The Radstock, Midsomer Norton and District Museum Society was
founded in 1985 to preserve the social and industrial heritage of the
communities of the Somerset Coalfield. The first issue of 'Five Arches',
the Journal of the Society, appeared in 1986. The Society's Collection
was first put on permanent display at Barton Meade, Haydon, in 1989.

In 1996 the old Radstock Market Hall was acquired and three years later,
on July10th 1999, Radstock Museum opened its doors and became the
new home of The Society's Collection.

Run by a team of dedicated volunteers who have searched history books,
archives and memories of local people, the Museum has been described
as the jewel in the West Country's crown.

Radstock Museum celebrates the lifestyle of the typical Somerset coalminer.
The Museum illustrates not only the home life of the mining families, but
also the vibrant social, commercial and industrial structure of the last century.

Dedicated areas demonstrate the coalface and the miner's hard, dangerous
working conditions. Shop at the Co-op as his wife did over 60 years ago,
relive the trepidation felt by his children in the strict Victorian Board
School, see how the community life centred round the twin pleasures of the
church and the pub.

His sporting activities focussed on football, quoits and pigeon-racing –
all well documented within the Museum. The Friendly Societies formed the
safety net for the mining community in times of need and pit disasters.
The Great Western Railway and the Somerset & Dorset Railway, which
superseded the Somersetshire Coal Canal, impacted greatly on the community,
with Radstock/GWR Station adjacent to the Market Hall.

Local enterprise depicted includes the Blacksmith's Forge and the Carpenter's
Workshop. Besides the collieries, other local employers in the town were boot
and shoe manufacturers, brewers, printers, foundries and agriculture; all of
these are represented within the Museum. The last of the Somerset coalmines
closed in the early 1970s.

Memories and physical reminders live on – take one of the four heritage walks
to visit the pit sites, or collect fossils. Learn more about Radstock, the people
and the surrounding areas by subscribing to "Five Arches" the Museum's own
periodical publication.