Radstock

Coordinates: 51°17′35″N 2°26′53″W / 51.293°N 2.448°W / 51.293; -2.448
This is a good article. Click here for more information.
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Radstock
Avon and Somerset
FireAvon
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
Websitewww.radstock-tc.gov.uk
List of places
UK
England
Somerset
51°17′35″N 2°26′53″W / 51.293°N 2.448°W / 51.293; -2.448

Radstock is a town and civil parish on the northern slope of the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England, about 9 miles (14 km) south-west of Bath and 8 miles (13 km) north-west of Frome. It is within the area of the unitary authority of Bath and North East Somerset. The Radstock built-up area had a population of 9,419 at the 2011 Census.

Radstock has been settled since the

Lords of the Manor since the 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

Manufacturing industries such as printing, binding and packaging provide some local employment. In recent years, Radstock has increasingly become a commuter town for the cities of Bath and Bristol
.

Radstock is home to the

Somerset coalfield. The town is also home to Writhlington School, famous for its Orchid
collection, and a range of educational, religious and cultural buildings and sporting clubs.

History

Radstock has been settled since the

The

marshalling yards in the town. Radstock was the terminus for the southern branch of the Somerset Coal Canal, which was turned into a tramway in 1815.[6] It then became a central point for railway development, with large coal depots, wash houses, workshops and a gas works. As part of the development of the Wiltshire, Somerset and Weymouth Railway, an 8-mile (13 km) line from Radstock to Frome was built to carry the coal. In the 1870s the broad-gauge line was converted to standard gauge and connected to the Bristol and North Somerset Line which linked the town to the Great Western Railway. The Radstock Railway Land covers the old marshalling yards and sheds and comprises an area of approximately 8.8 hectares of land which is the subject of ongoing planning and development applications to redevelop the area.[7][8]

The town is close to the site of the Radstock rail accident, a rail crash that took place on the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway, on 7 August 1876. Two trains collided on a single track section, resulting in the deaths of 15 passengers.[9]

The last passenger train services in Radstock closed in 1966, and the last

Manufacturing industries such as printing, binding and packaging provide some local employment. More recently Radstock has become a commuter town for the nearby cities of Bath and Bristol, leading to traffic problems at peak hours.[10]

Coal mining

In 1763, coal was discovered in Radstock and mining began in the area.

Graeophonus.[17] and the world's earliest known Damselfly.[18] It is a Geological Conservation Review Site.[19]

The complex geology and narrow seams made the coal extraction difficult; three underground explosions, in 1893, 1895 and 1908, were amongst the first attributable solely to airborne coal dust.[20]

Tonnage increased throughout the 19th century, reaching a peak around 1901, when there were 79 separate collieries and annual production was 1.25 million tons per annum.

nationalisation to create National Coal Board on 1 January 1947, 5 by 1959 and none after 1973.[23] Narrow seams made production expensive, limiting profit and investment, and a reduced national demand together with competition from more economical coalfields led to the closure of the last two pits in the coalfield, Kilmersdon and Writhlington, in September 1973.[23]

Governance

Radstock War Memorial

In 2011, Radstock gained a town council. Until then, the town was part of the

civil parish, which was created in 1974 as a successor to the Norton-Radstock Urban District, itself created in 1933 by the merger of Midsomer Norton and Radstock urban districts, along with part of Frome Rural District.[24] Under the Local Government Act 1972 it became a successor parish
to the urban district.

Radstock is administered by the unitary authority of Bath and North East Somerset and by Radstock Town Council.

The area is within the North East Somerset UK Parliament constituency, which covers all parts of the Bath and North East Somerset district outside Bath.[25] Prior to Brexit in 2020, it was in the South West England constituency of the European Parliament.

