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
Council Names Battle: Good News for Bowland, Bad News for West Craven
Good news: the unitary council replacing Lancaster, Preston and Ribble Valley district councils – which was provisionally named ‘North Lancashire Council‘ – now looks set to be called ‘Lancaster, Preston and Ribble Valley Council‘. After 54 years, the Bowland area of Yorkshire will cease to … Continue reading
Why ‘South West Hertfordshire’ fails Potters Bar
Since 1965, the Middlesex identity of Potters Bar has been grievously eroded by its placement under the misleadingly named Hertfordshire County Council. The abolition of this local authority in April 2028 and its replacement by four unitary councils could herald a new era in which … Continue reading
Yorkshire Day 2026 Gallery
Our friends in the Yorkshire Ridings Society could not have dreamt of what they were starting starting 51 years ago. For Yorkshire Day is no longer just the biggest county day celebration but has become England’s largest community event. On 1st August the people of … Continue reading