A former mining village of East Lothian, lying 2 miles (3 km) east of Tranent, now bypassed by the A1 trunk road. The majority of the village comprises public housing built by the local authority and the National Coal Board. In 1994, an area to the north of the village was zoned for major residential development, but the proposal was scaled back in the face of considerable local opposition.
Macmerry was the terminus of a branch of the railway which led to Dalkeith and Edinburgh between 1868 and 1960. This was primarily built to serve coal mines in the vicinity of the village and the Gladsmuir Iron Works, but was also used by passenger services. Open-cast coal mining still takes place to the northeast, between Macmerry and Tranent.
The Macmerry Industrial Estate lies separately to the east of the village, just a mile (1.5 km) west of Gladsmuir.
