North Lanarkshire Heritage Centre

The North Lanarkshire Heritage Centre in Motherwell is a public heritage‑centre dedicated to preserving and sharing the history of the region.Housed in a distinctive tower building on High Road (ML1 3HU), the centre combines archives, exhibitions, and family‑friendly interactive features under one roof.

Visitors can explore its “Climb Thru Time” exhibit — a chronological walk through local history — ascend the viewing tower for panoramic views over Motherwell, the Clyde Valley and beyond, and browse rotating gallery exhibitions covering everything from ancient times to industrial heritage and modern developments.

Beyond exhibitions, the Heritage Centre manages the main archives for all of North Lanarkshire, with records dating back centuries. These archives support family‑history and genealogical research — a resource for anyone investigating local history, former occupations, old properties, or ancestors from the area.

All this is offered free of charge, with facilities suitable for families (including children’s play and weekend craft activities), accessibility features (lifts, accessible WCs), and a small gift‑shop selling heritage‑themed books and souvenirs.

The North Lanarkshire Heritage Centre first opened its doors in 1996, originally called the Motherwell Heritage Centre.In April 2012, when the archival and modern records for the whole region were transferred from Cumbernauld, the centre was renamed to reflect its wider scope.Since April 2013, management of the Centre has been under CultureNL.

For more information, visit the website