Radstock Town in Somerset

Location

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Map showing location of Radstock

The town of Radstock lies in northeast Somerset. It is situated 9 miles south west of Bath, and 8 miles north west of Frome. It currently has a population of about 5,500 and since 2011 Radstock has been a town council in its own right. There has been a settlement here since at least the Iron Age, its importance grew after the construction of the Fosse Way, a Roman road. Further 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. The spoil heap of Writhlington colliery is now the Writhlington Site of Special Scientific Interest, which includes 3,000 tons of Upper Carboniferous spoil from which more than 1,400 insect fossil specimens have been recovered.