Pictures of County class heavy cruisers

Cornwall, prewar, with single 4" AA amidships

Cumberland, again prewar, with the large hangar amidships, and stern cutaway aft

Two shots of Kent, in 1941. Note Amphibian ( Walrus ) on catapult and twin 4" AA amidships. Who knows what the stucture on the hill is?

London, as she was rebuilt, like a Crown Colony, in 1946

Norfol, in 1943. AA amidships are twin 4" and single gun on B turret is a 20mm Oerlikon

Shropshire, in Plymouth. SW.273 series radar is on searchlight tower, again 20mm AA is mounted on "B" turret

Immediately after World War I Great Britain, like the other major powers, considered building very large, long-ranged cruisers with a heavy armament, but after the Washington Treaty limits had been set a new design was prepared to comply with them.
The "Counties" were designed for Pacific operations (this being considered as the most likely area of conflict in the 1920s) and they had excellent range and high freeboard as well as a strong and durable hull. Although the number of guns was less than those mounted in most foreign contemporaries, the higher rate of fire of the "Counties’" power-worked twin turrets more than compensated for this.
Much ill-informed criticism was levelled at these excellent ships, but although some foreign contemporaries made less attempt to comply with treaty limitations none could compare with the strength, seaworthiness, habitability or weight of fire of the "Counties". Iterestingly, although RN ship's guns tended to lack elevation, the 8" L/50 of these ships could elevate to the incredible ( and useless ) 70°, making for a very complicated mount and ammuntion feed system.
The first group, the "Kent" Class (which also included Australia and Canberra, built for the RAN) were completed with external bulges and short funnels, the latter being raised almost immediately. The other two groups - the "Devonshire" and "Dorsetshire" Classes - were completed with the heightened funnels.
The "Devonshire" Class also had better-distributed armour than the "Kents", the bridge was 15 feet further aft, and they had internal bulges. The "Dorsetshire" Class were basically similar to the "Devonshires", with a less bulky bridge structure.
The "Kent" Class were reconstructed between 1935 and 1938, with additional armour being installed and the anti-aircraft armament being improved. It was planned to replace the after superstructure with a large hangar for 3 amphibians, but this was done only in Berwick and Suffolk owing to the imminence of war.
London was almost completely rebuilt from 1939 to 1941 with a block bridge, two funnels, improved AA armament and redistributed armour. She was intended to be the prototype for further reconstructions, but was not a success.
Ironically, although the "Counties" were designed for operations in the Pacific, only the two Australian ships and Shropshire - presented to Australia to replace Canberra - actually served in that theatre. The others served in the North and South Atlantic and Indian Oceans, usually on anti-raider patrols or as cover or escort for convoys. None ever got to prove their gunnery superiority over enemy 8" cruisers, although HMAS Australia severely dealt with French destroyers endeavouring to escape from Dakar.
Suffolk and Norfolk both took part in the hunt for Bismarck, both using radar to shadow the German battleship, and it was Dorsetshire who administered the coup de grace with torpedoes after Rodney and King George V had reduced her to a blazing wreck.
The only other really notable achievement by one of the "Counties" was the sinking of the German disguised raider Atlantis by Devonshire on 22 November 1941, and Cumberland showed up when the Graf Spee was in Montevideo, leading to errenous reports that Malaya, Ark Royal and Renown were in the area. ( Despite the fact Malaya was in drydock in Gibraltar! )
Post-war the "Counties" were hastily paid off and scrapped, being very manpower-intensive. Only Cumberland and Devonshire survived for any period, the former as a trials ship and the latter as a training ship.

HMS London early war. For some reason, aft 0.5" AA was on "Y" turret, where it would have a smaller fire arc, suffer blast damage and block "X" turret fire arc. Aft HA.DCT was on a lattice mast © Andrew Arthur

1:600 HMS Dorsetshire, as she was on the outbreak of war, with quad 0.5" MG AA abreast #2 funnel, octuple pom-pom behing bridge and a HA.DCT aft for twin 4" AA amidships. © Andrew Arthur