Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire - Statutes Fair, Market Street - postcard

Postcard
• Picture / Image:  'Ashby Statutes Fair' - held in Market Street, AShby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire every September
• Publisher:  J/V Postcards
• Postally used:  no
• Stamp:  n/a
• Postmark(s): n/a
• Sent to:  n/a
• Notes / condition: 

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Text from the free encyclopedia WIKIPEDIA may appear below to give a little background information (internal links may not  work) :

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Ashby de la Zouch /'zu??/, often shortened to Ashby, is a small market town and civil parish in North West Leicestershire, England, within the National Forest. It is a sister citiy with Pithiviers in north-central France.

Ashby de la Zouch Castle was of importance from the 15th to the 17th centuries. In the 19th century the town became a spa town and before the growth of Coalville it was the chief town in north-west Leicestershire.

In the 19th century its main industries were ribbon manufacture, coal mining and brickmaking. The town was served by the Leicester to Burton upon Trent Line of the Midland Railway from 1849.^[2]

The civil parish includes the hamlet of Shellbrook west of the town. Nearby villages include Normanton le Heath, Packington, Donisthorpe, Oakthorpe, Measham, Coleorton and Moira.

""Ashby"" is a word of Anglo-Danish origin, meaning ""Ash-tree farm"" or ""Ash-tree settlement"".^[3] 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.^[4]

Ashby de-la Zouch Castle was built in the 12th century.^[5] The town and castle came into the possession of the Hastings family in 1464 and William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings enhanced its fortifications from 1473.^[5] In the English Civil War the town was one of the Cavaliers' 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.^[6]

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 public house retains its original Elizabethan half-timbering although most of this was plastered over some years ago and can now no longer be seen from the street.^[7] A short distance further down Market Street is a shop, currently occupied as a LOROS Charity Shop, which does retain its original Elizabethan timbers in full street view.^[8] There are also Regency buildings in this street. Bath Street has a row of Classical-style houses called Rawdon Terrace dating from the time that the town was a spa in the 1820s.

The local upper school, Ashby School, previously Ashby Grammar School, is a mixed comprehensive school for 14 to 18-year-olds that was 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-old children, is named after the historical novel Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott which was set in the area of the castle. In Scott's novel the town hosts an important archery competition held by Prince John, in which Robin Hood competes and wins.

Manor House School is an independent day school in the centre of Ashby for boys and girls aged four to 16. The school is located between St Helen's Church and the ruins of Ashby's historic castle. Pupils travel to the school from a wide geographical area.

St Helen's Church, Ashby de-la Zouch is Ashby's original parish church. It is a late 15th century Perpendicular Gothic building but the outer aisles were designed by J.P. St. Aubyn and added in 1878.^[9] St. Helen's contains notable memorials to various members of the Hastings family and others,^[5] and a rare 300 year old finger pillory which may have been used to punish people misbehaving in church.^{[citation needed]}

Holy Trinity, Ashby de-la Zouch is a Gothic Revival building designed by H.I. Stevens in the Early English Gothic style and built in 1838-40.^[5] It has galleries supported by iron columns.^[5] The chancel was added in 1866 and the ironwork chancel screen in 1891.^[5]

The Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady of Lourdes was designed by F.A. Walters and built in 1908-15^[5] at the expense of the 15th Duke of Norfolk whose wife had been Lady Flora Hastings. It is neo-Norman with three apses and a tower at the southeast corner.^[5]

The Congregational Church was built in 1825 in a neoclassical style with Tuscan columns.^[10]

^....

Every May, Ashby holds an arts festival currently sponsored by the district council.^[20] 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. Market Street, the main road through the town (the former A50 trunk road), is closed for nearly a week and the traffic is diverted along the narrower road, South Street. Locals call this event 'The Statutes'.

In April 1946 the American jazz bassist and composer Charles Mingus recorded a tune called ""Ashby de la Zouch"" with his band. The title was probably an acknowledgement of guitarist Irving Ashby who took part in the recording.

type=printed

city/ region=ashby-de-la-zouch

period=post-war (1945-present)

postage condition=unposted

number of items=single

size=continental/ modern (150x100 mm)