Welcome to the Rigside & Douglas Water Website, a website dedicated to the villages of Rigside and Douglas Water, Lanarkshire, Scotland.
Spring clean (28/02/08)
I have been asked to promote a local business. Country Cleaners are a cleaning and domestic services business offering a wide range of services such as home cleaning, dog walking, ironing, garden maintenance, basic DIY and more. Visit theyre website for more information by clicking here.
Merry Xmas & a Happy New Year (30/12/07)
Just like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year, all the best for 2008.
New Houses (29/11/07)
News released by the council today states the planning application for the creation of 100 new houses in Rigside has been given the green light. Building will now commence asap with groundworks already underway. The new housing estate will be situated in vacant fields southwest of Muirfoot Road and will consist of 94 detached and 18 semi detached homes. It will also include a number of footpath links, areas of open space, a play area, landscaping and tree planting. Access to the site will be via a new roundabout to be constructed on Ayr road at the junction with the road leading to Douglas Water. Looks like Rigside is going to double in size, is this good or bad? Feel free to discuss it in the forum!
New Memory (01/10/07)
A new memory has been added to the memories page today from Evelyn Graham. Click here to read Evelyn's memories of Rigside & Douglas Water.
Douglas Water School (09/09/07)
I recently visited Douglas Water and was shocked to find the old school has been demolished. All that stands there now is empty ground. I thought this building would have some sort of historic rights but it seems the council thought nothing of knocking it down. Now there is very little left of the original village and its history another part of Douglas Water disappears.
NEWS & SITE UPDATE (07/07/07)
Hi folks, I know it has been a while since the site as had any news or updates. I have been way busy with other projects. There has been recent news concerning the news below. 3 men have been arrested for the shooting of Victor Yule. None of them were local men (2 from Glasgow). Other news is I (Ash) no longer reside in Rigside and therefore find it difficult to keep up to date with any village news, I would appreciate any help from website users who know of any news. Please contact me with any village news.
LOCAL MAN SHOT DEAD (18/04/07)
Apologies for the lateness of this news been busy lately.
Detectives have launched a murder enquiry following the death of 47-year-old
Victor Yuill of Lanark. Around 7.15pm on Sunday 28 January 2007, a
member of the public discovered the body of Victor within his business
premises, namely Woodside Garage, Ayr Road, Rigside, Lanark. The
premises were immediately sealed off and detailed forensic examination
undertaken. Following a post mortem examination on Tuesday 30 January,
detectives can now reveal that Mr Yuill was shot and his death is being
treated as murder.
Speaking today, Detective Superintendent George Lambie, who will be leading
this investigation said: "Our enquiries are at a very early stage and we
have yet to establish a motive for this murder. However, there is no reason,
at this time, to believe that it was mistaken identity. Mr Yuill was a
married man with three children and he owned the timber premises where his
body was found.
"It is believed that he left his home in Lanark around 1pm on Sunday
afternoon and headed for the garage. Around 7.15pm on Sunday, a member of
the public noticed that the doors to the premises were lying open and
discovered Mr Yuill's body inside.
"I am anxious to speak to anyone who was in the area of Ayr Road between 1pm
and 7.15pm on Sunday afternoon to come forward. It is a relatively quiet
road however it is situated between Lanark and the M74 at Happendon Service
Station. Drivers who were travelling on this stretch of road on Sunday are
asked to come forward.
"A mobile police caravan has been set up at the scene and I would encourage
members of the public to speak to the officers, they may, unwittingly, have
seen or heard something of relevance.
"Any person with information is asked to contact the Incident Room at
Larkhall Police Office on telephone number 01698 202326. Alternatively
telephone Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where anonymity can be maintained."
