Welcome
The Association of British Counties (ABC) is a society dedicated to promoting awareness of the continuing importance of the 92 historic counties of the United Kingdom.
The ABC believes that the historic counties are an important part of the culture, geography and heritage of The United Kingdom. The ABC contends that Britain needs a fixed popular geography, one divorced from the ever-changing names and areas of local government but, instead, one rooted in history, public understanding and commonly held notions of community and identity. The ABC, therefore, seeks to fully re-establish the use of the historic counties as the standard popular geographical reference frame of Britain and to further encourage their use as a basis for social, sporting and cultural activities.
More information about what the historic counties are and why they matter can be found in our An introduction to the historic counties factsheet.
Featured Articles
Lincolnshire Day 2025
Always one of the biggest county day celebrations, Lincolnshire Day on 1st October 2025 did not disappoint, ending with the spectacular sight of Lincoln Cathedral lit up in the colours of the county flag Earlier there was a gathering of civic leaders at International Bomber … Continue reading
ABC’s Triennial General Meeting 2025
The Association of British Counties held its Triennial General Meeting in Tamworth, Staffordshire on Saturday 27th September 2025. We present highlights from what was a busy day with a packed programme. The Association’s Chairman, Peter Boyce, discussed the local government changes happening in England as … Continue reading
Farewell to fake ‘Cambridgeshire’?
A quiet revolution is taking place in England as the remaining fake 1974 ‘counties’ face their upcoming demise. As part of the Government’s plan to create mayoral ‘Strategic Authorities’, most of the county councils are set to be split up into two or more unitary … Continue reading