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Ashby-de-la-Zouch

Ashby de la Zouch, often shortened simply to Ashby, is a small market town and civil parish in North West Leicestershire, England, within the National Forest. It is twinned with Pithiviers in north-central France. The castle was of importance from the 15th to the 17th centuries. In the 19th century the town became a spa town and was connected to Burton upon Trent and Leicester by railway. Before the growth of Coalville it was the chief town in north-west Leicestershire. Nearby villages include Normanton le Heath, Packington, Donisthorpe, Oakthorpe, Measham, Coleorton, and Moira. Zouch is pronounced /ˈzuË?ʃ/.

In the 19th century the main industries were ribbon manufacture, coal mining and brickmaking. Before the arrival of the Midland Railway in 1845, the town was served by Ashby-de-la-Zouch Canal. When the railway arrived it placed the town on an important route between Leicester and Burton upon Trent. Passenger train service through Ashby was withdrawn when Ashby station closed in the 1960s.

History

"Ashby" is a word of Anglo-Danish origin, meaning "Ash-tree farm" or "Ash-tree settlement".^[1] The Norman French addition dates from the years after the Norman conquest of England, when the town became a possession of the La Zouche family during the reign of Henry III.^[2]

It has a historic 15th century castle. 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, 1st Baron Loughborough 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.^[3]

Many of the buildings in Market Street, the town's main thoroughfare, are timber framed, but most of this is hidden by later brick facades. 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.

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 (founded in 1567). There were formerly two other endowed boys' schools of 18th century foundation.

A local high school, Ivanhoe College, for 11 to 14-year-olds, is named after the book Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott which was set in the area of the castle. The town is also often rumoured to have hosted an important archery competition held by Prince John, in which Robin Hood competed and won (also described in Scott's Ivanhoe).^{[citation needed]}

Notable buildings

The Parish Church of St Helen (late 15th century) is the original church of Ashby and contains interesting memorials to various members of the Hastings family and others: it also houses a rare 300 year-old finger pillory, which may have been used to punish people misbehaving in church. The Church of Holy Trinity was built in 1838-40 (architect H. I. Stevens of Derby) in the Early English style. It has galleries supported by iron columns and an ironwork chancel screen.

The Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady of Lourdes (architect F. A. Walters) was built in 1908-15 at the expense of the 15th Duke of Norfolk whose wife had been Lady Flora Hastings. It is in a fine neo-Norman style with three apses and a tower at the south-east corner. The Congregational Chapel is in classical style (1825) and the Methodist Church of 1867-68 is Early English.

The Ivanhoe Baths, a fine neo-Grecian building of the 1820s, were demolished in 1962. This had its origins in the discovery of a copious saline spring when working coal at Moira Colliery, three miles west of the town, in 1805. Here the Moira Baths were erected, with a large hotel nearby. Afer a few years however, it was decided to convey the water to Ashby and the Ivanhoe baths were built in 1822, with a Doric facade, two hundred feet long. In 1826, the Royal Hotel was built to accommodate visitors to the growing spa and which, thankfully, still exists with 'a handsome, small central hall with Doric columns' (Pevsner).^[4]

Economy

By far the largest employer in the town is United Biscuits, which provides about 2000 jobs. One of its production plants closed in 2004, resulting in the loss of 900 jobs.

Other employers in Ashby include Standard Soap, Tesco, Ashfield Healthcare, Eduteq Limited, TAC. 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 built premises at Manor Park, just down the road from Twycross.

In the 19th century the main industries were ribbon manufacture, coal mining and brickmaking.

It is home to the government's swine flu help-line centre.

Recreation

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.

