   radstock is a town in somerset, england,  south west of bath, and  north west of frome. it is within the unitary authority of bath and north east somerset and had a population of 5,620 according to the 2011 census. since 2011 radstock has been a town council in its own right. radstock has been settled since the iron age, and its importance grew after the construction of the fosse way, a roman road. the growth of the town occurred after 1763, when coal was discovered in the area. large numbers of mines opened during the 19th century including several owned by the waldegrave family, who had been lords of the manor since the english civil war. admiral lord radstock, brother of george, fourth earl waldegrave, took the town's name as his title when created a baron. the spoil heap of writhlington colliery is now the writhlington site of special scientific interest, which includes 3,000&nbsp;tons of upper carboniferous spoil from which more than 1,400&nbsp;insect fossil specimens have been recovered. the complex geology and narrow seams made coal extraction difficult. tonnage increased throughout the 19th century, reaching a peak around 1901, when there were 79&nbsp;separate collieries and annual production was 1,250,000&nbsp;tons per annum. however, due to local geological difficulties and manpower shortages output declined and the number of pits reduced from 30 at the beginning 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 establis
Post_towns_in_the_BA_postcode_area Radstock Somerset_coalfield Towns_in_Bath_and_North_East_Somerset