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Re: UK counties
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Christine Headley
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Oct 24, 2003 15:11 PDT
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At 05:18 23-10-03, Anna McC wrote:
| | Beck Laxton wrote:
| | I've recently been trying to find a definitive list of UK counties, which
proved to be impossible. But that's because I was asking the wrong
question. I found a very good website which explained why the counties
are such a mess, and what we can do about it - they suggest reverting to
the traditional counties we've always had and ignoring all the
'administrative areas' that successive UK governments have introduced.
And they have a list of counties plus a map. Loads of information, and
all rather well written, too.
I was most relieved to find out why I'd been in such a muddle, and
thought others might be interested too. The url is
<http://www.abcounties.co.uk/>http://www.abcounties.co.uk/
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Thanks for the website, which is owned by the Association of British
Counties. I was recently looking for Radnor (Wales) and becoming
frustrated because it is/was one of the 'traditional' counties lost in the
1970s reorganisation of local government areas.
On that website it says: 'Under the Royal Mail's Flexible
Addressing policy, the correct traditional County name can now be
included in any U.K. postal address.'
This must be a win for the Post Office, as I don't think they
ever surrendered the 'traditional' county names and borders---at least,
they hadn't by 1980 when I left the UK. Living in Ashford,
previously-in-Middlesex-but-now-in-Surrey, I often received mail testily
corrected by the PO to the now lost 'Middx'---especially if it had
wandered off to Ashford, Kent, first.
Fortunately, postcodes seem reliable, even if names aren't.
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Well, only so far... Ashford Kent (my place of birth) is TN23 and TN24.
Ashford Mddx/Surrey includes TW15. The long distance dialling codes are,
luckily, well away from each other! My sister used to live not far away, in
Egham, and said how odd it felt to go shopping in 'Ashford'.
Best wishes
Christine
Christine Headley
Copyeditor and indexer
Listowner, Virtual Book Group
October choice: Unless by Carol Shields
Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK
ch-@globalnet.co.uk
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