RISE IN LOCAL CRIME (09/01/07)
The village of Rigside over the past 6 months or so has been subject to an extreme rise in the number of houses being broken into. The thieves are targeting both empty and occupied houses in the village. One house has being broken into and a number of goods stolen then the thieves returned 5 months later to try again although this time unsuccessful. This along with the rise in youth crime/vandalism is such a sad state of affairs for the village to find itself in. Over the past few years the village has been on the up with very little if any empty houses, the council & police have to clamp down on these incidents before they get out of control. In the meantime be extra vigilant and ALWAYS report anything unusual to the police/council (you can find the tel number for lanark police and council on the information page). Feel free to discuss this in more detail on the forum.
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CLASS OF 62 REUNION (20/12/06)
I have been contacted by Les Moan who is looking to organise a reunion for Douglas Water school class of 62 (pupils born in 1957). Some names from that time are Nancy Alexander, Peter Gladstone, Tom Prentice, Lynn Hay, Grace Hogg. For more details please contact Les direct via lesmoan@hotmail.com
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MEMBER ONLY FORUM (20/12/06)
Unfortunately due to the high amount of spam in the forum it is now required that only registered members make or reply to posts. Anyone can view posts but to actually make or reply to a post you now have to register as a member. Its free and easy to register just click the register button on the forum!
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Shoutbox (15/11/06)
A shoutbox has been added to the forum today. Now you can chat with other site visitors, its easy and simple to use. You just enter a name (a nickname if u like) and a message then hit the "Say" button, its as easy as that. You dont have to register or anything! Check it out on the forum, Click here.
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VIDEO SLIDESHOW 2 (9/11/06)
I have created another slideshow for the site today. This slideshow uses pictures of past and present Douglas Water to show in better detail how much the village has changed. You can watch the video on the homepage, New or old pics pages.
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VIDEO SLIDESHOW (7/11/06)
I created a slide show with music of all the pics on the site. You can watch the video on the homepage, New or old pics pages. I would like to create a video slideshow with photographs of past and present residents, If you would like to be included in the slideshow please email your pic to rigsidedw@yahoo.com
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FAQ RETURNS (3/11/06)
I have created an FAQ for the site again. You will find answers to questions you may have in the FAQ as well as the ability to ask questions. So if you want to know who created the site, how to get to Rigside or DW and more then check out the FAQ. I will be adding more to the FAQ over the next few days. Click here to view the FAQ.
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CRIME RATE (2/11/06)
I received a very good question via email from a Tracey muir. She was thinking of buying a house in Douglas Water and wanted to know what the local crime rate was like as well as how well received outsiders are by local people. For more info and to voice your opinion check out the forum. I have posted her question and my opnion in the Rigside & DW part of the forum.
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HOME HAPPENING (2/11/06)
The Home happening program by the council has been active in Rigside & Douglas Water over the past few days. Risgide council houses are currently being renovated with new Kitchens and bathrooms. Muirfoot Road, Newtonhead Rd and others in Rigside have been getting visits from the Home happening team to make theyre choices of Kitchen and bathroom types.
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ANTI-SOCIAL (5/10/06)
Rigside residents have received letters from the council telling them about a rise in Anti-Social behaviour and vandalism at the Rigside shop. It informs residents that a security fence has been erected by the council & shop owners at the rear of the shop to try and prevent further damage. The vandalism highlighted is racist graffiti and damage to shop premises and states that "the culprits are young people living in Rigside". The letter goes on to say that the council & shop owners will be taking measures to catch the vandals and have them prosecuted by the police. One of these measures is installing CCTV on the site. It ends by saying that elderly residents homes behind the shop are also being targeted and asks parents to have a word with theyre children about the matter to try and stop the problems and improve village esteem. It provides a telephone number for residents to report the vandals 0800 389 1105.
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NEW HOUSES (5/10/06)
Notices have been put through Rigside residents doors as a planning application has been lodged with the council for the new housing development which is going to be built in the fields behind Muirfoot rd. the notice does not have any details about how many houses will be built or theyre designs but does feature a map of the site showing which fields will be used. It shows that 3 fields will be used, the 2 fields opposite the Douglas Water road and the field at the top between the village and golf club are highlighted. It states the developers are Grantly Developments (Rigside Ltd). Discuss this on in the forum, click here to view the forum topic.
