The phrase
Home Counties is a semi-archaic name for the
English counties bordering
London. These were originally
Kent,
Surrey,
Middlesex and
Essex. However, although Middlesex still exists as a postal address, the county itself has long since been absorbed into
Greater London, along with parts of the other counties. The list of counties now bordering Greater London also includes
Berkshire,
Buckinghamshire and
Hertfordshire. However, the phrase "Home Counties" isn't usually applied with geographical precision, but simply refers to the south-east of England.
In economic terms much of the region can nowadays be considered a very large suburb of London itself.
