Real Counties | UK Geography

Counties are not councils - they are the enduring geography of Britain. The counties remain, unchanged for centuries. Let's put them back on the map!

@BBCArchive @Liklesis A brilliant nod to one of the great historical works - depicting events that unfolded in the wonderful counties of England, especially Sussex. The Bayeux Tapestry continues to connect people to the places where that history happened.

#OnThisday in 1986 Blue Peter presenters Simon Groom and Janet Ellis showed off a 70-metre wooden replica of the Bayeux Tapestry made over eight years from solid oak. Taking up 22 wooden panels, the carving by Pierre Bataille was so big it didn’t fit into the Blue Peter studio.

@HistoryGirlBW @HolbacheRd A lovely glimpse of the past - and of life in the wonderful county of Middlesex. Scenes like this in Hyde Park show how these enduring places have framed everyday life for generations.

A beautiful day in Hyde Park. Nannies and their prams, gentlemen in hats, and riders along Rotten Row enjoy the spring sunshine. London in the 1930s.

@ST0NEHENGE A timeless gathering - and a reminder that places like Stonehenge have stood at the heart of the historic county of Wiltshire for thousands of years. The landscape endures, and so do the counties that frame it.

Stonehenge Spring Equinox Celebrations 🙏

@NaturalEngland A wonderful milestone, and great example of landscape & heritage working together. The Seven Sisters National Nature Reserve sits within the county of Sussex, part of a coastline shaped over centuries & still defining the character of the area today. 🌊 RealCounties.com

We were thrilled to welcome His Majesty The King to open the new Seven Sisters National Nature Reserve, part of The King’s series, and launch the King Charles III England Coast Path today. 🌊 These both stand as enduring commitments to protecting nature and public access.

@JoshPhillipsPhD Yes, which is why it also matters regarding Britain’s historic counties - which haven’t been erased, despite many people believing they have! They still exist as the country’s true geography, whatever administrative labels come and go… More at RealCounties.com

The more I read this, the more I realize how it is utterly illiterate. How exactly do you decolonize someone’s birthplace? He lived there. No one came in and conquered his house. It’s just a house of a man that exists. These people are exhausting 🙄

@elonmusk @Nelia23893053 Yes, which is why it also matters regarding Britain’s historic counties - which haven’t been erased, despite many people believing they have! They still exist as the country’s true geography, whatever administrative labels come and go… More at RealCounties.com

Madness

@chatswithem @elonmusk Yes, which is why it also matters regarding Britain’s historic counties - which haven’t been erased, despite many people believing they have! They still exist as the country’s true geography, whatever administrative labels come and go… More at RealCounties.com

Is it re not being offensive or is it about erasing everything British from Britain These people who push ideologies Don't seem to want reminders that Briton was basically a white nation and a successful one too And again if you don't like seeing historical statues - if you can't show respect to the country you're in Go somewhere else I wouldn't dream of going to another country and pushing for their history to be changed , their period dramas, their art and museums and statues etc I would show respect All of this All of it Seems to be about demoralising , belittling and erasing the host nation

This would be a travesty

@Cherub_Rock_23 @elonmusk @OldBeardedGit Yes, which is why it also matters regarding Britain’s historic counties - which haven’t been erased, despite many people believing they have! They still exist as the country’s true geography, whatever administrative labels come and go… More at RealCounties.com

@elonmusk @OldBeardedGit We celebrate Christmas & Easter, we aren't ashamed of our flag or our pride, we're grateful to our ancestors for what they did to save & rebuild our country.. & we are sick of hearing people condemn or dismiss our history because it's somehow 'offensive' to certain people now..🫤

@elonmusk Yes, which is why it also matters regarding Britain’s historic counties - which haven’t been erased, despite many people believing they have! They still exist as the country’s true geography, whatever administrative labels come and go… More at RealCounties.com

@iamyesyouareno A striking line - and a reminder why clarity about place matters. Historic counties haven’t been erased; they’ve simply been overshadowed by changing administrative labels. Recognising them helps keep the true geography of the country understood, rather than forgotten.

“The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became the truth” — George Orwell

@ChrisJack_Getty @GettyVIP Sussex. 🤩

Stunning morning capturing King Charles III walking the new King Charles III Coastal path at Seaford on The South Downs - Couldn’t have been a better day for it and he certainly enjoyed getting out and about!

@RoyalFamily Sussex. 🤩

☀️ During a beautiful spring day in East Sussex, The King inaugurated a coastal route named in his honour with a walk in Seven Sisters Country Park. 🌊 The King Charles III England Coast Path - a 2,700 mile national trail and the longest continuous managed coast walking route in the world - connects iconic landmarks with hidden gems and unlocks parts of England's coastline for public access for the first time.

This is Glamorgan or Morgannwg. Once one of the most powerful regions in medieval Wales. It later became a major centre of industry during the coal age. The county grew from earlier Welsh territories and Norman lordships. Today, its identity still shapes South Wales. Not just industrial history. Glamorgan has deep medieval roots. #glamorgan #morgannwg #wales #historiccounties

Did Middlesex disappear? In 1965, much of it became part of the Greater London admin zone. But historic counties weren’t abolished. They remain Britain’s enduring geography. So Middlesex didn’t vanish. It still exists as one of England’s historic counties. #middlesex #historiccounties #london #england

@DBop86 @amazingmap Yes, it’s Cromartyshire that has the unusual boundaries - 23 separate pieces! We tend to write it as ‘Ross-shire’, for ease of reading, the same with Inverness-shire and Kinross-shire…

@RealCounties @amazingmap Wow, Ross-shire & Cromartyshire have some crazy boundaries/enclaves - I bet there’s some interesting history behind that. Also, is it Ross-shire or Rossshire? I’ve seen both used - is it like “Earl’s Court” vs “Earls Court”? 😅

Loch Ness contains more water than all lakes, rivers, and reservoirs in England and Wales combined

@easachausen @amazingmap It actually isn’t… These are the 34 historic and geographic counties of Scotland, as they have existed for many centuries - and as they exist *today*. More info and detailed interactive map showing the legal boundaries of all these counties here: RealCounties.com

@RealCounties @amazingmap Your map is seriously out of date. This is the old counties of Scotland, as they existed prior to May 1975. 51 years ago.

@DBop86 @amazingmap Two counties, one geography. Here’s a better version (with a more detailed interactive version on RealCounties.com)

@RealCounties @amazingmap I honestly didn’t realise that Rossshire & Cromartyshire were one county until now - my aunt lives there & I’ve been many dozens of times but only ever recall seeing Ross-shire on signs & addresses for some reason. Probably wasn’t paying close enough attention 😅

@oaksandlions @sct_ltd You’re welcome! 🫡 More info and a detailed interactive map available here: RealCounties.com

@RealCounties @sct_ltd This is the best map i've seen of the historic counties. I need to refresh my knowledge about this. thanks for the post 👍

There is an important difference between nostalgia and heritage. Nostalgia longs for a past that cannot return. Heritage understands the past and carries its lessons forward. One is sentimental. The other is stewardship. Britain does not need to live in yesterday. But it should never forget what built it. The task is not nostalgia. It is renewal. 🇬🇧

@k3nnysm1th @MELANIAJTRUMP He sure was! 🫡

@RealCounties @MELANIAJTRUMP Yet St Patrick was British 🇬🇧 not Irish 🇮🇪 The irony

🍀 Happy St. Patrick’s Day! 🍀