Geography

The main geological feature in this area of the

Hercynian orogeny caused shock waves in the rock as the Mendip Hills were pushed up, forcing the coal measures to break along fractures or faults. Along the Radstock Slide Fault the distance between the broken ends of a coal seam can be as much as 1,500 feet (457 m).[28]

Radstock lies on the

Cam Brook at Midford to form Midford Brook before joining the River Avon close to the Dundas Aqueduct and the remains of the Somerset Coal Canal. The base of the valley is of alluvium deposits. Above this on both sides of all of the valley is a band of shales and clays from the Penarth Group. These rocks are from the Triassic period. The majority of the remaining upland around Radstock is Lias Limestone (white and blue) while the very highest part above 130 m, south of Haydon, is a small outcrop of Inferior Oolitic Limestone. All these limestones are from the Jurassic period. The steepest slopes of both the Kilmersdon and Snail's Bottom valleys have frequently slipped. Below all of the area is the coal bearing Carboniferous strata. Haydon is an outlier of Radstock and was built to house the miners for the local pit. The disused railway line and inclined railway at Haydon form important elements within the Kilmersdon valley east of Haydon. The modern landscape has a less maintained and "rougher" character and texture than neighbouring agricultural areas. This is caused in the main by the remnants of the coal industry and its infrastructure and changes in agricultural management. The disturbance caused by coal mining and the railways and the subsequent ending of mining and disuse of the railways has created valuable habitats of nature conservation interest.[29]

Along with the rest of

seasonal and diurnal variations, but because of the modifying effect of the sea, the range is less than in most other parts of the United Kingdom. January is the coldest month, with mean minimum temperatures between 1 °C (34 °F) and 2 °C (36 °F). July and August are the warmest months in the region, with mean daily maxima around 21 °C (70 °F). In general, December is the dullest month and June the sunniest. The southwest of England enjoys a favoured location, particularly in summer, when the Azores High extends its influence north-eastwards towards the UK.[30]

snowfall is typical. November to March have the highest mean wind speeds, and June to August having the lightest. The predominant wind direction is from the southwest.[30]

Population

At the 2011 Census, Radstock parish had a population of 5,620.[31] At that time the wider built-up area, defined by the Office for National Statistics to include the Westfield area south-west of the town, had a population of 9,419.[1]

Transport

Cerved black post with white direction indicators at the top.
John Mills "Fossil Tree" milepost near Radstock

Radstock was the terminus for the southern branch of the

Colliers' Way, a national cycle route which passes many landmarks associated with the coal field;[32] other local roads and footpaths follow the tramways developed during the coal mining years.[33] The cycle route currently runs from Dundas Aqueduct to Frome via Radstock,[34] although it is intended to provide a continuous cycle route to Southampton and Portsmouth
.

Radstock had a second

Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway extension to Bath, which closed to passengers in 1966. The stations were adjacent to each other in the centre of the town, and each had level crossings across the busy A367 road, causing long tailbacks at busy periods. The S&D line also carried substantial coal traffic. A spur from the Great Western line on to the S&D and continuing to Writhlington Colliery remained open for a few years after the railway's closure to passenger traffic, until the colliery closed in 1973. Today the nearest railway station is Bath Spa
which is easily accessible via regular direct bus routes.

Radstock is situated on the A367 between Bath and Shepton Mallet, and on the A362 between Farrington Gurney and Frome, very close to the A37.

Memorial Gardens

Since the closure of the railways the railway land in the centre of the town stood empty for many years. Most prominent was a green space between the museum and brook which housed a dis-used pit wheel on a low steel frame, which many passers-by mistook for a spinning wheel. There had long been an aspiration to develop a memorial park or garden on the site to commemorate both the mining history of the town and to provide a new setting for the town's war memorial.

In 2001 a local practice of landscape architects, New Leaf Studio were commissioned by Bath & North East Somerset Council to develop proposals for the land.[35] The first phase of the park, the Memorial gardens were then built for the Norton Radstock Town Council in 2005 to New leaf Studio's designs incorporating a new sculptural base for the old mine wheel by artist Sebastien Boyesen.[36]

The new Memorial Gardens incorporate the war memorial which was moved from Victoria Square as part of the project. The planting employs a naturalistic style with broad drifts of herbaceous perennials and grasses providing colour through a long season, extending through the winter with dry stems and seed heads.

