Motherwell (Scots: Mitherwall, Scottish Gaelic: Tobar na Màthar[3]) is a town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow.

A Roman road[9] through central Scotland ran along Motherwell's side of the River Clyde, crossing the South Calder Water near Bothwellhaugh.

[12] The name "Moderwelt" appears on a map of Lanarkshire made by Timothy Pont some time between 1583 and 1611 and printed in the Netherlands in around 1652.

By 1881 David Colville had opened both an iron and steel works; Motherwell had a new piped water supply; had been granted burgh status and had its population swelled to 13,800 people.

[15] By the end of the 19th century Motherwell Town Hall and Dalziel High School had been built, the local football club had been founded, and its stadium, Fir Park, had been constructed.

Following nationalisation of the steel industry, production at the plant was raised, with the Motherwell blast furnaces producing 3 million tonnes each year.

[12] 40 locals from Lanarkshire travelled to become volunteers of the International Brigades to fight for the Republican cause in the Spanish Civil War.

[12] Ravenscraig closed on 24 June 1992, and was demolished in July 1996, bringing 400 years of Scottish iron production to an end.

These organisations cover an overall population of 327,000 people (59,000 in Motherwell and Wishaw) throughout the 183 square miles (470 km2) of North Lanarkshire.

[19][20] The Ravenscraig plant had one of the longest continuous casting, hot rolling, steel production facilities in the world before it was decommissioned.

Motherwell has to an extent recovered from the high unemployment and economic decline brought about by this collapse of heavy industry.

Large employers include William Grant & Sons whisky distillers and the heavy equipment manufacturer Volvo Construction Equipment/Rokbak.

National train operators; Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry and TransPennine Express, pass through the main station, but not all stop there.

The station is also served by Abellio ScotRail who provide direct services to Carstairs, Coatbridge Central, Cumbernauld, Dalmuir, Edinburgh, Lanark, Milngavie and North Berwick.

At its maximum extent, the 200-mile system extended to Balloch, Milngavie, Airdrie, Larkhall, Clarkston, Barrhead, Kilbarchan and Renfrew, besides providing a dense network of lines offering pollution-free electric transport in the city centre.

The (now defunct) firm of Hurst Nelson was a major railway rolling stock manufacturer based in the town.

The company built trains for the London Underground, and tramcars, as well as vehicles for main line railways.

The main school building was recently modernised, with the outdated pink and yellow panels replaced by a modern-looking glass exterior.

Notable alumni of Braidhurst include Elaine C Smith (actress), former Scotland national football captain Gary McAllister and Tam Cowan (comedian and writer).

Another former pupil of Garrion Academy, (later Clyde Valley High School), Deborah Orr, became an award winning journalist in London & was married for a time to Will Self.

Her personal memoir "Motherwell" 2020 by Weidenfeld & Nicolson ISBN 978 1 4746 1146 6, gives a clear eyed description of the town as she knew it from the 1960s onwards.

Known as the "Steelmen" because of the history of steel making in the area, they play in the Scottish Premiership from their home ground at Fir Park Stadium.

The venture was run by a group of riders who were regulars at White City in Glasgow and known collectively as The Blantyre Crowd.

In 1951 the Eagles started out in the National League Second Division with veteran ex-Glasgow Tigers Will Lowther and Joe Crowther in the line up.

The top man was Derrick Close, signed from the Newcastle Diamonds in 1951, and he was supported by Gordon McGregor who was a founder Eagle.

Eagles also featured Aussies Keith Gurtner and Ron Phillips who moved over when Ashfield left the League.

Tommy Miller, one of the top Scottish speedway stars of the day, joined the Eagles in 1954 but moved on to the Coventry Bees mid-season.

The first opened in 1932 and was called the Clyde Valley Greyhound Track, it was located on Airbles Road and closed in 1959.

The sports facility in the new town of Ravenscraig hosts athletic events and was one of the main venues for the 2011 International Children's Games.