Ashby-de-la-Zouch

Ashby-de-la-Zouch, often called Ashby, is a market town and civil parish in the North West Leicestershire district of Leicestershire, England. It is close to the borders of Derbyshire and Staffordshire. In 2021, the town had a population of 16,491 people.

One of the most famous places in Ashby is Ashby de la Zouch Castle, which was very important from the 15th to the 17th centuries. During the 1800s, the town became well known for making ribbons.

The town includes small areas called hamlets named Shellbrook and Boundary. Nearby towns such as Swadlincote, Burton upon Trent, Melbourne, and Coalville are all within a short distance. Ashby is located in the heart of the National Forest, not far from the Peak District National Park. The town can be reached using the A42 road, which connects Tamworth and Nottingham.

History

The town was originally called Ashby in 1086, which means "Ash-tree farm" or "Ash-tree settlement". After the Norman conquest of England, it became part of the La Zouche family and later the Hastings family.

Ashby de la Zouch Castle was built in the 12th century and became important during historical events like the First English Civil War. Many buildings in the town’s main street, Market Street, have old wooden frames hidden behind brick walls. Some buildings still show their original wooden designs.

Governance

Ashby-de-la-Zouch has a town council with 17 councillors representing six wards: Blackfordby, Castle, Holywell, Ivanhoe, Money Hill, and Willesley.

The town is part of the North West Leicestershire district and Leicestershire County Council. It is also in the parliamentary constituency of North West Leicestershire, where it is represented by Amanda Hack from the Labour Party.

Notable buildings

Churches

St Helen's Church is the original Anglican parish church of Ashby. It was built in the late 1400s in a style called Perpendicular Gothic. Later in 1878, new outer sections were added. The church holds important memories for the Hastings family and others, and it has a rare 300-year-old item used for punishment.

Holy Trinity Church was built between 1838 and 1840 in an Early English Gothic style. It has special supports made of iron, and later additions include a special area at the end of the church and beautiful ironwork.

Our Lady of Lourdes is the Roman Catholic Church, built between 1908 and 1915. It has a round end section and a tower in one corner.

The Congregational Church, built in 1825, has a simple style with tall columns. There is also a meeting place for Christadelphians in the town.

Ivanhoe Baths

The Ivanhoe Baths was built in 1822 in a style called Neo-Grecian. It had a long front with a special design. By 1960, it was no longer used and was torn down in 1962. The baths were built after miners found a special spring with salty water nearby. A hotel was also built to welcome visitors, but it closed in February 2018.

Water tower

A water tower from the 1800s, listed as important, has been changed into a home. This change caused some disagreement because it included new modern parts.

Loudoun Monument

In 1879, a monument was built to remember Edith Rawdon-Hastings by her husband. The design is based on old crosses and is located where two streets meet, across from the Roman Catholic church.

Ashby-de-la-Zouch Town Hall

Ashby-de-la-Zouch Town Hall was built in 1857, at the same time as the market hall behind it.

Education

Ashby-de-la-Zouch has two main schools for older children. Ashby School, for ages 11 to 18, was started in 1567. It used to be called Ashby Grammar School. There was another school for boys there a long time ago too.

Another school is Ivanhoe School, for ages 11 to 16, which started in 1954. It is named after the famous story Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott. In the story, there is a big archery contest in Ashby where Robin Hood wins.

There was also a private school called Manor House School for children aged four to 16, but it closed in 2018.

Business

In the 1800s, Ashby was known for making leather, cotton cloth, and glue. Today, the biggest employer is United Biscuits, which has a large center for storing and moving food across the country, and a KP Snacks factory. Another big factory, McVitie's, closed in 2004.

Other companies in Ashby include Tesco and several technology and service firms. A well-known video game company, once called Ultimate Play the Game and now named Rare, used to be in Ashby but has moved closer to Twycross.

Recreation

Ashby United Community Football Club is a friendly club for kids and adults of all ages to play football. They have many teams for different age groups and are known for including everyone in the town.

Wellesley Park Golf Course is a big, beautiful place to play golf. It covers 230 acres of gentle, rolling land and has trees lining its first hole. The golf course opened in April 1921.

Ashby Hastings Cricket Club has been around since before 1831. They play matches each year and have teams for different age groups, including kids under 15, under 13, under 11, and under 10. There is also another cricket club called Ashby Town Cricket Club, which started in 1945.

Ashby RFC is a rugby club with teams for kids as young as four and adults of all ages. They also have a touch rugby team for everyone.

