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
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
Shropshire Day 23rd February 2026
Shropshire has the privilege of kicking off the county day season for 2026. Monday 23rd February 2026 is Shropshire Day, the feast day of St Milburga, a day to celebrate everything we love about this beautiful shire. And there is much to love. The Shropshire … Continue reading
2028: An End to County Confusion?
The Government has confirmed that on 1st April 2028 the remaining county councils and district councils in England will be abolished and replaced by a new set of unitary councils. This final end of the 1974 fake local government “counties” will be a major boost … Continue reading