Ashby-de-la-Zouch | |
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Market Street, looking west |
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Ashby-de-la-Zouch shown within Leicestershire | |
Population | 12,758 (2001 Census) |
OS grid reference | SK3516 |
Civil parish |
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District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | Ashby-de-la-Zouch |
Postcode district | LE65 |
Dialling code | 01530 |
Police | Leicestershire |
Fire | Leicestershire |
Ambulance | East Midlands |
EU Parliament | East Midlands |
UK Parliament | |
Website | Ashby de la Zouch Town Council |
Ashby-de-la-Zouch (/ˌæʃbɪ dələ ˈzuːʃ/), often shortened to Ashby, is a small market town and civil parish in North West Leicestershire, England, within the National Forest. It is a sister city with Pithiviers in north-central France and lies close to the Derbyshire border. The population of the town according to the 2001 census was 12,758, which increased to 13,759 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. Before the growth of Coalville, it was the chief town in north-west Leicestershire.
In the 19th century its main 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.
The civil parish includes the hamlets of Shellbrook west of the town and Boundary to its north-west.