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
The Awakening of the Somerset Dragon
We were delighted to be invited to Passion for Somerset‘s Awakening of the Somerset Dragon ceremony in the orchards at Thatcher’s Cider, Sandford on Thursday 5th March 2026. The 7ft-high Dragon will be the centrepiece of Somerset Day 2026 and a symbol of pride, creativity … Continue reading
Rutland – history repeating itself?
The Government’s current consultation on local government reorganisation in Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland contains a proposal that the historic county of Rutland fall under a new unitary council to be called just “Leicestershire Council“. An alternative proposal could see it under a “North Leicestershire Council“. … Continue reading
Lancashire County Council 1974-2028 RIP – But What Next?
Lancashire County Council is to be abolished on 1st April 2028. Many will say “Good Riddance!“, since few of the 1974 local government “counties” has made quite such an outrageously inappropriate use of a real county name than has this local authority. But what will … Continue reading