Although Carluke is a parish with seemingly ordinary buildings and inhabitants, the stories behind the buildings and the people make the town and parish unique.

The origins of Carluke’s name remain a mystery.  However, it is likely that it is derived from Eglis Malouc–the church of St Malouc. Carluke took a long time to expand.  By the end of the 18^th Century, there was a population of around 380.  The main occupation at that time was weaving but this declined after a few decades to be replaced by various mining activities.  Industrialisation brought iron-making to the parish at Castlehill and, with the development of the blast furnace, came coal, ironstone, limestone and freestone mining, the latter brought about by the demand for housing from the influx of workers to the town and parish.  Iron making lasted only forty years, but coal mining remained an important industry until the last pit closed in the 1950s.