Museum

Radstock Museum

The

carpenter's shop and exhibits relating to agriculture. Artefacts and memorabilia of the Somerset Coal Canal, Somerset and Dorset and Great Western Railways are also on display.[38]

Education

First schools for children up to 11 include St Mary's C of E Primary School, St Nicholas C of E Primary School and Trinity Primary School.

Westfield
lie Westfield Primary School and, for pupils with complex learning difficulties, Fosseway School.

Writhlington School in Radstock is a secondary school for pupils aged 11–18. It has specialist status as a Business and Enterprise College. The school has 1,242[40] pupils in both compulsory and sixth-form education. The school is notable for its orchid project,[41] which includes the biggest collection of orchids outside Kew Gardens and has won numerous awards including a gold medal at the 2009 Chelsea Flower Show.[42] The school has also won awards in business with its enterprise companies and was named the most enterprising school in England in 2006.[43]

The town is served by the Somer Valley site of

Westfield
.

Sport and leisure

Radstock has a Non-League football club Radstock Town F.C. who play at The Southfields Recreation Ground.

Media

The local free newspaper, the

Somerset Guardian, which is part of the Daily Mail and General Trust.[45] The monthly magazine, the Mendip Times
, also includes local features.

Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC West and ITV West Country. Television signals are received from the Mendip TV transmitter.[46]

The town is served by the local radio stations: BBC Radio Somerset on 95.5 FM, Heart West on 102.6 FM, Greatest Hits Radio South West on 102.4 FM and Somer Valley FM, a community based station which broadcast on 97.5 FM and also online.[47]

Religious sites

Stone building with square tower, partially obscured by trees.
St Nicholas Church

Radstock contains four churches, united under the umbrella of "Churches together in Radstock". There are frequent interfaith unity services in the town.

The

Anglican parish church of St Nicholas has a west tower dating from the 15th century. The rest of the church was rebuilt in 1879 in Geometric style, by William Willcox. It is Grade II listed.[48]

Radstock

Baptist Church
, situated on Wells Hill, was founded in 1844.

Radstock was one of the missions established in 1913 by the Downside community. A temporary building of thin wooden beams and asbestos blocks was erected in 1913,[51] and dedicated to St Hugh. Its altar rails and benches came from Prior Park. Dom Mackey was succeeded in 1918 by Dom Ambrose Agius, who acquired a disused printing works, formerly a barn and converted it into the present church in Westfield, which opened in 1929. It was rebuilt after a serious fire in 1991. It has a statue of the patron on its façade.[52] St Hugh's church closed and was converted to private housing in 2018.

Radstock is also home to a

Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall
.

