West Somerset is a local government district in Somerset, England. The council headquarters are in Williton, with an additional office in Minehead. West Somerset benefits from one of the most scenic landscapes in England. Nearly two thirds of the western land area of the district forms part of Exmoor National Park designated in 1954 while on the eastern edge of the district are the Quantock Hills which, in 1956, became the first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty created in the UK. Large areas of Exmoor and the Quantock Hills are also designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest because of their value for wildlife. The district was formed on April 1, 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of the previous urban districts of Minehead and Watchet, along with Dulverton Rural District and Williton Rural District. The West Somerset Railway runs through most of the district, from Bishop's Lydeard in the south east, to Minehead in the north west. Operated mainly as a tourist attraction, the railway runs mostly steam and some diesel locomotives.