Radstock is a town in Somerset, England, 9 miles (14 kilometres) 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 had a population of 5,620 according to the 2011 Census. Given that 2011 Radstock has been a town council in its very own right. Radstock has actually been resolved because the Iron Age, and its significance grew after the construction of the Fosse Way, a Roman road. The growth of the town took place after 1763, when coal was uncovered in the area. Lots of mines opened throughout the 19th century consisting of several had by the Waldegrave household, that had actually been Lords of the Manor since 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 currently the Writhlington Site of Special Scientific Interest, that includes 3,000 tons of Upper Carboniferous spoil from which more than 1,400 insect fossil samplings have actually been recovered. The facility geology and narrow seams made coal extraction hard. Tonnage boosted throughout the 19th century, reaching a peak around 1901, when there were 79 separate collieries as well as annual production was 1,250,000 lots per year. Nevertheless, as a result of local geological difficulties and also manpower shortages output decreased and also the variety of pits lowered 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 as well as the Somerset and Dorset Railway both developed terminals as well as aligning yards in the community. The last passenger train services to Radstock closed in 1966. Manufacturing markets such as printing, binding as well as product packaging supply some local employment. Recently, Radstock has progressively come to be a traveler community for the nearby cities of Bath and also Bristol. Radstock is house to the Radstock Museum which is housed in a previous market hall, and has a variety of displays which offer an insight into north-east Somerset life since the 19th century. Many of the displays associate with regional geology and also the currently disused Somerset coalfield and also geology. The town is additionally house to Writhlington School, well-known for its Orchid collection, as well as a variety of educational, religious and also social buildings as well as showing off clubs.
