Ashby-de-la-Zouch, usually called Ashby, is a little market town and civil parish in North West Leicestershire, England, in the National Forest. It's a sister city with Pithiviers in north-central France and lies near to the Derbyshire border. The civil parish consists of the hamlets of Shellbrook, west of the town, and Boundary to its north-west. Nearby villages include 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 10 miles of Ashby, with the city of Derby 11.5 miles to the north. The town is situated at the heart of the National Forest and about 24 miles south of the Peak District National Park. It is on the A42 national route between Tamworth and Nottingham. The permanent resident population of the town, as outlined by the 2001 census, was 12758, which grew to 13759 by the 2011 census. Ashby-de-la-Zouch Castle was of significance in the 15th to the 17th centuries. In the 19th century, the town became a spa town and prior to the development of Coalville, it was the chief town in northwest Leicestershire. In the 19th century, its key 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. Several the buildings in Market Street, the town's main thoroughfare, are timber framed, but most of this was hidden by later brick facades. The Bull's Head public house still has its historic Elizabethan half-timbering, though most of this was plastered over some years ago and can now no longer be seen from the street. For all your house improvement work, make certain that you utilise reputable specialists in Ashby-de-la-Zouch to ensure you get the best quality service.