Gowkthrapple (Wishaw)

Gowkthrapple
Gowkthrapple  Gowkthrapple shown within North Lanarkshire
OS grid reference	NS790536
Council area	North Lanarkshire
Lieutenancy area	Lanarkshire
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	WISHAW
Postcode district	ML2
Dialling code	01698
Police	Scottish
Fire	Scottish
Ambulance	Scottish
EU Parliament	Scotland
UK Parliament	Motherwell and Wishaw
Scottish Parliament	Motherwell and Wishaw
List of places UK Scotland

Coordinates: 55°45′40″N 3°55′45″W / 55.7609772°N 3.9292645°W

Gowkthrapple is a small suburb of Wishaw, Scotland, situated around ¾ miles (1.2 km) from the town centre. Gowkthrapple can be entered off of the Castlehill Road which runs the length of the estate. Formerly an industrial area, associated with the Pather Iron and Steel Works and then Smith's clock factory, which opened in 1951. This closed in the 1970s, although the premises remain standing on Smith Avenue and have been reused as Garrion Business Park.

Structures

Gowkthrapple's housing predominately consisted of tower blocks. The largest of these towers were built in the 1970s and were up to 13 floors high, whereas several smaller blocks had 4 floors. Recently, the majority of the larger buildings have been demolished as part of a re-development of the area. Now, there are only two tower blocks in the suburb, Allershaw and Birkshaw Towers. Both of the towers are 12 floors high. Allershaw Tower is the home to the housing association. Both buildings were built in the 70's, but were renewed.

Reputation & Controversy

The area of Gowkthrapple is regarded by some as one of the most deprived areas in Wishaw. However the area is set to improve in the coming years with the private homes built to give the area a more mixed feel. Residents of Lanarkshire colloquially refer to the area as 'Gowkie'.

The safety of residents in Gowkthrapple has enhanced considerably, as in April 2012, a total of 190 CCTV cameras were installed by North Lanarkshire Council. Because of this, the area is now colloquially referred to by local residents as 'the CCTV capital of Britain'.

Shops Services & Facilities

Within the estate there is a small convenience store and also a community centre.
There are also several children's play areas within the scheme, however in keeping with the rest of the area, they are usually extremely run-down.

Education

Castlehill Primary School is located in Birkshaw Brae. The area is serviced by the non-denominational secondary school Clyde Valley High School, based in Overtown a quarter-mile (0.5 km) to the southeast, and Saint Aidan's High School based in the main part of Wishaw.

References

• Gowkthrapple's regeneration takes a giant step forward
• Economic Bulletin 7 – Masterplan for a new Gowkthrapple