Ashby-de-la-Zouch, generally referred to as Ashby, is a small market town and civil parish in North West Leicestershire, England, within the National Forest. It's a sister city with Pithiviers in north-central France and is situated 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 due north. The town is located at the heart of the National Forest and approximately 24 miles due 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 line with the 2001 census, was 12758, which increased to 13759 by the 2011 census. Ashby-de-la-Zouch Castle was of importance in 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 primary 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 traditional Elizabethan half-timbering, even though most of this was plastered over some years ago and can now no longer be seen from the street. For all your residence improvement jobs, be sure that you pick vetted specialists in Ashby-de-la-Zouch to ensure that you get the best quality service.