Notable people

References

  1. ^ a b "Radstock (Built-up Area)". citypopulation.de. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  2. ^ "Welcome to Norton Radstock Town Council". Norton Radstock Town Council. Archived from the original on 15 June 2009. Retrieved 24 August 2009.
  3. .
  4. ^ Johnston, James B (1915). The place-names of England and Wales. J. Murray. p. 410.
  5. ^ "Somerset Hundreds". GENUKI. Archived from the original on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  6. ^ a b Priestley, Joseph (1831). Historical Account of the Navigable Rivers, Canals, and Railways, of Great Britain P580. Archived from the original on 15 December 2007. Retrieved 9 December 2007.
  7. ^ "Development Sites - Radstock" (PDF). Bath and North East Somerset. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  8. ^ "Background to the threat proposed to Radstock". Radstock Action Group. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  9. ^ "The Radstock (Foxcote) accident of 1876". Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway. Archived from the original on 6 October 2008. Retrieved 31 January 2010.
  10. ^ "Radstock Regeneration Principles". Bath & North East Somerset Council. 2006. Archived from the original on 12 June 2008. Retrieved 31 January 2010.
  11. .
  12. ^ a b "Peak District Mines Historical Society". Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  13. ^ Bonsall, Penny (July 1986). "The Writhlington Miners Strike 1899". Five Arches. 2. Radstock, Midsomer Norton and district museum: 3–5.
  14. ^ "List of Mines in Great Britain and the Isle of Man, 1908". Coal Mining Resource Centre. Archived from the original on 1 May 2012. Retrieved 12 November 2006.
  15. ^ "Writhlington SSSI, Somerset". UK: Natural England. Archived from the original on 11 January 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
  16. .
  17. from the original on 17 July 2011.
  18. ^ "Writhlington" (PDF). SSSI citation sheet. UK: English Nature. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 May 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
  19. .
  20. ^ "Radstock's coal mining history". This is Wiltshire. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
  21. ^ a b "A Brief History of the Bristol and Somerset Coalfield". The Mines of the Bristol and Somerset Coalfield. Archived from the original on 17 January 2009. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  22. ^ "Relationships / unit history of NORTON RADSTOCK". Vision of Britain. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2008.
  23. ^ "Somerset North East: New Boundaries Calculation". Electoral Calculus: General Election Prediction. Archived from the original on 14 February 2009. Retrieved 19 September 2007.
  24. ^ "Rural Landscapes — Area 8 Farrington Gurney Farmlands". Bath and North East Somerset Council. Archived from the original on 21 July 2006. Retrieved 10 December 2006.
  25. ^ "UK Coal resource for new exploitation technologies" (PDF). DTI Cleaner Coal Technology Transfer Programme. Department for Business Innovation and Skills. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 May 2010. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
  26. .
  27. ^ "Rural Areas — Area 15 Norton Radstock Southern Farmlands" (PDF). Bath and North East Somerset Council. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  28. ^ a b "South West England: climate". Met Office. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 14 March 2010.
  29. ^ "Radstock Parish". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Archived from the original on 1 January 2014. Retrieved 31 December 2013.)
  30. ^ "The Colliers Way (NCN24)". BANES cycling. Archived from the original on 11 February 2007. Retrieved 11 November 2006.
  31. ^ "OpenCcyleMap Cycle Map". Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  32. ^ "Colliers Way". Sustrans. Archived from the original on 9 December 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2010.
  33. ^ "Town centre memorial park, Radstock". New Leaf Studio. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 4 August 2010.
  34. ^ "Pit Head Wheel". Bath and North East Somerset Council. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  35. ^ "Radstock Market Hall". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 10 December 2006.
  36. ^ "Radstock Museum". Radstock Museum. Archived from the original on 18 April 2010. Retrieved 31 January 2010.
  37. ^ "Education". Radstock Town Council. Archived from the original on 21 October 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  38. ^ "Writhlington School". Ofsted. Archived from the original on 9 April 2011. Retrieved 29 April 2009.
  39. ^ "WSBEorchids". WSBEorchids. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2008.
  40. ^ "Chelsea Flower Show 2009: Continuous Learning Awards" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 May 2010. Retrieved 23 May 2009.
  41. ^ "WSBE Orchids". About. Archived from the original on 16 November 2007. Retrieved 31 January 2010.
  42. ^ "Tindle Newspapers Ltd". The Newspaper Society. Archived from the original on 13 July 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
  43. ^ "Somerset Guardian". British Newspapers Online. Archived from the original on 19 August 2010. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  44. ^ "Full Freeview on the Mendip (Somerset, England) transmitter". UK Free TV. 1 May 2004. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  45. ^ "About Somer Valley FM". Somer Valley FM. Archived from the original on 14 September 2010. Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  46. ^ "Church of St Nicholas". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 10 December 2006.
  47. ^ "The Baptist Church, Wells Hill". Radstock 4 u. Archived from the original on 14 January 2010. Retrieved 31 January 2010.
  48. ^ "Radstock Methodist Church". Churches together in Radstock. Archived from the original on 3 March 2012. Retrieved 31 January 2010.
  49. ^ "St Hugh's RC". Churches together in Radstock. Archived from the original on 3 March 2012. Retrieved 31 January 2010.
  50. .
  51. ^ "Frank Coombs (1906–1941)". Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  52. ^ "RootsWeb's WorldConnect Project: Somerset Coalfield Connections". Wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com. Archived from the original on 14 April 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  53. ^ "Yeovil Town Story Part 4". Ciderspace.co.uk. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  54. ^ "The Graveyard Detective: Football Fatality". Graveyarddetective.blogspot.com. 9 May 2010. Archived from the original on 27 September 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2017.

External links

Media related to Radstock at Wikimedia Commons