Radstock is a town in Somerset, England, 9 miles (14 km) south west of Bath, and also 8 miles (13 kilometres) north west of Frome. It is within the unitary authority of Bath and North East Somerset and had a population of 5,620 according to the 2011 Census. Considering that 2011 Radstock has actually been a community council in its very own right. Radstock has actually been resolved because the Iron Age, as well as its value grew after the construction of the Fosse Way, a Roman roadway. The growth of the community happened after 1763, when coal was discovered in the area. Lots of mines opened throughout the 19th century consisting of numerous possessed by the Waldegrave household, who had been Lords of the Estate given that the English Civil War. Admiral Lord Radstock, brother of George, 4th Earl Waldegrave, took the community's name as his title when created a Baron. The spoil heap of Writhlington colliery is now the Writhlington Site of Special Scientific Interest, which includes 3,000 lots of Upper Carboniferous spoil where more than 1,400 insect fossil specimens have actually been recuperated. The facility geology and also narrow joints made coal extraction challenging. Tonnage increased throughout the 19th century, reaching a peak around 1901, when there were 79 different collieries and also annual production was 1,250,000 heaps per year. However, due to regional geological problems as well as manpower lacks output decreased and the variety of pits reduced from 30 at the beginning of the 20th century to 14 by the mid-thirties; the last 2 pits, Kilmersdon and also Writhlington, closed in September 1973. The Great Western Railway and also the Somerset and Dorset Railway both developed stations and marshalling yards in the town. The last passenger train services to Radstock closed in 1966. Manufacturing industries such as printing, binding and packaging offer some local employment. Over the last few years, Radstock has significantly become a commuter community for the close-by cities of Bath as well as Bristol. Radstock is residence to the Radstock Museum which is housed in a former market hall, and also has a range of displays which provide an insight right into north-east Somerset life given that the 19th century. Most of the exhibits relate to regional geology and the currently obsolete Somerset coalfield as well as geology. The town is additionally residence to Writhlington School, well-known for its Orchid collection, as well as a series of educational, religious and social buildings and also sporting clubs.