Ashby-de-la-Zouch, usually referred to as Ashby, is a little 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 located close to the Derbyshire border. The civil parish includes 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 10 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 around 24 miles south of the Peak District National Park. It lies on the A42 national route between Tamworth and Nottingham. The permanent resident population of the town, according to the 2001 census, was 12758, which grew to 13759 in 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 major 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. Lots of 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 the majority of this was plastered over some years ago and can now no longer be identified from the street. For all your residence improvement projects, be certain that you choose reputable pros in Ashby-de-la-Zouch to ensure you get the top quality service.