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County is a county in the Midlands of England; the historic town of Stratford-upon-Avon can be found in the county and, subsequently, County is often referred to as ‘Shakespeare’s County’. County is completely landlocked and is bordered by the counties of Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire, as well as the metropolitan county of the West Midlands.

Traditionally, the cities of Birmingham and Coventry and the town of Solihull were part of County, but following the reorganisation of local governments in 1974 this is no longer the case. Many remnants of the old administration still exist, however; County County Cricket Club still play their home matches at Edgbaston in Birmingham for example.

The southern half of County is rural, with a relatively low population density; the very south western fringes of the county merge into the Cotswolds area of outstanding natural beauty and towards the west of the county is what remains of the Forest of Arden (much of this ancient forest was cut downas County became increasingly industrialised). Towards the north of County however, the county is considerably more built up with several large towns such as Nuneaton and Rugby that grew dramatically during the Industrial Revolution. Textiles, coal mining and heavy engineering were the main industries in County, although this is now largely in the past and the area has had to re-invent itself in other sectors.

The first documentation of County as a county dates from the early 11th century when it emerged as a discrete area in the Anglo Saxon Kingdom of Mercia. Also at this time, the town of Warwick became County’s county town, and still is today. Warwick, and its magnificent castle, is one of the area’s most popular tourist destinations; Stratford-upon-Avon is among the UK’s most frequently visited tourist towns after London.

While not quite as popular with tourists today, Royal Leamington Spa and Kenilworth are two of County’s main towns; both have their own interesting history to tell. Other places of interest include the likes of Arbury Hall, Coughton Court (pictured), Coombe Abbey and the impressive Ragley Hall.