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GUESTBOOK POLL (5/10/06)
The website poll is back! The website poll is now featured on the guestbook, go to the guestbook to check out the poll. The poll is on a rotation of 3 different polls so to view the different polls just hit the refresh page.
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DOG LOST (22/9/06)
Has anyone seen this dog. Monty went missing between 20:00 & 00:00 on 21st July. He is black with a very small white patch on his chest and grey hairs around his muzzle. Often wanders around Tinto Hill, Nr. Symington.No Tag. For more details and owners contact details click here!. £500 REWARD
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DO YOU HAVE A VIDEO OF RIGSIDE OR DW? (13/9/06)
Do you have a video of Rigside or Douglas Water? I am looking to add videos of the villages to the website. The video's must be in avi or mpeg format. To find out how to add your video's to this site email me at rigsidedw@yahoo.com or use the contact page to contact me for more information.
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HISTORY IN DETAIL (8/9/06)
I received an email from an Archie Clarke with a long and detailed history of the villages. I have added it to the History page today. Go to the History page to view it or click here.
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TWO BECOMES ONE (5/9/06)
It has been a long time in the making but I have finally combined the Douglas Water Website and the Rigside site into one site. I did this for a number of reasons but mainly to make it easier for me to maintain the websites and for you to use the website. It wasnt easy to combine both websites considering the Douglas Water Website contained 5 years of stuff and the Rigside Site around 3 years. However I think it has been worth it and I hope you agree. If You don't then let me know via the Contact page. I have made quite a few changes to the website such as: I havent included as much of an introduction on the homepage, this is mainly because It has taken long enough to put the new site together I will add a more detailed introduction at a later date. I have also used the Douglas Water Guestbook as the main guestbook for this site (mainly because it had 75 entries as to the Rigside guestbook which had 42). You can still view the old Rigside Guestbook (there is a link in the current guestbook) also if you signed the Rigside Guestbook but not the Douglas Water guestbook then feel free to make a new entry in this sites guestbook. Another big change is I have changed hosting companies from Bravenet to 50webs. The biggest reason for this was 50webs offer free hosting without forcing adverts or popups on your site. SO the site address has changed to http://rigsidedw.50webs.com.I have also changed the website email address to rigsidedw@yahoo.com, I still have access to the old email addresses so if you want you can still email me using the old addresses. The new website also has a new forum which looks good and is easy to use, check it out. The website should now be 80% popup free, the only place you could get popups is in the guestbook and the links page. I have had to continue using Bravenet for the guestbook and links basically because it would be too time consuming to transfer all the guestbook entries to a new guestbook elsewhere. The website poll, survey, chatroom and toolbar are gone for now. I may add these again to the site at a later date. There is also no longer a news page, any news will be put here and is also included in every page. Thats about it for now, hope you like the new look site. The Donation project has been put on hold for now.
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DONATION PROJECT (13/08/06)
I have been thinking of starting a Donation scheme on the website which would make it possible to make the website even better.
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DOUGLAS WATER SCHOOL REUNION (01/05/06)
A reunion has been organised for former pupils of Douglas Water School. I was contacted via email by regular site user Roy Bartie who informed me that a reunion the class of 1940 - 1956. It is due to take place on the 27th May 2006 and will be held at the Masonic Hall in Douglas Water. Times are from 6pm till late with a small buffet being provided for a reasonable fee. There will also be excellent bar facilities within the venue. Further information can be found on the friendsreunited website or contacting locally Jim Forrest or Catherine Cowan. The event itself is being organised by a John (Chester) Morris. Anyone who attends this event it would be appreciated by me and I am sure site visitors if they would share they're experience and any photographs with the Rigside & Douglas water website, you can do this by using the contact me page.
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THE OLD RIGSIDE CHAPEL UPDATE (15/03/06)
I recently received an email from website regular Roy Bartie which told me the photographs I featured on the new pics page were not the old chapel but were in fact the ruins of an old farm called Broomfield. Roy also kindly sent me maps to help me find the chapel. Following Roy's maps I braced the cold and wet in search for the chapel and was amazed to actually find it. There isn't much left of the chapel but I wasn't disappointed at what I found. I have added the photo's to the New pics page
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THE OLD RIGSIDE CHAPEL (13/03/06)
When I originally designed the Rigside website I did some research on the village and found information on an old chapel used by villagers hundreds of years ago. It had brief details on its location and I have been looking for it since. years ago I went to view old ruins on the hillside above and behind the village. This area matches the description of where the chapel was however I am not totally convinced this is the chapel ruins. I have put new photographs of the ruins on the new pics page of the website so hopefully website visitors can help me out with this one. Do you know anything about the ruins in the photographs? If you know anything use the contact me page or you could discuss the old chapel or these ruins in our forum.
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ROY BARTIE COLLECTION (05/03/06)
A new page has been added to the Rigside website today. Recently I recieved a lot of new Photographs from a regular website user Roy Bartie. I have created a page to display these new photographs
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Vandals (17/02/06)
Recent vandalism of the shop in rigside has resulted in the shop owners currently banning all children from entering the shop without a responsible adult. Apparently the damage which resulted in the ban will cost the owners a considerable sum to repair.
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Not Again (17/02/06)
It appears that the Indian takeaway on the site of the old petrol station in Rigside which opened late last year has now closed down. However there has been news that a Chinese takeaway may open soon on the site. The Sandwich shop still remains open at present.
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BROADBAND ENABLED (24/6/05)
This is a little old news as I havent really had the chance to put it in here. The villages are now broadband enabled with speeds up to 2mb available. If you can recommend any broadband suppliers why not add a link to the links page.
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BROADBAND COMING TO DW & Rigside (29/5/05)
Great news for the villages, the villages will have broadband by the 13th July 2005. As part of the governments plans to have the whole country enabled to broadband the local exchange will definitely have it on or before the above date. This will hopefully encourage more villagers to get connected.
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PLANNING APPLICATION SUBMITTED 4/5/05
Another article has appeared in the Lanark Advertiser this week relating to the proposed new houses to be built behind Muirfoot road in Rigside. Apparently a planning application has been submitted to South Lanarkshire council for 100 new houses consisting of both houses and flats. The application also states a new roundabout would be built at the Douglas Water access road and another access road built off the roundabout for access to the new development. This is the biggest housing development to have taken place locally since the council built houses in the 30's to house the miners. Arguments against the proposal are that it would cause traffic problems on an already busy main road and also that it is difficult enough already to find people willing to live in Rigside. For my view on the matter check out the forum.
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PONFIEGH STATION GETS A CLEAN UP 10/3/05
I Was reading the Lanark and Carluke Advertiser this morning and seen an article about Ponfiegh Railway Station. The station is now nothing more than a ruin used by travellers who visit Douglas Water every year and park they're Caravans there and also by local villagers who graze horses on the site. According to the advertiser Other local residents have grouped together and decided to clean up the site. The group claims the old station is a dangerous and hazardous place for the children of the village as well as an eyesore. It is also pointed out by the group that the site is being unused as a rubbish dump. A spokesman for the group explained "The state of the old platform and derelict area round about were really causing us some concern. There are lots of hazards there, especially for local children. People seem to use it as a dump for their rubbish and it is also used illegally by others. Axles and tin boxes dumped by travellers are just some of the eyesores locals have had to put up with, as well as people using it illegally to graze horses". The Group have contacted the landowner, UK Coal Mining Ltd and have agreed to lease the land. The plan to initially fence off the area to make it more difficult for people to dump they're rubbish. The Spokesperson continued "This could be a nice area, and the station site is next to the recreation ground and swing park, as well as next to a site where work is about to start on new bungalows as part of the councils redevelopment plans for the village. Douglas Water is a pretty village and our project will help get some more pride back into it. This site is now the only thing that is pulling it down". The group also claim some pet dogs have cut they're paws on broken glass from the site. They claim they will make the area traffic free and safe for kids and local families.
