Bath and North East Somerset (pop. 193,409) is a unitary authority (local government area) in southwestern England. It consists of the famous city of Bath and the extensive and largely rural area of North East Somerset adjoining it. Apart from Bath, the chief population centers of the area include Keynsham, Midsomer Norton, and Radstock. The majority of the working population is employed in service industries, such as banking, insurance, and finance. Agriculture and manufacturing were once important parts of the local economy, but both have declined since the mid-1900’s.
Bath and North East Somerset includes the Avon Valley and southern Cotswold Hills in the north and the Mendip Hills in the south. The artificial reservoirs of Chew Valley Lake and Blagdon Lake are used for public water supply and are famous for trout fishing. The Wansdyke is an ancient defensive earthwork consisting of a ditch, probably built in the A.D. 400’s or 500’s. It extends through the area from its starting point at Savernake, Wiltshire, almost as far as the coastal town of Portishead, in North Somerset, west of Bristol.
