Radstock is a community in Somerset, England, 9 miles (14 km) southern west of Bath, and also 8 miles (13 kilometres) 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. Considering that 2011 Radstock has actually been a town council in its very own right. Radstock has been resolved given that the Iron Age, and also its value expanded after the building of the Fosse Way, a Roman road. The growth of the town happened after 1763, when coal was found in the location. Large numbers of mines opened up during the 19th century consisting of several possessed by the Waldegrave family members, that had actually been Lords of the Estate given that the English Civil War. Admiral Lord Radstock, bro of George, fourth Earl Waldegrave, took the town's name as his title when developed a Baron. The spoil lot of Writhlington colliery is now the Writhlington Site of Special Scientific Interest, which includes 3,000 lots of Upper Carboniferous spoil from which more than 1,400 insect fossil samplings have been recovered. The complex geology as well as slim joints made coal extraction tough. Tonnage enhanced throughout the 19th century, reaching a peak around 1901, when there were 79 different collieries and annual production was 1,250,000 loads per year. Nonetheless, as a result of regional geological troubles and manpower scarcities outcome decreased and the number of pits reduced from 30 at the start of the 20th century to 14 by the mid-thirties; the last two pits, Kilmersdon and also Writhlington, closed in September 1973. The Great Western Railway and the Somerset and Dorset Railway both established stations and also mustering yards in the town. The last passenger train solutions to Radstock closed in 1966. Production markets such as printing, binding and also packaging provide some neighborhood work. Recently, Radstock has significantly come to be a commuter community for the neighboring cities of Bath as well as Bristol. Radstock is home to the Radstock Museum which is housed in a previous market hall, and has a variety of displays which offer an understanding into north-east Somerset life because the 19th century. Many of the displays associate with local geology as well as the currently obsolete Somerset coalfield and also geology. The town is likewise home to Writhlington School, famous for its Orchid collection, and also a range of educational, religious and also cultural structures and also sporting clubs.