boom in house building thanks to its direct train link with Glasgow. The town centre was redesigned to create an attractive shopping environment and work finished in 2006.
Thanks to its proximity to the Clydesdale's major fruit growers, one of Carluke's biggest employers is the jam company Renshaw Scott who recently added a chocolate refinery to their plant.
Memorials to two of Carluke's most famous sons were completed in 2006 as part of the town's Streetscape Project, regenerating the centre of the town. On the paving at the bottom of the High Street, a design of a compass etched with arrows pointing to places relevant to Carluke such as Tinto Hill and
Carluke, New Zealand, has been created in honour of the noted surveyor and cartographer Major General
William Roy
Major-General William Roy (4 May 17261 July 1790) was a Scottish military engineer, surveyor, and antiquarian. He was an innovator who applied new scientific discoveries and newly emerging technologies to the accurate geodetic mapping of G ...
. Doctor
Daniel Reid Rankin is remembered by a plaque in Rankin Square with etchings of fossils carved into the granite.
History
In a charter by
Robert I, dated 1315, Carluke is written "Carneluk"; at different periods it appears as Carlowck, Carlowk, Carluk, Carlook, Carlouk and Carluke. Car or
Caer
Caer (; owl, cair or ') is a placename element in Welsh meaning "stronghold", "fortress", or "citadel", roughly equivalent to an Old English suffix (''-ceaster'') now variously written as , , and .Allen, Grant.