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New Houses Development 15/2/05
An article in the Lanark and Carluke Advertiser last week claimed a development company has received planning permission to build approx 60 new houses in Rigside consisting of both houses and flats. The article claimed these new houses would be built on land adjacent to Muirfoot road. I have since lost the article and cannot therefore put the full details of the article here. If anyone knows more about this please email me the details to
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New Burger Bar and Indians 15/2/05
This could be considered old news now as for the past few months the old Rigside petrol station has been re-opened as a Burger bar on one side and an Indians on the other. I really wish the new proprietors all the best in Rigside. Its about time a successful business operated on this site.
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WORK ON PLACE BRIDGE BEGINS (6/8/02)
Work begins on Place Bridge in Douglas water Today (this is the bridge next to the old post office) as access over the bridge was closed yesterday. Diversions have been set up. coming from Rigside you will be diverted back up the Rigside road onto ayr road (A70) and out onto the B7078 dual carriageway and back onto the Lanark road just before the Cairn Lodge services which brings you out to the old church. Coming from the Lanark direction you are diverted in the opposite direction to the above.
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RIGSIDE POST OFFICE UPDATE (6/8/02)
Right people I may be a little slow on this one but Rigside Post Office has finally moved from the small building in Douglasdale Street to the Rigside shop across the road also in Douglasdale Street. This has happened within the last week.
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BRIDGE CHAOS AHEAD (1/8/02)
The Douglas Water villagers recently received a notice letter from the council detailing plans to close both the Ponfiegh Bridge which stretches over the river and Place bridge at the other end of the village. It is stated in the letter that both bridges will be replaced as part of the councils ongoing programme of bridge improvement. The work is to commence on 5th August on the Ponfiegh Bridge and once this is completed it will be Place bridge turn. They state work is programmed to take no longer than 14 weeks. Roads will be closed and diversions up and running during the work. Contact Philippa Ayton at the council who will be supervising the site during the work on 01698 453666.
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WELSH STREET FINALLY TO BE COMPLETED (31/7/02)
The scaffolding has been put up around the last block in Welsh Street, Douglas Water to be upgraded by the council. This will mean the remaining 2 empty houses in Welsh street will be rented out on completion meaning the street will be full for the first time in years. The village as a whole is virtually full apart from the 2 empty blocks bought recently by a private buyer said to be a local farmer. It is also rumoured these empty blocks are going to be converted to 2 floor houses, turning 4 houses into 2.
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MORRISON STREET GOSSIP (31/7/02)
I was recently told that the old Morrison street site in Douglas Water had been bought by the same local farmer who has bought the 2 empty blocks in McAuslin Terrace. I was also informed that the buyer plans to develop the site in Morrison Street into brand new bungalows or houses. Although this is unconfirmed rumours, we hope it is true as this is exactly what the village has been looking for. Its time for growth to replace decay.
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NEW DW PICS (21/6/02)
We are pleased to say new photographs have been added to the site on our new pics page. I know we having been waiting a while for some new pics but I think you will be pleased with these. Included are exclusive pictures of within the decaying primary school and playground. Also an excellent photo showing the state of the former railway station. While the quality isnt excellent I have to keep the file sizes low as my webspace is limited due to it being free and low file size results in loss of quality, I hope you enjoy them regardless.
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Douglas Water Residents Association Newsletter (8/5/02)
The recent newsletter from the association states that phase 3 of the council redevelopment will hopefully start in July, the reason for this seems to be that the association requested that the work was carried out in the summer months rather than the winter. The newsletter then goes on to express thanks to all the residents in the village for they're support over the past year. It follows with news that membership is now due and states it costs £1. It claims 2 blocks in the village are up for sale and are waiting for planning permission. It is hoped that this will go ahead in the next few weeks and promises that we will then see the village begin to take shape. The newsletter goes on to say that a quiz sheet will be out later in the year. It finishes with an appeal for suggestions and ideas to be expressed as to what you would like seen to happen to the village and urges us to join the association. Douglas water residents association committee members are as follows - Chairperson: Ann Dobie, Secretary: Jenny Muir, Treasurer: I Abernethy, Other members: M McEwan, Alan Dobie, A McEwan, Mary McCabe, D, McCabe, Maude McCabe, P McCabe.
