Ashby-de-la-Zouch, frequently referred to as Ashby, is a little market town and civil parish in North West Leicestershire, England, inside the National Forest. It is a sister city with Pithiviers in north-central France and lies close to the Derbyshire border. The civil parish consists of the hamlets of Shellbrook, west of the town, and Boundary to its north-west. Some nearly villages are Lount, Normanton le Heath, Smisby, Packington, Donisthorpe, Oakthorpe, Moira, Measham and Coleorton. The towns of Swadlincote, Burton-upon-Trent, Melbourne and Coalville are all within ten miles of Ashby, while the city of Derby is 11.5 miles to the north. The town is situated at the heart of the National Forest and roughly 24 miles south of the Peak District National Park. It lies on the A42 national route in between Tamworth and Nottingham. The permanent resident population of the town, in accordance with the 2001 census, was 12758, which increased to 13759 by the 2011 census. Ashby-de-la-Zouch Castle was of importance from the 15th to the 17th centuries. In the 19th century, the town became a spa town and before the growth of Coalville, it was the chief town in northwest Leicestershire. During the 19th century, its main industries were ribbon manufacture, coal mining and brickmaking. The town was served by the Leicester to Burton-upon-Trent Line of the Midland Railway from 1849. Many the buildings in Market Street, the town's principal thoroughfare, are timber framed, but the majority of this was hidden by later brick facades. The Bull's Head public house still has its original Elizabethan half-timbering, although the majority of this was plastered over some years ago and can now no longer be identified from the street. For all your house improvement jobs, be sure that you select trustworthy professionals in Ashby-de-la-Zouch to ensure you get the very best quality service.