South Lanarkshire is a council area in west central Scotland, running from the southern edge of Glasgow up the Clyde valley to the Lowther Hills. It covers 1,772 square kilometres (684 sq mi) and had a population of 327,056 at the 2022 census, the fifth largest of Scotland’s 32 council areas.
East Kilbride is the largest town and Hamilton is the administrative centre. The council area was created in 1996 from the Hamilton, East Kilbride, Clydesdale and Rutherglen districts.
| Country | Scotland, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Status | Council area, created 1996 |
| Area | 1,772 km2 (684 sq mi) |
| Population (2022) | 327,056 |
| Population (2011) | 313,830 |
| Largest town | East Kilbride |
| Administrative centre | Hamilton |
| Council | South Lanarkshire Council |
| Main river | Clyde |
| Postcode areas | G, ML3, ML8 to ML12 |
Towns and Villages in South Lanarkshire
South Lanarkshire has 123 named towns and villages. The north is a continuous belt of towns, East Kilbride, Hamilton, Rutherglen, Cambuslang, Blantyre, Uddingston and Larkhall, that runs into the Glasgow conurbation. South of Lanark the pattern changes completely to upland villages, some of them former mining or lead-working settlements.
- Abington
- Allanton
- Ashgill
- Auchengray
- Auchenheath
- Auchlochan
- Auldhouse
- Bankend
- Biggar
- Blackwood
- Blantyre
- Boghead
- Bothwell
- Braehead
- Braidwood
- Brocketsbrae
- Burnfoot
- Burnside
- Cadzow
- Cairns
- Caldermill
- Cambuslang
- Candy Mill
- Carluke
- Carmichael
- Carnwath
- Carstairs
- Carstairs Junction
- Cartland
- Cathkin
- Chapelton
- Cleghorn
- Climpy
- Coalburn
- Covington
- Crawford
- Crawfordjohn
- Crossford
- Crutherland
- Culter
- Dalserf
- Dalton
- Devonburn
- Dillarburn
- Dolphinton
- Douglas
- Douglas Water
- Douglas West
- Drumclog
- Dunsyre
- East Kilbride
- Elsrickle
- Elvanfoot
- Fernhill
- Ferniegair
- Forth
- Glassford
- Glespin
- Greenlees
- Greenwall
- Hamilton
- Haywood
- Hazelbank
- Heads
- High Blantyre
- Hyndfordbridge-end
- Jackton
- Kaimend
- Kilncadzow
- Kirkfieldbank
- Kirkmuirhill
- Ladygill
- Lamington
- Lanark
- Larkhall
- Law
- Leadhills
- Lesmahagow
- Libberton
- Limekilnburn
- Meikle Earnock
- Milton
- Nemphlar
- Nerston
- Netherburn
- New Lanark
- New Trows
- Newbigging
- Newton
- Pettinain
- Quarter
- Quothquan
- Ravenstruther
- Rigside
- Roberton
- Rogerton
- Rosebank
- Rutherglen
- Ryeland
- Sandford
- Shawton
- Shawtonhill
- Spittal
- Springhall
- Stobwood
- Stockbriggs
- Stonehouse
- Strathaven
- Swinhill
- Symington
- Tarbrax
- Thankerton
- Thorntonhall
- Uddingston
- Uddington
- Udstonhead
- Walston
- West End
- Whitlawburn
- Wildmanbridge
- Wilsontown
- Wiston
- Yieldshields
Geography
The Clyde defines the council area. It rises in the Lowther Hills near Elvanfoot, runs north through Abington, Lanark and Hamilton, and leaves at Rutherglen as a city river. The Falls of Clyde above New Lanark drop the river some 25 metres in a series of linns.
The middle Clyde valley is sheltered, warm and fruit-growing country, once packed with orchards and glasshouses. The southern third is Southern Uplands moorland: Leadhills, at about 395 metres, is the highest village in Scotland, and Wanlockhead just over the boundary is higher still.
Neighbours are Glasgow and North Lanarkshire to the north, West Lothian to the north-east, the Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway to the south, and East Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire to the west.
Demographics
The 2022 census recorded 327,056 residents, up 13,226 on 2011. Density averages about 185 people per square kilometre, but nine in ten residents live in the northern quarter of the land area. Clydesdale, the southern rural part, has fewer than 30 people per square kilometre.
East Kilbride is the largest single settlement, followed by Hamilton, Rutherglen and Cambuslang. Growth over the decade came mainly from new housing at East Kilbride, Newton and around Hamilton, while the upland villages held steady or fell.
Economy and Local Life
East Kilbride was designated Scotland’s first new town in 1947 and drew engineering, electronics and pharmaceutical plants; it now carries a large services and public-sector base, including National Records of Scotland facilities and a substantial UK government presence.
Hamilton is the administrative centre, with the council, courts, and the University of the West of Scotland’s Lanarkshire campus. Agriculture and horticulture continue in the Clyde valley, where the garden centres and tomato glasshouses are a legacy of the orchards. Coal mining, once the mainstay at Blantyre, Douglas and Coalburn, has gone; open-cast working ended in the 2010s and site restoration continues.
History
Lanark is one of Scotland’s oldest royal burghs, chartered by David I around 1140, and William Wallace’s revolt began there in 1297. New Lanark, the cotton-mill village founded in 1786 and run on Robert Owen’s reforming principles, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
David Livingstone was born in a single room in a Blantyre mill tenement in 1813; the building is now a museum. Coal defined the nineteenth century here, and the Blantyre pit explosion of 1877 killed 207 men, the worst mining disaster in Scottish history. Bothwell Castle, on a bend of the Clyde, is the largest stone castle in Scotland by mass of masonry.
Getting There
The M74 runs the length of the council area from Glasgow to the border, with the A74(M) continuing south from Abington. The M8 and M77 are close to the northern edge, and the A70, A71, A72, A73 and A702 serve Lanark, Carluke and the upper valley.
Rail is dense in the north. The Argyle and Cathcart lines serve Rutherglen, Cambuslang, Blantyre, Hamilton, Larkhall and Uddingston; separate branches run to East Kilbride and to Lanark via Carluke. Carstairs, south of Lanark, is the junction where West Coast Main Line services divide for Edinburgh and Glasgow. Glasgow Airport is about 20 miles from Hamilton.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of South Lanarkshire?
327,056 at the 2022 census, up 13,226 on 2011.
What is the largest town in South Lanarkshire?
East Kilbride. Hamilton, Rutherglen and Cambuslang follow.
Where is the council based?
Hamilton, at Almada Street. East Kilbride is larger but Hamilton has been the administrative centre of Lanarkshire since county days.
How many towns and villages are there?
123 named settlements are on record, excluding the housing districts that make up the larger towns.
Is New Lanark a World Heritage Site?
Yes. The mill village on the Clyde below Lanark was inscribed by UNESCO in 2001 for its cotton mills and Robert Owen’s social experiment.
What postcodes cover South Lanarkshire?
G32 to G76 in the north around Rutherglen, Cambuslang and East Kilbride, ML3 for Hamilton, and ML8 to ML12 for Carluke, Larkhall, Lanark and Biggar.