Radstock is a town in Somerset, England, 9 miles (14 km) southern west of Bath, and also 8 miles (13 km) north west of Frome. It is within the unitary authority of Bath and also North East Somerset as well as had a population of 5,620 according to the 2011 Census. Because 2011 Radstock has actually been a town council in its own right. Radstock has been settled considering that the Iron Age, as well as its significance grew after the construction of the Fosse Way, a Roman road. The growth of the town occurred after 1763, when coal was found in the location. Lots of mines opened throughout the 19th century consisting of numerous possessed by the Waldegrave household, who had been Lords of the Estate considering that the English Civil War. Admiral Lord Radstock, bro of George, fourth Earl Waldegrave, took the community's name as his title when produced a Baron. The spoil heap of Writhlington colliery is now the Writhlington Site of Special Scientific Interest, that includes 3,000 lots of Upper Carboniferous ruin where greater than 1,400 insect fossil specimens have been recuperated. The complex geology and narrow seams made coal extraction challenging. Tonnage boosted 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. Nevertheless, because of regional geological difficulties and also workforce shortages result declined and the number of pits decreased from 30 at the start of the 20th century to 14 by the mid-thirties; the last two pits, Kilmersdon and Writhlington, closed in September 1973. The Great Western Railway and the Somerset and Dorset Railway both established stations and also mustering backyards in the community. The last passenger train solutions to Radstock enclosed 1966. Production sectors such as printing, binding as well as product packaging supply some neighborhood work. In recent years, Radstock has significantly come to be a commuter community for the neighboring cities of Bath and Bristol. Radstock is home to the Radstock Museum which is housed in a previous market hall, and also has a variety of displays which provide an understanding into north-east Somerset life given that the 19th century. Most of the exhibitions relate to regional geology and the now obsolete Somerset coalfield and also geology. The town is likewise residence to Writhlington School, famous for its Orchid collection, and a series of academic, spiritual and cultural buildings as well as showing off clubs.