Scottish town where green is beyond the pale
Sectarianism is so strong in Larkhall that shops have had to repaint their fronts.
Saturday 01 November 2008
Latest in This Britain
On Facebook
From the blogs
Bahrain: One year on
I am used to endless lies and criticism from the BNP and its favourite blogster, as well as Islamist...
HIV orphans in Thailand prepare for the future
In Baan Gerda, a community for HIV infected or affected youngsters in Northern Thailand, a group of ...
Online House Hunter: England’s most romantic places
Our Online House Hunter goes in search of romance this Valentine's Day...
Roy Hodgson for England: A club of one
To argue against Harry Redknapp for England is akin to arguing in favour of bankers bonuses. While s...
Companies setting up shop are forced to change their livery. Traffic lights are smashed in defiance. It seems astonishing that a town could detest something so much, but Larkhall does.
For it is green that provokes so much ire in this Lanarkshire town just outside Glasgow. Yes, the colour.
So far, the contempt with which the emerald tint is held in the town has prompted the sandwich chain Subway to change its traditional signage to black and the local pharmacies to switch their frontage to blue.
The reason is simple, if slightly strange, and stems from sectarianism and football rivalry. In Larkhall, green is immediately associated with Catholicism, Irish republicanism and the football team Glasgow Celtic. And in Larkhall, the vast majority of people proclaim themselves to be Protestant, unionist, and supporters of another Glasgow football team, Rangers.
Well aware of the strength of feeling, many shops have relented accordingly. But this week the supermarket chain Asda defiantly said it would not be changing its traditional green logo, should it open a new store in Larkhall.
There had been suggestions, apparently from locals and certainly from one local newspaper, that the store would present a unique blue frontage, but this was denied by a spokeswoman, who said: "We use this across Scotland and the UK, and feel it is popular and well recognised."
But that has not gone down well. Because the new store, should it be built, would bring a rare flash of green to the town. Wander down the streets, home to the town's 15,000 residents, and only one front door is green. Traffic lights, with their green bulbs, are another victim. Between 2004 and 2007, 205 sets of traffic lights were smashed, costing the council nearly £17,000 to repair. There have even been claims that drunken youths have attempted to set fire to grass.
In 2002, the branches of Moss Pharmacy in the town changed their colours from green and white to red, white and blue. There have also been reports that Telewest phone boxes – originally green – were vandalised and reappeared blue. And while a local chain of Indian restaurants has a green and white livery elsewhere, in Larkhall it is blue and white.
Another example is the railings of the local park. In the 1990s, the council painted them municipal green, an act which proved unpopular. In 2001, a resident painted a stretch red, white and blue, and, with the support of Karen Gillon, the local Labour MSP, the Queen's colours were retained.
But perhaps the most high-profile example of the town's hue-hatred came in 2006 when Graeme Dott, one of Larkhall's most famous sons, won snooker's world championship.
The tournament is sponsored by 888.com, whose colours are green and white. Dott refused to show the trophy at Ibrox Park, home of Rangers, unless the ribbons were swapped for blue.
Jackie Burns, a local councillor, says the town, which has 2,000 Catholic residents, is being portrayed unfairly. "Larkhall is an integrated, mixed community," he said. "It is similar to many towns in the west of Scotland and I am certainly not aware that it is in any way different."
- 1 Apple admits it has a human rights problem
- 2 Lightning kills an entire football team
- 3 Now The Sun tries to call in its favours from Downing Street
- 4 I was born to be a killer. Every night I see the Devil in my dreams
- 5 Amanda Knox set to break her silence – and pocket a fortune from book deal
- 6 Israel blames Iran for embassy bomb attacks
- 7 BBC to issue global apology for documentaries that broke rules
- 1 Spotify: 1 million plays, £108 return
- 2 Apple admits it has a human rights problem
- 3 Kate Allen: It's time for America to put an end to this shameful scandal
- 4 Lightning kills an entire football team
- 5 I was born to be a killer. Every night I see the Devil in my dreams
- 6 Now The Sun tries to call in its favours from Downing Street
- 7 BBC to issue global apology for documentaries that broke rules
- 8 Mona Lisa's 'twin sister' is discovered – 500 years late
- 9 Rhodri Marsden: What we like and what we don't like are often closer than you'd think
- 10 Modern lovers: The 'sexual body warriors' and pioneers transforming 21st-century relationships
Free trial of new Independent iPad app
Get your daily dose of the best of British journalism, sponsored by American Airlines
Win a three-week coastal jaunt
Spend three weeks exploring every nook and cranny of gorgeous Atlantic Canada.
Amazing restaurant offers
Three glasses of free champagne and a special menu at 46 top London restaurants.
Latest Independent competitions
Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page.
Commercial thought leaders
Watch the best in the business world give their insights into the world of business.
Career Services
Day In a Page
Apple admits it has a human rights problem
James Lawton: AVB looks all at sea
Procrastination: Not now – I'm busy
Silent revolution at the Baftas
The diva who had – and lost – it all




Comments