Home counties
Home Counties | |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Region | East of England South East England |
| Counties | Usually includes:
Sometimes included: |
| Time zone | UTC+00:00 (Greenwich Mean Time) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+01:00 (British Summer Time) |
The term home counties describes a number of English counties close to London. There is no precise definition, but the counties bordering London are most likely to be described as members, namely: Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Essex, Kent and Surrey.
Other counties farther from London – Bedfordshire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire, East Sussex and West Sussex – are sometimes also regarded as home counties, due to their proximity to London and connection to its regional economy.
The home counties come with a strong socio-economic stereotype, which characterises its inhabitants as comfortable, conformist middle class people.