Home Counties

SCOPE

If the definition is taken as those which border London, the scope has changed over time. In 1888 with the laying down of London's formal borders and the creation of the County Of London these prescriptively became that of Kent , Surrey , Middlesex and Essex with sections of what had been Kent, Surrey and Middlesex used to make up the new county.

In 1965 when London's borders expanded further into parts of those counties and Hertfordshire to become Greater London , the list grew to include Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire. At this stage, the remainder of Middlesex became absorbed into London with small sections ceded to Surrey and Hertfordshire. A minor boundary change in 1995 brought about by ''The Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Surrey (County Boundaries) Order 1994 '' gave Berkshire a border with Greater London. {Link without Title}

In common usage the phrase is not necessarily applied with such geographical precision and any county in the surrounding area, within a given distance, may be considered one of the Home Counties. However, being part of the Midlands , West Country or South West England would be mutually exclusive to being one of the Home Counties and presents a definite barrier to its scope.

OTHER NAMES

The Home Counties are sometimes called '''London and the South-East''' or referred to as the London Commuter Belt or the London Metropolitan Area .

SEE ALSO

London Commuter Belt

Shire Counties

Information About

Home Counties