Ashby-de-la-Zouch
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  Map sources for Ashby-de-la-Zouch at grid reference SP389965
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Ashby-de-la-Zouch is a small market town in the North West Leicestershire district of the county of Leicestershire, England. It lies within the National Forest, has a population of 12,758 (2001 census), and is known to locals as "Ashby". The associated adjective is "Ashbeian".
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[edit] History
"Ashby" is a word of Anglo-Danish origins, meaning "town of the ash [tree]". The Norman French addition dates from the years after the Conquest, when the town was given to the Zouche family in the reign of Henry II.
It has a historic 15th century castle. The castle area was the setting for Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott. A local high school is named after the book (Ivanhoe College, for 11 to 14-year-olds). The local upper school, Ashby School, previously Ashby Grammar School, is a mixed comprehensive school for 14 to 18-year-olds and has its roots in the 16th century. In 1464 the town and castle came into the possession of the Hastings family. Later the town was one of the Royalists' "chief garrisons" under the control of Colonel Henry Hastings, earl of Huntingdon and commander of the North Midlands Army. When the town fell after a long siege in March, 1646 it was counted a great relief to the surrounding towns and villages.*[1]
The parish church, St Helens, houses a rare 300 year-old finger pillory, which may have been used to punish people misbehaving in church.
Many of the buildings in Market Street, the town's main thoroughfare, have timber framing, but most of this is hidden by later brick facades. (Book of Ashby-de-la-Zouch by Kenneth Hillier, Town Books, pub Quotes Ltd 1984 ISBN-13: 978-0860232179) The "Bull's Head" pub retains the original Elizabethan half-timbering. There are also Regency buildings in this street.
Bath Street has a row of Classical-style houses dating from the time that the town was a spa. Dolly Shepherd, 1887-1983, the famous Victorian aviatrix, made her return to parachuting from balloons in a display at Ashby, after recovering from a potentially fatal accident.
The Midland Railway reached Ashby in 1845, placing the town on an important route between Leicester and Burton upon Trent. In the 20th century the passenger train service through Ashby was withdrawn. The Leicester - Burton railway continues to run through the town, but now it carries only freight. In the 1990s there was an unsuccessful plan to restore passenger services as a branch of Leicestershire's Ivanhoe Line; however, it remains within Leicestershire County Council's Structure Plan as a project awaiting funding.
In recent years the town has been one of the fastest growing in the Midlands, and the historic centre is now surrounded by executive housing.
[edit] Economic life
By far the largest employer in the town is United Biscuits, which provides about 2000 jobs. One of its production plants closed in 2004 with loss of 900 of these posts.
Other employers in Ashby include Standard Soap, Calder Colours (paint) and Phillip Harris (laboratory supplies) and Ashfield Healthcare. There is also a concentration of high-tech employers. Ashby was home to the video game software house Ashby Computer Graphics, also known as Ultimate Play The Game, now called Rare. They have since moved to a custom build house at Manor Park, just down the road from Twycross.
[edit] Transport
Formerly, both the A50 Leicester to Stoke-on-Trent road and the A453 Birmingham to Nottingham road passed through the town centre. The heavy traffic which previously travelled through the town has been substantially relieved by the A42 and A511 bypasses, which replaced the A453 and A50 respectively.
The nearest railway station is in Burton upon Trent, over 12.8 km (eight miles) away. Leicester train station also provides an efficient 1hr 10 minute Midland Mainline high speed rail link to London.
East Midlands Airport is 14.5 km (9 miles) north of Ashby (approx. 12 mins drive) and provides flight connections in the UK and Europe.
Frequent bus routes provide a direct service to Leicester and Burton-upon-Trent (Arriva X2,9,25,26,27) and the National Express Coach Network links to Leicester for intercity connections and a daily direct service to London.
[edit] Items of interest
- Willesley Park Golf Course is set in rolling countryside, partly in parkland and partly on heathland. The course was opened for play in April 1921. The first hole is played along an avenue of lime trees which once flanked the old coach road from the old Norman castle in the town to the now demolished Willesley Hall.
- Nearby villages include Donisthorpe, Oakthorpe, Measham, Coleorton, and Moira.
- An ironic popular song known to older people is entitled "Ashby-de-la-Zouch By The Sea".
- Adrian Mole, the main character of the Adrian Mole series, moves from Leicester to Ashby-de-la-Zouch during his lifetime. His girlfriend Pandora Braithwaite later becomes MP for the town.
[edit] Geography
Ashby-de-la-Zouch is located at (52.7667, -1.4667)1.
[edit] People from Ashby
- Alastair Yates, a presenter on BBC News 24 and BBC World went to Manor House School, Ashby and his farming family still live in the town. He was at BBC Radio Leicester in the mid-1970s.
- Formula One driver Roger Williamson was born in Ashby-de-la-Zouch.
- The Young Knives formed in Ashby-de-la-Zouch.
- Russell Hoult a footballer was born in Ashby de la Zouch, and still lives locally now, in Coleorton
- Cricketer Matthew Ryan was born in Sydney, but moved to Ashby back in 2004 to play cricket.
- Adrian Mole, a fictional character who wrote diaries including "The growing pains of Adrian Mole" and "The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 3/4" (written by Sue Townsend).
[edit] External links
- Ashby Radio, the town's new Radio Station (on trial from 3-30th March) for Ashby de la Zouch and the surrounding areas
- Superb tongue-in-cheek guide to Ashby de la Zouch
- Information about Ashby-de-la-Zouch
- Ashby Castle
- Willesley Park Golf Club
- National Express Coach Network Ashby-London 3hrs30mins
- Ashby Churches
- Ashby Hastings Cricket Club
- Henry Hastings and the Siege of Ashby
- Local community site for Ashby de la Zouch.
- Map sources for Ashby-de-la-Zouch