The town has clubs for other sports too, like bridge and hockey.

Ivanhoe Runners is a running club started in 1985. They host the Ashby 20 mile road race each year, which is a good practice run before the London Marathon. Runners get a special hoody instead of a medal for finishing! The race is well organized with lots of water stations and friendly volunteers.

Transport

The town was supposed to have a canal called Ashby Canal starting in 1804, but it only reached the village of Moira instead of Ashby. Ashby had its own train station on the Leicester–Burton upon Trent line of the Midland Railway. The station closed in 1964, but the railway track is still used for moving goods. There were also train lines connecting Ashby to places like Melbourne, Market Bosworth, Hinckley, Nuneaton, and Derby, but these closed between the 1950s and 1980s and are now paths for walking.

Plans to bring back train service to Ashby were made in the 1990s but stopped after changes in the rail company system in 1995. In 2009, there was a plan to spend £49 million to restart train service and open a new station in Ashby. The closest train station today is Burton-on-Trent, about 8 miles away. From Tamworth, which is 12 miles from Ashby, you can reach London quickly in the mornings and evenings.

The main roads that used to go through Ashby, the A50 and A453, now have bypass roads called the A42 and A511 to reduce traffic in the town. Buses run every hour to places like Burton-upon-Trent, Coalville, East Midlands Airport, Leicester, and Swadlincote. You can catch a coach in Leicester to London through the National Express network.

The nearest airport is East Midlands Airport, about 9 miles away, which flies to other parts of the UK and Europe. For international flights, Birmingham Airport is about 26 miles away.

Media

Television signals in Ashby-de-la-Zouch come from the Sutton Coldfield TV transmitter, which shows shows from Birmingham. You can also watch BBC East Midlands and ITV Central using cable or satellite services like Freesat and Sky.

Local radio stations include BBC Radio Leicester, Smooth East Midlands, Capital Midlands, Hits Radio East Midlands, Greatest Hits Radio Midlands, and Hermitage FM, a community station. Local newspapers are Ashby Nub News and Leicester Mercury.

Culture

Every May, Ashby holds an arts festival sponsored by the district council. This event features local artists, musicians, songwriters, poets, performers, and storytellers. The town hosts exhibitions, musical performances, workshops, and talks in many places, and the town centre is decorated with flags and an outdoor gallery.

Ashby Statutes, a travelling funfair, is held every September. It was started by a Royal Statute and was originally a hiring fair where domestic servants and farmworkers would be hired for the year. Today, during the fair, Market Street, the main road through the town, is closed for nearly a week. The traffic is diverted along narrower roads on either side of Market Street. Locals call this event "The Statutes".

Ashby-de-la-Zouch is mentioned in the novel Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott, set in 1194, suggesting that jousting may once have taken place in the town. The same idea is used in the computer game Defender of the Crown, which was inspired by Scott's novel.

Notable people

See also: Category:People from Ashby-de-la-Zouch

Some well-known people were born in or lived in Ashby-de-la-Zouch. Robin Beanland, who creates music for video games, and Grant Kirkhope, another video game music composer, both grew up here. Mark Chadbourn, a writer of books and stories, was born in a hospital in Ashby and still lives nearby. Joseph Hall, a famous writer from long ago, was also born in Ashby. The brothers Tim and Chris Stamper created popular video games and started companies such as Ultimate Play the Game and Rareware.

Sports

Many athletes have ties to Ashby-de-la-Zouch. Russell Hoult, a football player, was born here and still lives close by in Coleorton. Niall Mackenzie, a famous motorcycle racer, now lives retired in Ashby. Paul Taylor, a cricketer for England, was born in the town.

In popular culture

This town appears in several stories and shows. In the novel Ivanhoe by Walter Scott, a big tournament for knights and archers happened here in the year 1194. Characters like King Richard and Locksley showed off their skills.

The fictional character Adrian Mole, created by Sue Townsend, moved to Ashby de la Zouch during his life. The main character in the 1994 video game Universe also comes from this town. In the books Tom Brown's School Days by Thomas Hughes and later stories by George MacDonald Fraser, the character Harry Flashman retired to a home in Ashby to write his memories. The town is also mentioned in the show Man Like Mobeen by Guz Khan, where characters sometimes mix it up with a place in Spain.

Location

Ashby-de-la-Zouch is a town in Leicestershire, England. It is close to the borders of Derbyshire and Staffordshire. Nearby places include Lount, Normanton le Heath, Smisby, Packington, Donisthorpe, Oakthorpe, Moira, Measham and Coleorton.