Located 1¼ miles (2 km) west of Whitburn and a similar distance east of Harthill in West Lothian, Polkemmet Country Park is a former estate which became the property of West Lothian District Council in 1978 and was thereafter opened to the public. A number of facilities have subsequently been developed, including an information centre, golf course, golf driving range, bowling green, children's play area, picnic and barbeque area, together with a restaurant and bar. The River Almond passes through the park, which now extends to 68.4 ha (169 acres). A ranger service is provided to lead walks and other activities.
Now constrained by the M8 motorway to the north, the Polkemmet estate was the property of the Shaw family until it was sold to the Baillies in 1620. A fine Baronial mansion once stood here, dating from 1822 but built around a much older core. It served as a nursing home during World War I, a school and army billet during World War II and, in the early 1950s, was the first home to a combined Scottish Police College. The house was demolished in the 1960s and the estate was neglected. Built in 1907, the mausoleum of Robert Baillie, 4th Baronet of Polkemmet, can still be seen in the park.
