B744 (Muirkirk - Glasgow)

This article is about the original B744 south of Glasgow.
For the current B744 in Ayrshire, see B744.

The former B744 (now B743) near Muirkirk

The B744 number was originally allocated to a lengthy B-road heading into Glasgow from the south. It started on the A70 in Muirkirk, Ayrshire, and headed north over the hills into Lanarkshire, eventually descending into Strathaven, where it met the A71 at its junction with the A723. There was then a short multiplex with the latter along Townhead Street before it regained its number to leave town along Glasgow Road. The route then headed north via Chapelton before zigzagging over the Calder Water to reach East Kilbride, a place which has changed completely in the intervening years. The B744 entered town along what is now Mount Cameron Drive South before running into Avondale Avenue and Main Street, meeting the original line of the A726 at the far end. There was a multiplex to the right, along Old Coach Road and Highfield Place, before the A726 bore off right along Howard Place and the B744 continued north; a B&Q has been built on top of this section.

After leaving East Kilbride the route zigzagged via Greenleeshill (the modern A749 follows a straighter route) and the B744 was then the dominant partner in a short multiplex with the B759. The route then passed to the west of Cambuslang to reach Rutherglen. It crossed the A730 Main Street and ended shortly afterwards on the A74 Cambuslang Road. This location is described in the 1922 Road Lists as Glasgow.

The entire section of the B744 north of Strathaven was renumbered as the A749 in the mid-1920s, probably 1925. Then at some point between 1932 and 1936 the remaining section became an extension of the A723. At a similar time, specifically in May 1934, the section of the ex-B744 between East Kilbride and Strathaven was renumbered as the A726. In more recent years much of the old route around East Kilbride has been bypassed and redeveloped with the growth of the New Town. This means that following the B744's old route can be difficult. The route south of Strathaven has been downgraded to Class II status again and is now, confusingly, the B743.

The 1922 MOT Road List defines this route as: Muirkirk - Strathaven - East Kilbride - Rutherglen - Glasgow (Farme)