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 as well as North East Somerset and had a population of 5,620 according to the 2011 Census. Given that 2011 Radstock has actually been a community council in its very own right. Radstock has actually been cleared up since the Iron Age, and its relevance grew after the building and construction of the Fosse Way, a Roman road. The development of the community took place after 1763, when coal was uncovered in the location. Large numbers of mines opened during the 19th century consisting of a number of had by the Waldegrave family members, that had been Lords of the Manor because the English Civil War. Admiral Lord Radstock, sibling of George, 4th Earl Waldegrave, took the community's name as his title when produced a Baron. The spoil load of Writhlington colliery is currently the Writhlington Site of Special Scientific Interest, which includes 3,000 tons of Upper Carboniferous spoil where greater than 1,400 insect fossil samplings have been recuperated. The complicated geology and also narrow joints made coal removal difficult. Tonnage raised throughout the 19th century, reaching a peak around 1901, when there were 79 separate collieries as well as annual production was 1,250,000 tons per annum. However, as a result of local geological difficulties and also manpower scarcities outcome decreased and also the variety of pits reduced from 30 at the beginning 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 also the Somerset and Dorset Railway both developed stations and also aligning yards in the community. The last passenger train solutions to Radstock closed in 1966. Production markets such as printing, binding and product packaging supply some local employment. Over the last few years, Radstock has progressively become a commuter town for the close-by cities of Bath and Bristol. Radstock is house to the Radstock Museum which is housed in a former market hall, and has a series of exhibitions which use an understanding into north-east Somerset life considering that the 19th century. A number of the displays associate with regional geology and also the currently obsolete Somerset coalfield as well as geology. The town is also home to Writhlington School, renowned for its Orchid collection, and also a series of instructional, religious as well as social structures as well as sporting clubs.