Ashby Hastings Cricket Club was founded before 1831. Its members enjoy playing on one of the finest grounds in the region, located in the centre of Ashby, the Bath Grounds host Leicestershire CCC 2nd XI matches each year. The club run three Saturday League sides, all of whom play in the Everards Leicestershire County Cricket League. The 1st XI play in the Premier Division, the highest level of club cricket available in Leicestershire, the 2nd XI play in Division 4 and the 3rd XI play in Division 8. The club also run a Midweek XI who play in the Premier Division of the Loughborough Cricket Association League and a Sunday XI who play friendly cricket. The club's Junior Section includes sides at Under 15, Under 13, Under 11 and Under 10 age groups.^[5]

Other recreation includes Ashby Town Cricket Club, formed in 1945.

Transport

Before the arrival of the Midland Railway in 1845, the town was served by Ashby-de-la-Zouch Canal. When the railway arrived it placed the town on an important route between Leicester and Burton upon Trent. Passenger train service through Ashby was withdrawn when Ashby station closed in the 1960s. 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 on the the Leicester to Burton upon Trent Line as a branch of Leicestershire's Ivanhoe Line. However, it remains within Leicestershire County Council's Structure Plan as a project awaiting funding.

The nearest railway station is in Burton upon Trent, over 12.8 km (eight miles) away. Leicester railway station also provides an efficient 1hr 10 minute Midland Mainline high speed rail link to the London terminus station at St Pancras.

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.

Frequent bus routes provide an hourly direct service to Coalville and Burton-upon-Trent (Arriva Midlands 3, 9/9A & 16) and the National Express Coach Network links to Leicester for intercity connections and a daily direct service to London.

East Midlands Airport is 9 miles (14.5 km) north of Ashby (approx. 12 mins drive) and provides flight connections in the UK and Europe.

Culture

Every August, Ashby holds an arts festival currently sponsored by the district council.^[6] This features local artists, musicians, song writers, poets, performers and story tellers. The multiple sites around the town host exhibitions, musical performances, workshops and talks, and the town centre is decorated with flags and an outdoor gallery.

Ashby Statutes, a funfair, is held every September. Instituted by Royal Statute, it was originally a hiring fair when domestic servants and farmworkers would be hired for the year. The main road through the town (the old A50 trunk road), is closed for nearly a week and traffic diverted along narrow side streets. The fair runs for about half a mile and alternates on either side of the street from year to year to help shopkeepers.

In April 1946 the American jazz bassist and composer Charles Mingus recorded a tune called "Ashby de la Zouch" with his band, then dubbed Baron Mingus and His Octet. It was issued as a single on 4 Star Records but has never been reissued in any form. Rather than having much to do with the town, the title was probably a nod to guitarist Irving Ashby's participation in the record session.

Paul McCartney visited the town after the break up of the Beatles and before his Wings era. He had longed to perform live as this had become impossible in the Beatles later years. "We got into a van and headed up the M1. We turned off and stopped in somewhere called Ashby de la Zouch but could not find anywhere to play."

Notable people

Anthony Gilby, sixteenth-century Puritan sage

Joseph Hall, 1574-1656, the renowned satirist and bishop, born in Ashby-de-la-Zouch

Russell Hoult, footballer was born in Ashby de la Zouch, and still lives locally (at Coleorton)

Grant Kirkhope, a video game music composer / musician

Niall Mackenzie, Grand Prix motorcycle racer, now retired and living in Ashby-de-le-Zouch.

James Martin, an IT consultant and author, was born in Ashby-de-la-Zouch

Adrian Mole, a fictional character who 'wrote diaries', including The growing pains of Adrian Mole and The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13¾ (written by Sue Townsend) (Adrian moves from Leicester to Ashby-de-la-Zouch during his lifetime: his girlfriend Pandora Braithwaite later becomes MP for the town)

Dolly Shepherd, 1887-1983, the famous aviatrix, made her return to parachuting from balloons in a display at Ashby, after recovering from a potentially fatal accident

Paul Taylor, England cricketer, born in the town

Roger Williamson, Formula One driver, born in Ashby-de-la-Zouch.

Alastair Yates, a presenter on BBC News and BBC World News 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)

The Young Knives formed in Ashby-de-la-Zouch