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Ashby-de-la-Zouch (/ ˈæʃbi də lə ˈzuːʃ /), [2] also spelled Ashby de la Zouch, [a] is a market town and civil parish in the North West Leicestershire district of Leicestershire, England, near to the Derbyshire and Staffordshire borders. Its population at the 2021 census was 16,491. [3]
Ashby de la Zouch Castle was the purpose-built seat of one of the most powerful men in late 15th-century English politics, William, Lord Hastings. His adaptations to the relatively modest existing manor house at Ashby began in 1472–3, but by the time of his sudden fall from grace and execution in 1483 only about half of his grand design had ...
Today Ashby de la Zouch Castle’s ruins are managed by English Heritage, with the site a Grade I listed building. Visitors can immerse themselves in its eminent history, from enjoying entertaining audio tours and exploring its sunken gardens to embarking on tours of its underground passageways.
- Lily Johnson
Ashby de la Zouch is a historic market town located in the heart of the National Forest in Leicestershire. The name dates back to the 12th Century when the town was in possession of the Zouche family – it is the Zouche family that the market, Market Street and fairs’ tradition formed from.
Ashby de la Zouch Castle is a ruined fortification in the town of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, England. The castle was built by William, Lord Hastings, a favourite of Edward IV, after 1473, accompanied by the creation of a 3,000-acre (1,200 ha) park.
Ashby de la Zouch is an outstanding example of a late medieval castle developed by a single family as its principal seat up until the Civil Wars of the 1640s. It is also significant for the unusual amount of evidence that survives for the surrounding landscape in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Ashby Castle forms the backdrop to the famous jousting scenes in Sir Walter Scott's classic novel of 1819, Ivanhoe. Now a ruin, the castle began as a manor house in the 12th century.