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BACK TO WORK (1/5/02)
The latest news is that the council are to begin renovations in Douglas Water on the remaining block on Welsh Street and are going to begin work on the 1st block in McAuslin Terrace. With most of Welsh St looking brand new it will good to see the rest of the village brought into line with Welsh Street.
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RIGSIDE POST OFFICE (13/4/02)
The Rigside post office will be moving out of its current premises at the end of the month. The small concrete building it is in at the moment has been its home for many a years but this is to come to an end. The owner of the village shop, Mr Atwel has bought the post office and has upgraded his shop to accommodate the post office which will work alongside the shops current facilities. Not everyone is happy with this as they are concerned at the lack of privacy.
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POPULATION BOOM (01/04/02)
There has recently been a rise in the number of people moving into Douglas Water. It would seem the council have decided to fill the empty houses as quickly as they can which I presume is the result of they're decision to renovate the houses, no point in having good looking house with boarded windows. This a welcome event with most villagers with some villagers a little weary of what type of people the council are going to be moving in as the village has been filled with troublesome neighbours by the council in the past. It cannot be denied however that the sight of children once again occupying the village park and play areas is excellent sign of growth rather than the decay the village has seen over the past few years. For too long now the village has been without the laughter of children. It is pleasing to say that all the new residents seem to be pleasant people with quite a few being families with children.
The Rigside & Douglas Water Website Homepage was last updated: 28th February 2008
The Douglas Water Website was first created Jan 2001. The Douglas Water Website and the Rigside site were were combined to become the Rigside & Douglas Water Website on 5th September 2006.
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I have created a top site list for those webmasters who have taken the time to put they're local community on the net. Often a thankless job there is also a forum where like minded webmasters can chat and discuss with other webmasters. Click the banner below to add your site.
Both villages lie approximately 7 miles South West of the historical royal burgh of Lanark and approximately 30 miles south of the city of Glasgow within the Douglas Valley and are just over a mile apart. Both villages are former mining villages built up around the former Douglas Water Colliery. Rigside with a population of approximately 800 is situated on the A70, Ayr Road and Douglas Water with a population of approximately 50 is situated about a mile off the A70. For a map of the villages click here, For local accommodation click here.
Click here to sign up for the Website Newsletter. If you have signed up before on the old sites then please submit your details again.
Below are 2 slideshow video's to music I made of all the pics on the site. The first one is a now and then of both villages the one below it is a closer look at Douglas Water.
To navigate your way around the website use the link buttons at the top of this page. Want to know about the history of the villages then go to the History page. There are a lot of present day photographs on the New Pics page. Check out photographs from the past in the Old Pics page. Read memories of the villages submitted to the website or share your own memories/stories on the Memories page. The Information page contains links and details to useful local services. One thing you just have to do is sign the Guestbook when you first visit the website. Have discussions about anything and everything in the website Forum, you can also use the forum to get help or advice with the website ect... You can also create your own polls on the forum! After receiving a lot of old and present day photographs from website user and Rigside resident Roy Bartie I created a dedicated page to these photographs on the Roy Bartie Collection page. Visit the Links page for useful and interesting links to other websites, there are links to other village websites on the links page.
If you have questions about the site or villages then check the FAQ first. If you cant find your info in the FAQ then please use the forum or contact me.
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For all your cleaning and domestic needs check out the excellent local service from Country Cleaners.
I have been involved in a joint project with my 14 year old daughter to design a local website for young people. The resulting website is the Lanarkshire Young Team website (LYT for short). Full of fun & interactive features for young people check it out by clicking the banner below.
Check out another site from Ash: The Scottish Drivers Site where you can find or advertise driving jobs and training. Click here to view the site!