Polkemmet Horn

The family of Baillie purchased the Polkemmet estate in 1620, and built a country house here. In 1823, William Baillie was created a baronet, and extended the house. It remained in the Baillie family until the 1950s, although from the 1930s it was not occupied, after Sir Adrian Baillie, the 6th Baronet, moved his main residence to Leeds Castle in Kent. During the Second World War Polkemmet House was requisitioned, and used both as a war hospital and accommodation for Polish soldiers who had fled Nazi-occupied Poland to fight for Britain. Sir Adrian Baillie died in 1947 and was interred in the mausoleum within the estate. Following the war, Polkemmet House became a Trefoil School, run by the…

The park straddles the upper part of the River Almond, one of the main rivers of West Lothian, which rises near Harthill before meandering through the park. A golf course (Polkemmet Golf Club) and driving range occupies much of the park, although substantial areas of woodland remain. Walking routes run through the whole of the former estate. Other facilities include a bowling green, picnic areas, children's play area and car parking. The former stable and office buildings house a cafe, the golf course office and shop, maintenance facilities and public toilets. A barbecue area was created on the site of the old tennis courts. The park has an extensive variety of tree species. Some of the…