You are in: Churchill College » Archives Centre » Collections

The Thatcher Papers

A very famous handbag ...

Work is in progress on the preparation of a full catalogue to the collection, which is available on the Janus webserver.

Based on this collection and from other sources in the archive and elsewhere, Oxford University Press have published a CD-ROM of Thatcher's public statements 1945-90, a comprehensive edition offering the best surviving text of every speech, interview, press conference, and article she delivered over that period (some 7,100 statements, comprising 14m words in all). Copies of the CD-ROM may be used or purchased at the Archives Centre (please contact Thatcher.Archives@chu.cam.ac.uk for further details) while significant parts of the CD-ROM and many early archive documents from the Thatcher Papers are also available on-line at the Margaret Thatcher Foundation's official site, one of the largest contemporary history sites of its kind.

See also biographical notes on the life and career of Margaret Thatcher by Christopher Collins of the Margaret Thatcher Foundation and further information on releases of closed material.

Summary of the collection

The collection of papers of Baroness Thatcher deposited at Churchill Archives Centre, Cambridge, is among the largest and most significant of late twentieth century political archives.

The archive contains over 1 million documents in nearly three thousand archive boxes currently occupying around 300 metres of shelving. The papers date from Margaret Thatcher's childhood to the present day, and include tens of thousands of photographs, as well as a vast collection of press cuttings, and many audio and video tapes of public and private events. Thatcher never kept a diary, but the archive includes rich details of her role in important domestic and world events.

Significant elements of the collection

The archive includes files of correspondence relating to Thatcher's selection as candidate for Dartford in 1949, her short backbench career, briefing papers from her posts in opposition 1964-70, a few files from her time as Education Secretary 1970-74, and valuable papers on her campaign for the party leadership in 1974-75. Her appointment diaries survive from 1962 onwards, providing a very full record of the way she spent her time.

The bulk of the collection, however, relates to the Thatcher's period as leader of the Conservative Party, 1975-90. There are extensive files from her time as Leader of the Opposition (1975-79), including correspondence with Shadow Cabinet colleagues, minutes of Shadow Cabinet and policy committees, and briefing material of all kinds. There are also thousands of speech drafts, press releases and administrative files (e.g., planning for election visits).

Papers on the premiership (1979-90) are more extensive still. Their organisation reflects the way in which Number Ten Downing Street arranged Prime Ministerial business, sharply distinguishing official from party and personal matters. Most of the official archive remains in government hands, while party and personal material can be found at Churchill College.

Official papers were dealt with in the small Private Office of the Prime Minister, While the great bulk of the papers handled by the Private Office remain in government hands, the collection includes some material from this side of No.10 - for example, copies of every letter Thatcher signed as Prime Minister, her official appointment diaries, minutes to colleagues, and personal correspondence with foreign leaders.

The Prime Minister's Policy Unit was the one component of the Downing Street machine which straddled the official-party divide. Some Policy Unit papers are present in the archive, although the bulk are held in government records.

On the non-official side, dealings with party colleagues and the official party machine were in the hands of the small Political Office, headed by the Political Secretary, all of whose substantial papers are at Churchill College. Important files on election planning and logistics are contained in this part of the collection.

Finally, the archive includes extensive files of Thatcher's personal papers, principally from her premiership, including personal memoranda and aides mémoires, briefing cards for personal meetings with foreign leaders, as well as letters from colleagues, allies and friends.

The papers include an extensive press cutting collection covering the years 1949-80 in over 70 boxes. Originally compiled by Conservative Central Office, it is one of the most comprehensive collections ever attempted, drawing on every national and many regional newspapers.

The archive also includes extensive files amassed in the years since the end of the Thatcher premiership, including correspondence with former colleagues in office, notes of important meetings, and many documents created during the writing of the two volumes of Thatcher's memoirs.

Access to the Papers

The papers are mostly owned by the Margaret Thatcher Archive Trust, an educational charity established in 1997 to administer and care for the papers of Baroness Thatcher on behalf of the nation (Baroness Thatcher retains ownership of certain, generally more recent, classes of material). The Trust is committed to allow appropriate access to this important historical resource to all researchers. The Papers are on deposit at Churchill Archives Centre, Cambridge, and the Trust has sponsored the costs of a professional archivist to prepare an electronic catalogue of the archive.

Since the transfer of the Thatcher Papers to Churchill Archives Centre the Trust has agreed to the release of material which is already in the public domain, e.g. press cuttings and photographs. The Trust and Churchill Archives Centre recognise that a significant portion of the Thatcher Papers relates to Margaret Thatcher's time as Prime Minister (1979-90) and that much of the archive will be subject to the Public Records Act and other appropriate official closures as determined by the Cabinet Office.

The Trust and Churchill Archives Centre are also committed to respecting the fair and lawful processing of personal data, as required by the Data Protection Act (1998), relating to parties mentioned directly and indirectly in the Papers. This may necessitate the closure of certain series of papers, or of items within series. In these instances all closure periods and dates of review or opening will be clearly indicated or made available on application to the Trust.

At their annual meeting in 2003, the Trustees enthusiastically endorsed the release of significant sections of the Papers dating from before May 1979. They subsequently authorised the release of her personal and political papers for 1979, the first year of her premiership, in February 2010, and more papers are opened each year.

Contact details

For further information about the Thatcher Papers, please contact:
Andrew Riley
Archivist/Thatcher Papers
Churchill Archives Centre
Churchill College
Cambridge CB3 0DS
E-mail: Thatcher.Archives@chu.cam.ac.uk