Radstock is a town in Somerset, England, 9 miles (14 km) south west of Bath, as well as 8 miles (13 kilometres) north west of Frome. It is within the unitary authority of Bath and also North East Somerset and also 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 since the Iron Age, and its relevance grew after the building and construction of the Fosse Way, a Roman road. The development of the town occurred after 1763, when coal was uncovered in the location. Lots of mines opened up during the 19th century consisting of numerous possessed by the Waldegrave household, that had been Lords of the Manor given that the English Civil War. Admiral Lord Radstock, sibling of George, 4th Earl Waldegrave, took the community's name as his title when created a Baron. The spoil stack of Writhlington colliery is currently the Writhlington Site of Special Scientific Interest, which includes 3,000 lots of Upper Carboniferous ruin from which greater than 1,400 insect fossil samplings have been recouped. The facility geology as well as slim seams made coal removal hard. Tonnage increased throughout the 19th century, reaching a peak around 1901, when there were 79 separate collieries and also annual production was 1,250,000 tons per year. However, because of local geological problems and workforce lacks result declined and also the variety of pits decreased from 30 at the start 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 the Somerset and Dorset Railway both established terminals and marshalling lawns in the town. The last passenger train services to Radstock closed in 1966. Production markets such as printing, binding and also packaging offer some regional employment. In recent times, Radstock has significantly become a commuter community for the close-by cities of Bath and also Bristol. Radstock is home to the Radstock Museum which is housed in a previous market hall, as well as has a variety of exhibits which offer an insight right into north-east Somerset life considering that the 19th century. Most of the exhibits relate to regional geology and also the now obsolete Somerset coalfield and also geology. The community is likewise residence to Writhlington School, popular for its Orchid collection, and also a variety of instructional, religious and social structures as well as showing off clubs.