Newhouse, North Lanarkshire
Encyclopedia
Newhouse is a hamlet and major road interchange located in North Lanarkshire
, Scotland
. Sited 2 miles from the village of Salsburgh
, 1.8 mi from nearby Holytown
and about 4 miles (6.4 km) north east of Motherwell.
It consists of four small houses, a hotel and restaurant an Esso
petrol station and independent Garden Centre. It also has a large industrial park
, which is the United Kingdom
base for several multinational companies including Terex
, Honeywell
and the Newhouse research site
. Some major construction is under way in the area to build a new Scottish distribution centre for Co-operative Food.
It was formerly a terminus for a railway line from Airdrie
, and had several coal mines
. Since the end of coal mining in the area these have gone, along with most of the inhabitants.
It was also a historic crossing place for north-south and east-west traffic, being on the two former trunk route of the A8 between Glasgow
and Edinburgh
and also on the A73 from Cumbernauld
and the north, to Carlisle and the south and west of England
. The road junction on which the hamlet is situated remains very busy though and is prone to congested traffic at peak times, since it is where the current A8, M8, A73 (now detrunked and supplanted by the M74
), A775 and B7066 all meet.
It is notorious for its bad weather, as it is one of the highest points on the M8. The height also enables it to command a view over most of the Clyde Valley and Campsie Fells
.
Keir Hardie
, one of the first two Labour Party
MPs elected to the UK Parliament
was born in a cottage on the western edge of Newhouse. This cottage still exists on Legbrannock Avenue, now surrounded by the Newhouse Industrial Estate.
The original motel was also a small petrol filling station, but this was removed in the 1960s.
Following the takeover of the pub by Whitbread Inns
, the hotel accommodation was removed and replaced by a function suite and staff residences. It then spent a time renamed as The Griffin, before being added to the Brewers Fayre
chain, under its original name, The Newhouse.
In 1991, a 40-bedroom Travel Inn hotel was added adjacent to the original building. This building, which is still on site and has been extended to have an extra 20 rooms, was only the second Travel Inn to be opened in Scotland by Whitbread.
Both businesses still exist on site as part of the Whitbread group.
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...
. Sited 2 miles from the village of Salsburgh
Salsburgh
Salsburgh is a small semi rural former coal mining village in the heart of greenbelt surrounded by farmland in the district of North Lanarkshire, Scotland, the closest major town to the village is Shotts 3 miles to the South East and Airdrie, North Lanarkshire 6 miles to the North West...
, 1.8 mi from nearby Holytown
Holytown
Holytown is a small village outside Motherwell in North Lanarkshire, Scotland.-History:The area was born and grew on the back of the nearby coal mining industries in the 18th century, although the roots of the town stretch back to at least the 17th Century, where records show that a meeting house...
and about 4 miles (6.4 km) north east of Motherwell.
It consists of four small houses, a hotel and restaurant an Esso
Esso
Esso is an international trade name for ExxonMobil and its related companies. Pronounced , it is derived from the initials of the pre-1911 Standard Oil, and as such became the focus of much litigation and regulatory restriction in the United States. In 1972, it was largely replaced in the U.S. by...
petrol station and independent Garden Centre. It also has a large industrial park
Industrial park
An industrial park is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development...
, which is the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
base for several multinational companies including Terex
Terex
Terex Corporation is an American-based diversified global manufacturer of a broad range of heavy equipment for a variety of industries, including construction, infrastructure, quarrying, recycling, surface mining, shipping, transportation, refining, utility and maintenance...
, Honeywell
Honeywell
Honeywell International, Inc. is a major conglomerate company that produces a variety of consumer products, engineering services, and aerospace systems for a wide variety of customers, from private consumers to major corporations and governments....
and the Newhouse research site
Newhouse Research Site
The Newhouse Research Site is a drug research facility situated east of Glasgow in central Scotland. It is located beside the M8 motorway in Newhouse, North Lanarkshire. The site is an early drug discovery research centre with a track record of generating a succession of products in the areas of...
. Some major construction is under way in the area to build a new Scottish distribution centre for Co-operative Food.
It was formerly a terminus for a railway line from Airdrie
Airdrie, North Lanarkshire
Airdrie is a town within North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It lies on a plateau roughly 400 ft above sea level, and is approximately 12 miles east of Glasgow city centre. Airdrie forms part of a conurbation with its neighbour Coatbridge, in the former district known as the Monklands. As of 2006,...
, and had several coal mines
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
. Since the end of coal mining in the area these have gone, along with most of the inhabitants.
It was also a historic crossing place for north-south and east-west traffic, being on the two former trunk route of the A8 between 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...
and Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
and also on the A73 from Cumbernauld
Cumbernauld
Cumbernauld is a Scottish new town in North Lanarkshire. It was created in 1956 as a population overspill for Glasgow City. It is the eighth most populous settlement in Scotland and the largest in North Lanarkshire...
and the north, to Carlisle and the south and west of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The road junction on which the hamlet is situated remains very busy though and is prone to congested traffic at peak times, since it is where the current A8, M8, A73 (now detrunked and supplanted by the M74
M74 motorway
The A74 and M74 motorways form a major motorway in Scotland. Following an extension opened on 28 June 2011, it connects the M8 motorway west of Glasgow to the English border at Gretna, creating an alternative route for traffic moving from the south to the west of the city...
), A775 and B7066 all meet.
It is notorious for its bad weather, as it is one of the highest points on the M8. The height also enables it to command a view over most of the Clyde Valley and Campsie Fells
Campsie Fells
The Campsie Fells are a range of hills in central Scotland, stretching east to west, from Denny Muir to Dumgoyne, in Stirlingshire. . The highest point in the range is Earl's Seat which is 578 m high...
.
Keir Hardie
Keir Hardie
James Keir Hardie, Sr. , was a Scottish socialist and labour leader, and was the first Independent Labour Member of Parliament elected to the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
, one of the first two Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
MPs elected to the UK Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
was born in a cottage on the western edge of Newhouse. This cottage still exists on Legbrannock Avenue, now surrounded by the Newhouse Industrial Estate.
Hotel and restaurant
The Newhouse Hotel was originally built in the 1930s as a public house and motel in a single building. The original building was built in an art-deco style, and while it still exists it has been extended with a wrap-around canopy and peaked roof added, and the art-deco windows and other features removed.The original motel was also a small petrol filling station, but this was removed in the 1960s.
Following the takeover of the pub by Whitbread Inns
Whitbread
Whitbread PLC is a global hotel, coffee shop and restaurant company headquartered in Dunstable, United Kingdom. Its largest division is Premier Inn, which is the largest hotel brand in the UK with around 580 hotels and over 40,000 rooms. Its Costa Coffee chain has around 1,600 stores across 25...
, the hotel accommodation was removed and replaced by a function suite and staff residences. It then spent a time renamed as The Griffin, before being added to the Brewers Fayre
Brewers Fayre
Brewers Fayre is a chain of around 125 licensed family and casual dining pub restaurants in the United Kingdom, owned by Whitbread.They are known for serving traditional British pub food, including gammon and steak & ale pie which are among the most popular choices. Nearly all Brewers Fayres are...
chain, under its original name, The Newhouse.
In 1991, a 40-bedroom Travel Inn hotel was added adjacent to the original building. This building, which is still on site and has been extended to have an extra 20 rooms, was only the second Travel Inn to be opened in Scotland by Whitbread.
Both businesses still exist on site as part of the Whitbread group.