Ashby-de-la-Zouch, often called Ashby, is a little market town and civil parish in North West Leicestershire, England, inside the National Forest. It's twinned with Pithiviers in north-central France and is positioned close to the Derbyshire border. The civil parish contains the hamlets of Shellbrook, to the 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 10 miles of Ashby, while the city of Derby is 11.5 miles to the north. The town is located 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 in between Tamworth and Nottingham. The permanent resident population of the town, in accordance with the 2001 census, was 12758, which increased to 13759 in 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. In the 19th century, its most important 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 retains its historic Elizabethan half-timbering, although 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 choose vetted specialists in Ashby-de-la-Zouch to make sure you get the very best quality service.