Shotts

Metalworker statue in the town centre.

Shotts is a small rural town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is located almost halfway between Glasgow (21 miles) and Edinburgh (29 miles). At the 2001 census, the population was 8,235.^[1] A local story has Shotts being named after the legendary giant Bertram de Shotts, though toponymists give the Anglo-Saxon derived 'sceots' (steep slopes) as the real source of the name.^[2] Shotts is the home of the 2015 world champion pipe band, Shotts and Dykehead Caledonia Pipe Band.^[3]

History

Shotts was known for its mining and ironworks. In the years leading up to World War II there were 22 coal mines in the area, but the last of these (Northfield Colliery) closed in the 1960s.

Geography

Sport

Shotts has a number of sports facilitated in the local community. Shotts Golf Club, an 18-hole course founded in 1895, is to the North-East of the town.^[4] On the first Saturday in June each year, Shotts hosts its own Highland Games in Hannah Park.^[5]

Football Teams

• Shotts Bon Accord
• Shotts Vics
• Shotts YMCA
• Springhill AFC
• Dykehead F.C.
• Torbothie Rose
• Shotts Albion
• Shotts Thistle

HMP Shotts

HMP Shotts, a high security prison, is located between Shotts and Salsburgh.

Transport

The town is served by Shotts railway station, which is connected on the Shotts Line between Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Schools Within Shotts

• St.Patrick's Primary
• Stane Primary
• Dykehead Primary
• Calderhead High School

Notable Shotts people

• Matthew Baillie anatomist
• Michelle Barr, Scotland women's international footballer.^[6]
• Gavin Hamilton,
• George MacBeth, writer
• Andrew Keir, actor
• Margaret Herbison, Member of Parliament
• Catriona Shearer, newsreader, journalist and television presenter.^[7]
• Mick McGahey
• Louise Murphy Councillor
• Hugh Dallas Scottish and international football referee

References

1. "Scotland's Census Results Online - Population". Scotland's Census Results Online. 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-24.
2. Mackay, George (2002). Scottish Place Names
3. "Scotland celebrates 'outstanding' World Pipe Band Championships". BBC News. 15 August 2015.
4. "Shotts Golf Club". Retrieved 10 March 2015.
5. "Shotts Highland Games".
6. "Michelle Barr Bio". Dartmouth Sports. 12 May 2010. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
7. Brian McIver (6 July 2009). "Newsreader Catriona Shearer prepares to make big time bow on Reporting Scotland". Daily Record. Retrieved 27 May 2012.

External links

• Shotts Bon Accord FC
• Shotts History Group
• A brief history of Shotts
• Shotts and Dykehead Caledonia Pipe Band

Coordinates: 55°49′21″N 3°48′14″W / 55.82243°N 3.80393°W