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

Kent Day: Off the Beaten Track

Kent Day is celebrated on 26th May, the feast day of St Augustine. In celebration, we present a few of the county’s sometimes overlooked gems in Off the Beaten Track. Kent’s name derives from the Cantii, an ancient British tribe. Kent was a British kingdom before the … Continue reading →

Middlesex Day 16th May 2025

Middlesex Day is celebrated each year on 16th May. This commemorates the actions of the 57th (West Middlesex Regiment) at the battle of Aluera (1811) during the Peninsula War. During the battle, Lieutenant-Colonel William Inglis, despite his injuries, refused to retire from the battle but … Continue reading →

Somerset Day 2025

Somerset Day is celebrated each year on 11th May. It marks Alfred the Great’s call to arms and the gathering of ‘all the people of Somerset’ to march against the invading Viking army. Devised, planned and promoted by our friends at Passion for Somerset, over … Continue reading →