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
Bedfordshire Day 28th November 2023
Bedfordshire Day is celebrated each year on 28th November, the birthday of John Bunyan. The celebration in 2023 was the biggest yet. Huge thanks are due to our friends at The Friends of Bedfordshire Society and to the many people and organisations which took part. We … Continue reading
Lancashire Day 27th November 2023
Lancashire Day 2023 has seen another huge celebration of the red rose county. As ever, huge thanks and congratulation go to our friends the Friends of Real Lancashire. We present some highlights from the day.
Bogus M5 ‘Welcome to Somerset’ sign removed after 49 years
We have good news from our friends the Somerset Guardians. The ‘Welcome to Somerset’ sign on the southbound M5 near Webbington has finally been removed. The sign has been a source of annoyance since it was first erected in 1974 by the former Somerset County … Continue reading