Ashby de la Zouch, sometimes hyphenated as Ashby-de-la-Zouch, and shortened locally to Ashby, is a market town and civil parish in the North West Leicestershire district of Leicestershire, England. The town is near to the Derbyshire and Staffordshire borders. Its 2001 census population of 11,410 rose to 12,370 in 2011. The castle in the town was an important fort in the 15th–17th centuries. In the 19th century the town's main industries were ribbon manufacture, coal mining, and brickmaking.
Breedon on the Hill is a village and civil parish about 5 miles (8 km) north of Ashby-de-la-Zouch in North West Leicestershire, England. The parish adjoins the Derbyshire county boundary and the village is only about 2 miles (3 km) south of the Derbyshire town of Melbourne. The 2001 Census recorded a parish population of 958 people in 404 households. The parish includes the hamlets of Tonge 1 mile (1.6 km) east of the village and Wilson 1.3 miles (2 km) north of the village on the county boundary. The population at the 2011 census was 1,029 in 450 households.
Moira is a former mining village about 2.5 miles (4 km) south-west of Ashby-de-la-Zouch in North West Leicestershire, England. The village is about 3 miles (5 km) south of Swadlincote and is close to the boundary with Derbyshire. The population is included in the civil parish of Ashby Woulds.
The Ashby-de-la-Zouch Canal is a 31-mile (50 km) long canal in England which connected the mining district around Moira, just outside the town of Ashby-de-la-Zouch in Leicestershire, with the Coventry Canal at Bedworth in Warwickshire. It was opened in 1804, and a number of tramways were constructed at its northern end, to service collieries. The canal was taken over by the Midland Railway in 1846, but remained profitable until the 1890s, after which it steadily declined. Around 9 miles (14 km) passed through the Leicestershire coal field, and was heavily affected by subsidence, with the result that this section from Moira, southwards to Snarestone, was progressively closed in 1944, 1957 and 1966, leaving 22 miles (35 km) of navigable canal.
North West Leicestershire is a local government district in Leicestershire, England. The population of the Local Authority at the 2011 census was 93,348. Its main towns are Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Castle Donington, Coalville and Ibstock.
Coalville is an industrial town and unparished area in the district of North West Leicestershire, Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England, with a population at the 2011 census of 34,575. It lies on the A511 trunk road between Leicester and Burton upon Trent, close to junction 22 of the M1 motorway where the A511 meets the A50 between Ashby-de-la-Zouch and Leicester. It borders the upland area of Charnwood Forest to the east of the town.
Newbold Verdon is a village and civil parish in the county of Leicestershire, England. The parish includes Newbold Heath to the north and Brascote to the south. Originally an agricultural centre Newbold Verdon grew in size during the 1850s with the expansion of coal mining in the area. That industry has now ceased leaving Newbold Verdon as a commuter village primarily serving Leicester and Hinckley. The 2001 census recorded a population of 3,193, which had reduced to 3,012 at the 2011 census.
Worthington is a village and civil parish in North West Leicestershire, England, about 4 miles (6.4 km) north of the town of Coalville and a similar distance north-east of the market town of Ashby-de-la-Zouch. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 1,461. The village is about 5 miles (8 km) from East Midlands Airport and junction 23a of the M1 motorway where it meets the A42 road. The parish also includes the hamlet of Newbold.
Snibston is an area and former civil parish east of Ravenstone, now in the parish of Ravenstone with Snibstone, in the North West Leicestershire district, in the county of Leicestershire, England. Originally rural, part of Snibston was transformed into a coal mining village by the opening of coal mines by the Snibston Colliery Company in the early 1830s. This industrial part of Snibston was subsequently subsumed into the developing town of Coalville, though small rural areas of Snibston survive within the civil parishes of Ravenstone with Snibston and Hugglescote and Donington le Heath. In the part of Snibston within the latter civil parish stands the 13th-century church of St Mary, noted as the smallest church still in use for regular worship in England. The main Snibston Colliery was sunk in 1831, and after its closure the Snibston Country Park with the Snibston Discovery Museum was built on part of the colliery site. Part of the park is Snibston Grange Local Nature Reserve.
Thringstone is a village and unparished area in the North West Leicestershire district, in Leicestershire, England about 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Coalville. It lies within the area of the English National Forest.
Swannington is a former mining village situated between Coalville and Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, England. A document of 1520 mentions five pits at Swannington. It was a terminus of the early (1832) Leicester and Swannington Railway that was built to carry away chcvdidvdvdopened in 1825 to serve the townships of Swannington and Thringstone and is built on a spot reputedly chosen by William Wordsworth, a frequent guest of Sir George Beaumont of nearby Coleorton Hall. It is possible that the dedication of the church to Saint George is derived from its association with this George Beaumont.
Coleorton is a village and civil parish in North West Leicestershire, England. It is situated on the A512 road approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) east of Ashby de la Zouch. Nearby villages include Newbold, to the north, Thringstone to the east, and Swannington to the south-east.
George Haywood was an English professional footballer who played as a centre forward. He made 60 appearances and scored 23 goals in the Football League, playing for Birmingham, Chesterfield and Southport.
Griffydam is a hamlet within the parish of Worthington, Leicestershire.
Hough windmill, Swannington, Leicestershire is a tower windmill built in the late 18th century on the boundary between Swannington, Leicestershire and Thringstone. The mill served a coal mining community, the structure is surrounded by the remains of ancient shallow coal mines and local maps show many footpaths, -tracks made by the miners who walked between them. The mill and surrounding area is owned by the Swannington Heritage Trust.
New Lount is a 21.3 hectares Local Nature Reserve north-east of Ashby-de-la-Zouch in Leicestershire. It is owned and managed by Leicestershire County Council.
The Ashby-de-la-Zouch Museum is a museum in the Leicestershire town of Ashby-de-la-Zouch. The primary aim of the museum is to educate the public about the history of the town. The museum also has a number of temporary exhibitions. The museum opened its doors in 1982, with the museum relocating to its present location on North Street in Ashby-de-la-Zouch. The museum is run by a group of approximately 70 volunteers.
