Visit Wishaw Places

Welcome to Visit Wishaw Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Wishaw

  

Wishaw Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Wishaw

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Wishaw history

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Ancient and Roman history

The area of what is now Wishaw once lay on important Roman roads that ran through the areas of the Clyde (Latin – Cluta) and South Calder Water. In the 1960s, a pagan religious figurine was found in the woods near Netherton.

Medieval era

A small church was established by a bend (camas/cambo- in Cumbric) on the banks of the Clyde near what is now Netherton in the 8th century. The site of the original church remains as a ruined burial ground, including an impressive mausoleum to Lord Belhaven. In the 12th century, a Norman lord constructed a large manor near Gowkthrapple, as well as another small church. This was the beginning of the parish of Cambusnethan, which lasted until 1930.

Modern era

In the 18th century agriculture in the area consisted mainly of growing oats although some wheat and pear trees were cultivated. The village itself was laid out in 1794, named Cambusnethan, and later renamed Wishawtown. In 1801 the population of Wishaw was about 400 and that of the whole parish only 1972.

Recent decades

The town has recovered from the loss of industry such as steelworks and coal mines which closed mainly closed down in the 1980s and 1990s. Most of the late 1990s and 2000s were a recovery period of the town. Since 2015, Wishaw has voted SNP in both general elections and local Scottish elections.

Wishaw etymology

It is not certain how Wishaw’s name came into being. The town is possibly named after Wishaw House, built in the woods by the South Calder Water. It could be a corruption of “Via shaw” meaning “way through the woods”

You can visit Wishaw places with Walkfo Wishaw to hear history at Wishaw’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Wishaw has 33 places to visit in our interactive Wishaw map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Wishaw, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Wishaw places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Wishaw & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 33 audio facts unique to Wishaw places in an interactive Wishaw map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Wishaw Places Map
33 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Wishaw historic spots	Wishaw tourist destinations	Wishaw plaques	Wishaw geographic features
Walkfo Wishaw tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Wishaw

  

Best Wishaw places to visit

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Wishaw has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Wishaw’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Wishaw’s information audio spots:

Cambusnethan House Cambusnethan House was designed by James Gillespie Graham and completed in 1820. It is listed on the Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland as a building facing “critical” risk. The house is two and three storeys high with turrets at each corner, a three-storey bow in the west elevation.

Ravenscraig Ravenscraig was once the largest hot strip steel mill in western Europe. The steelworks closed in 1992 and is now almost totally demolished. The empty land was redeveloped in the 2010s, with new houses and services being built.

Ravenscraig steelworks The Ravenscraig steelworks consisted of an integrated iron and steel works and a hot strip steel mill. Motherwell was noted as the steel production capital of Scotland, nicknamed Steelopolis. The steel mill was one of four in the United Kingdom.

Shieldmuir railway station Shieldmuir railway station is a railway station in Craigneuk suburb of Wishaw, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It lies on the West Coast Main Line, but is not served by mainline services. Local commuter services are provided via the Argyle Line by Abellio ScotRail on behalf of Strathclyde Partnership for Transport.

Cambusnethan 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.

South Wishaw Parish Church South Wishaw Parish Church is a Parish church of the Church of Scotland. It serves the Southern area of Wishaw, North Lanarkshire, serving the southern part of the town centre.

Dalziel Park Dalziel Park is located between the villages of Carfin, Cleland and Newarthill in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. Other nearby settlements include the large town of Motherwell and the new town of Ravenscraig. The area consists of a residential estate, a sports facility (regarded as one of the best in Scotland) and a golf course.

Gowkthrapple Gowkthrapple is a small neighbourhood of Wishaw, Scotland, situated around 3/4 miles (1.2 km) from the town centre. Formerly an industrial area, associated with the Pather Iron and Steel Works and Smith’s clock factory, which opened in 1951.

Visit Wishaw plaques