Garrion Bridge
Encyclopedia
Garrion Bridge is a small hamlet in North Lanarkshire
, Scotland
. It is located on the banks of the Clyde Valley
, 18 miles (29 km) south-east of Glasgow
. The hamlet is most commonly associated with the nearby town of Wishaw
, with which it shares a councillor.
in Lanarkshire
. The area spans both sides of the river, with some of the houses actually located in South Lanarkshire
. There are more than a dozen houses located around the bridge. There is an independent garden and antique centre, operating in the premises of the recently closed Banana ripery operated by Fyffes
.
and A72
. As the original (1817) bridge was single lane, the traffic was signal-controlled with only one direction able to cross the bridge at any one time. This led to huge delays, also in part due to the meeting of the A71 from the west and the A72 from the north having a very acute angle with no turning restrictions, which often led to large vehicles becoming stuck. This was rectified by moving the intersection of the northern A72 and western A71 almost 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) up the valley side to a new roundabout, and removing the original alignment of the A72. This work was carried out at the same time of the construction of the new bridge in 2001.
There is some public transport in the area, with a regular bus service provided by First Glasgow
operating between Larkhall
and Glasgow and a more sporadic local authority supported service between Hamilton
and Carluke
.
North Lanarkshire
North Lanarkshire is one of 32 council areas in Scotland. It borders onto the northeast of the City of Glasgow and contains much of Glasgow's suburbs and commuter towns and villages. It also borders Stirling, Falkirk, East Dunbartonshire, West Lothian and South Lanarkshire...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It is located on the banks of the Clyde Valley
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
, 18 miles (29 km) south-east of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. The hamlet is most commonly associated with the nearby town of Wishaw
Wishaw
Wishaw is a large town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is on the edge of the Clyde Valley, 15 miles south-east of Glasgow....
, with which it shares a councillor.
Development
The hamlet has grown around a main river crossing of the River ClydeRiver Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
in Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire or the County of Lanark ) is a Lieutenancy area, registration county and former local government county in the central Lowlands of Scotland...
. The area spans both sides of the river, with some of the houses actually located in South Lanarkshire
South Lanarkshire
South Lanarkshire is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of the former county of Lanarkshire. It borders the south-east of the city of Glasgow and contains many of Glasgow's suburbs, commuter towns and smaller villages....
. There are more than a dozen houses located around the bridge. There is an independent garden and antique centre, operating in the premises of the recently closed Banana ripery operated by Fyffes
Fyffes
-History:In the 1870s Thomas Fyffe, a London food wholesaler, went into partnership with a fruit dealer named Hudson who had connections in the Canary Islands. In 1878 they shipped their first cargo of bananas to England. Within five years the business had become so successful that they purchased...
.
Transport links
The area is still dominated by the river crossing, which remains the most important bridge over the Clyde for several miles in either direction. The original bridge, constructed in 1817 and still in use, was supplemented in 2002 by a new bridge slightly upstream, creating for the first time a bi-directional flow of traffic over the river in the form of a roundabout. Prior to this, Garrion Bridge was a notorious traffic bottleneck, with an acute crossroads formed by the junctions of the A71A71 road
The A71 is a major road in Scotland linking Edinburgh with Lanarkshire and Ayrshire. It adjoins the Livingston Bypass A899.It runs south west from Edinburgh for approximately 70 miles, through Saughton, Wilkieston and south of Livingston, Whitburn and Wishaw, then by way of the Garrion Bridge,...
and A72
A72 road
The A72 is a major route in Scotland connecting Hamilton in South Lanarkshire, with Galashiels in the Scottish Borders.It travels for over 60 miles in a South-Easterly direction, along the Clyde and Tweed valleys, passing the towns of Larkhall, Lanark, Biggar and Peebles.-Hamilton to...
. As the original (1817) bridge was single lane, the traffic was signal-controlled with only one direction able to cross the bridge at any one time. This led to huge delays, also in part due to the meeting of the A71 from the west and the A72 from the north having a very acute angle with no turning restrictions, which often led to large vehicles becoming stuck. This was rectified by moving the intersection of the northern A72 and western A71 almost 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) up the valley side to a new roundabout, and removing the original alignment of the A72. This work was carried out at the same time of the construction of the new bridge in 2001.
There is some public transport in the area, with a regular bus service provided by First Glasgow
First Glasgow
First Glasgow is the largest bus company serving the Greater Glasgow area in, Scotland. It forms part of FirstGroup, a company operating transport services across the British Isles and in North America...
operating between Larkhall
Larkhall
Larkhall is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland and is 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...
and Glasgow and a more sporadic local authority supported service between Hamilton
Hamilton, South Lanarkshire
Hamilton is a town in South Lanarkshire, in the west-central Lowlands of Scotland. It serves as the main administrative centre of the South Lanarkshire council area. It is the fifth-biggest town in Scotland after Paisley, East Kilbride, Livingston and Cumbernauld...
and Carluke
Carluke
The town of Carluke lies in the heart of the Lanarkshire countryside in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, 5.4 miles northwest of Lanark and 4 miles southeast of Wishaw....
.