Shires In England |top| Jun 2026

To be in the shires is to understand England as a place of deep time. The same lane a Roman legionary cursed in the mud is now a cyclist’s route to school. The same field where a Saxon ploughman stopped to listen to a lark is now a solar farm—but the lark still sings.

The shires of England have played a significant role in shaping the country's history, culture, and identity. They continue to be an important part of England's heritage, with many people still proud to call themselves "shire folk." Whether you're exploring the rolling hills of the Cotswolds, visiting the historic cities of Yorkshire, or simply enjoying a cream tea in Devon, the shires of England have something to offer everyone. shires in england

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And yet—the shires are fragile. New housing estates creep into green belt land. Hedgehogs vanish from the lanes. The village post office closes. But the shire fights back. Community orchards are planted. Bus routes are saved by volunteers. A woman in Shropshire runs a mobile library out of a converted van. A man in Norfolk breeds traditional red-poll cattle because “that’s what these marshes were made for.” To be in the shires is to understand

Gloucestershire, Somerset, Oxfordshire—the Cotswold shires. Honey-colored stone cottages huddle in valleys. Sheep once made these places rich. Their wool built the “wool churches,” vast and beautiful, standing in villages of four hundred souls. On a Sunday, the bells ring across a dozen parallel valleys. You can walk the Ridgeway , an ancient track, for a hundred miles and never lose sight of a shire’s slow, folded landscape. The shires of England have played a significant

Traditionally, shires were used as a way to divide England into smaller, more manageable areas for administrative and taxation purposes. Each shire was typically governed by a sheriff, who was responsible for maintaining law and order, collecting taxes, and overseeing the local militia. The shires were also used as a basis for electing members of parliament.

There are several types of shires in England, including: