Ashby-de-la-Zouch, usually shortened to 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 is located close to the Derbyshire border. The civil parish consists of the hamlets of Shellbrook, to the 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, while the city of Derby is 11.5 miles to the north. The town is situated 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 between Tamworth and Nottingham. The permanent resident population of the town, according to the 2001 census, was 12758, which increased 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 before the growth of Coalville, it was the chief town in northwest Leicestershire. In 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. Lots of the buildings in Market Street, the town's major 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, though most 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 certain that you choose reputable pros in Ashby-de-la-Zouch to ensure you get the very best quality service.