Did you know there are as many as 11 counties that don’t contain a single city? There are 92 counties in total covering Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland, and only a handful of them are without any cities whatsoever.
A town can only be granted city status by a monarch in the UK, and back in the 19th century, many towns were elevated to city status during Queen Victoria’s reign. Belfast, Birmingham, Sheffield, Bradford and Nottingham were all granted the status by the Queen.
There’s something quite charming about a county with no cities. We’ve put together the list of the only cityless counties that remain, and some of them may surprise you.
Northumberland
Northumberland is an English county in the North East, bordering Scotland. Its largest settlement is the seaside town of Blythe, with a humble population of around 40,000. In fact, the whole county’s population is only around 325,000.
Shropshire
The West Midlands county of Shropshire is known for its historical part in the Industrial Revolution, and its first mention as a county was in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in 1006. Its largest settlement is Telford and the entire county population stands at 498,073.
Suffolk
Suffolk, the home of pop royalty Ed Sheeran, is known for its farming land and pretty beaches. It’s home to a population of around 770,000, with Ipswich being the largest town in the County. It dates back to the Anglo-Saxon period.
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is not only an island but a county all by itself, but it is also considered historically as part of Hampshire. Its history dates back to Roman times and it is the second most populated island in England, but it still only reaches at und 141,000. It’s a great place to visit for fossils and even dinosaur remains have been discovered on the island.
Dorset
Here’s another county known for its fossils and Jurassic coast, the South West of England’s Dorset. Its population stands at about 785,000 and the largest town in the area is the lovely seaside town of Bournemouth.
Northamptonshire
Despite the word north in its name, this is a distinctly Midlands county that resides almost smack bang in the middle of England. Northamptonshire isn’t short on history – The Battle of Northampton took place in 1460, during the famous War of the Roses. Unsurprisingly, the county’s biggest town is Northampton and the whole county is inhabited by around 750,000.
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is another Midlands county on our list, with a population of around 570,000 this County is home to the famous Warwick Castle. It is also the birthplace of the UK’s most celebrated English writer William Shakespeare, who was born in Stratford upon Avon.
Surrey
This South Eastern county is known for its strong connections to London and its posh and pretty towns. It has a large population of over 1 million people and is officially England’s most densely wooded county. The largest settlement in the region is the historical town of Guildford.
Berkshire
The royal county of Berkshire is home to the classic commuter town of Reading and holds a population of around 915,000. This royal county is where you’ll find Windsor Castle, home to the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Earl of Wessex.
Bedfordshire
The ancient county of Bedfordshire resides in the East of England, and it’s often referred to as the heart of ancient Britain and has played a big part in Tudor history. It has a population of around 716,000 with the largest town being Luton.
Rutland
Sometimes known archaicly as Rutlandshire, this East Midlands county is the smallest historic county in England. Home to around 740,000 people, its largest town is Oakland. Recently, archaeologists discovered England’s largest ichthyosaur remains in the county.