When is a county not a county?

MANY believe that Middlesex no longer exists as it was abolished in 1965.

In that year Greater London was formed and, with that, Middlesex County Council was dissolved, but Middlesex is still used as a reference to where people live all the time.

Do you use Greater London or Middlesex for your address? Plenty of people still use the latter.

Some of its towns included Hounslow, Uxbridge, West Drayton, Staines, Sunbury and Twickenham.

The historic county of Middlesex once even covered Westminster, Whitechapel and Millwall.

Middlesex and Surrey used to be split by the Thames with anything north being part of Middlesex and the south being Surrey.

The rivers flowing through Middlesex included the Colne, Brent, Lea and Crane.

Many of London’s famous sights were included in the Middlesex borders.

Even the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London were in Middlesex.

The most recognisable Middlesex affiliation is Middlesex County Cricket Club, based at Lord’s, in central London.

Just like Surrey County Cricket Club, which is based near Vauxhall, Middlesex Cricket club is technically no longer in the boundaries of its county.

The Middlesex Trust cannot let the name go either.

The trust says it is a federation

Cw which aims to make people aware th that Middlesex does exist.

Although the county council was a abolished in 1965, the Middlesex Trust says that the geographical county still exists.

While listing its aims and objecti tives, the trust said: “To explain that London is in Middlesex and that London should refer ONLY to the City itself. “To explain that Hertfordshire and Surrey county councils only administer portions of the County of Middlesex but those portions are NOT part of the counties which administer them.”

The list added: “To promote the identity of the county of Middlesex by encouraging the use of the county name in addresses.”