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Hamiltons – A Famous Name Across the World
Hamiltons is a worldwide name – and not just because we are one of the leading moving companies in East Anglia. There are around 50 places around the world called Hamilton, in countries as varied as Australia, America, Suriname, South Africa and Sierra Leone.
Here we look at five of the biggest and most interesting Hamiltons – and how we can help you move to all of them.
Hamilton, Australia
Probably the best known of Australia’s five Hamiltons is a suburb of the city of Newcastle in New South Wales. Officially founded in 1871, it was originally a mining town, and was named after Edward Terrick Hamilton, who was governor of the board of the Australian Agricultural Company, who owned and mined much of the land.
Hamilton has now become a thriving retail centre, with a distinctly cosmopolitan feel. In the 1940s, a group of families from southern Italy settled in the town and there is still a thriving Italian community here, known as ‘Little Italy’. The total population stands at around the 4,000 mark.
Hamilton, Canada
The largest Canadian Hamilton is a port city on the banks of Lake Ontario, which has a population of more than half a million people. It is named after George Hamilton, a 19th century businessman and politician. It is about 60 km to the south-west of Toronto.
The city’s economy is largely based on agriculture and manufacturing. It produces 60% of the country’s steel and has been called the Steel Capital of Canada. Hamilton’s most notable landmark is the Niagara Escarpment, a ridge which divides the city and is marked by a series of conservation areas and waterfalls.
Hamilton, New Zealand
This is a city on the country’s North Island, with a population of around 160,000 people. It was founded in 1864 and was named after Captain John Fane Charles Hamilton, who was killed during a battle between Maoris and New Zealand government forces for control of the land.
Hamilton is a great place for young people to move to – the Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec) and Waikato University account for around 40,000 of the city’s population. Dairy farming, manufacturing and retail are all key elements of the city’s economy. The biggest tourist attraction is Hamilton Gardens, a 54-acre park with open lawns, a lake, a nursery, a convention centre and a cemetery.
Hamilton, USA
If you are moving house to America, then there are more than 30 places called Hamilton to choose from – for instance, Alabama has one, while California has two, and Indiana three. Americans were always keen on naming their hometowns after prominent local people or landmarks, and they weren’t too worried if someone else had got there first. Lots of these were named after Alexander Hamilton, one of the country’s founding fathers.
One of these is a city in Ohio, which started out life as a fort built during the North-West Indian war in the 1790s. Now it is a town with a population of more than 60,000, In 1986, in a publicity-seeking move, the city authorities voted to add an exclamation mark to the official name – although most maps don’t use it.
Hamilton, Scotland
If you are interested in house removals to Scotland, then this Lanarkshire town is around 12 miles south-east of Glasgow. It wasn’t called Hamilton originally, but Cadzow. Its name was changed in the 15th century, after the Hamilton family, who were major landowners at the time, and who still are today.
Hamilton Palace, to the north-east of the town, was the family seat for almost 300 years and was one of the largest and grandest stately homes in Britain. However, it was demolished in 1927, and all its fabulous treasures – furniture, antiques and artworks – sold off. This was due to the cost of maintenance and subsidence caused by the Hamiltons’ own coal mine in nearby Bothwellhaugh.
However, probably the most famous name to be associated with the town is that of Dr David Livingston, the celebrated explorer. He went to church here – St James’s Congregational Church – and lived in the town’s Burnbank Road for a short while. There is a plaque outside the property marking this connection. Today, Hamilton has a population of over 50,000, making it the ninth largest place in Scotland. Service industries and local government are among the town’s major employers.
Move to Hamilton with Hamiltons Removals
Hamiltons Removals don’t just share a name with all these places – as one of East Anglia’s top removal companies, we can help you move there as well. Our international department can help you with domestic and commercial moves to New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the USA, as well as South Africa, Abu Dhabi and many other countries. Our extensive network of international contacts within the removals industry means we can keep our prices competitive and tailor a package to meet your specific needs.
We can also coordinate moves to and from all locations in the UK, including Scotland and Wales. Our packing service can take even more of the work out of your house move – we arrive the day before our removal team and will wrap up and label all your possessions, taking great care not to damage anything.
If you would like to know more about any of our removals services, follow the link above.
Key Differences Between Commercial and Domestic Moves
Moving your business to a new site can be a completely different kettle of fish compared to an ordinary house move. Hamiltons Removals arranges commercial removals to both the UK and abroad from our base in Norfolk. Here we outline the key differences between the two types of moves – and why we are the ideal firm to use for both.
Scale of Move
Unless you own a very small company, the amount of furniture and possessions which will need to be transported will be much bigger than most domestic moves – particularly when it comes to desks, chairs and IT equipment. Most house moves don’t involve many filing or storage cabinets either.
At Hamiltons, our fleet of vehicles can cope with corporate moves of any size – our road trains allow us to offer businesses a part or full-load service, while our pantechnicon vans can carry multiple containers. We also have a number of utility vehicles for smaller business moves.
Once You Get There
Commercial moves may have to be completed to a strict timeline, such as early in the morning or late in the evening. This is because all the hassle surrounding a move can be very distracting to other companies who may be operating nearby, or in the same office block.
In domestic moves, people are usually happy to have items placed in the correct room, and to sort out the exact positioning later – often unpacking smaller items themselves. When you are moving your business, however staff may want or need to have the same desks and drawers in place, and you will not want to get them muddled up. In many cases, the floor plan will be pre-arranged to fit in with utilities and internet connections.
In commercial terms, time spent on the move is potentially time wasted – companies need to be earning money rather than unpacking. At Hamiltons we fully appreciate the pressures and will work with you and your staff to get you up and running as quickly as possible. We can appoint a dedicated liaison manager to act as a single point of contact and to make sure that no aspect of the move is overlooked.
Specialist Equipment
Some businesses also have highly specialised equipment which won’t form part of your typical house move.
At Hamiltons we are highly experienced in moving all sorts of commercial items, such as tractors and other agricultural vehicles or large production machinery. We have specialist vehicles and ramps ideally suited to this kind of task, and we can also offer specialist packing services for larger or more unusual items.
Reasons to Use Self-Storage
If you haven’t decided what you want to move to your new premises, or you want to ease the stress of the big day, then you can put some items into storage. At Hamiltons we can look after your business-related equipment for as long as you want.
We have two extremely secure self-storage facilities, at Harleston and Aldeby on the Norfolk/Suffolk border, which you can access at a time which suits you. Our international removals department can store items for you abroad as well.
Self-storage can be used to store old receipts and records, some of which may be commercially or, in the case of employee files, personally sensitive. This has the bonus of freeing up valuable space in your new office or factory.
People Need Moving Too
Moving your office also involves moving your staff as well, and many firms offer relocation packages. At Hamiltons we can take care of these at the same time as the office move, making the whole process much more convenient.
We have more than 25 years of experience in moving people to and from all villages, towns and cities in the UK, including Chelmsford, London, Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham, and offer the same high level of personal and professional service as we do with all our commercial removals from our Norfolk headquarters.
If you would like to know more about either our commercial or our domestic removals services, follow this link or call us on 01379 855203.