No 10 Visitors Books released to the National Archives

By Staff reporter
Published 31st Dec 2024, 10:09 GMT
Updated 31st Dec 2024, 10:25 GMT
placeholder image

Together they must constitute one of the most remarkable collections of autographs assembled in the UK in recent times.

For more than three decades, VIP visitors to No 10 Downing Street would solemnly sign their names in the Visitors Book.

Now three gilt-edged volumes, covering the years 1970, when Edward Heath was prime minister, to 2003 when Tony Blair was in office, have been released to the National Archives at Kew, west London.

Over that time, princes and potentates, presidents and prime ministers, heroes – and some decided villains – all left their mark for posterity.

When the late Queen visited she would sign herself Elizabeth R, while the present King and his then wife were simply Charles and Diana.placeholder image
When the late Queen visited she would sign herself Elizabeth R, while the present King and his then wife were simply Charles and Diana.
placeholder image

The illustrious list of names includes successive US presidents from Jimmy Carter through Ronald Reagan, George Bush senior and Bill Clinton to George Bush junior.

At the end of his visit in 1989, the elder Mr Bush wrote: “With respect, friendship, and gratitude for this relationship that means so much” to which his wife, Barbara, added: “Me too.”placeholder image
At the end of his visit in 1989, the elder Mr Bush wrote: “With respect, friendship, and gratitude for this relationship that means so much” to which his wife, Barbara, added: “Me too.”
In 1996 South Africa’s president Nelson Mandela noted “Visiting Downing St, No 10, is always an unforgettable experience” while Czech president Vaclav Havel added a heart sign under his name.placeholder image
In 1996 South Africa’s president Nelson Mandela noted “Visiting Downing St, No 10, is always an unforgettable experience” while Czech president Vaclav Havel added a heart sign under his name.

Two particularly remarkable pages commemorate the 250th anniversary of No 10 in 1985.

The first is signed by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, who signed himself Philip.

The facing page is then signed by all five surviving former prime ministers, Harold Macmillan, Sir Alec Douglas-Home, Harold Wilson, Edward Heath and James Callaghan, as well as the then incumbent Margaret Thatcher.placeholder image
The facing page is then signed by all five surviving former prime ministers, Harold Macmillan, Sir Alec Douglas-Home, Harold Wilson, Edward Heath and James Callaghan, as well as the then incumbent Margaret Thatcher.

Other notable visitors over the years included Sir Winston Churchill’s widow, Clementine, the Second World War commander Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, and Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia.

Among those no doubt less fondly remembered are the notorious Ugandan dictator Idi Amin and Zimbabwe’s president Robert Mugabe.

The existence of the books came to light earlier this year when one was offered for sale at auction.

According to the auctioneers, Chiswick Auctions, the seller was a retired civil servant who found it after he was given permission to remove water-damaged boxes marked for incineration following a flood in Whitehall.placeholder image
According to the auctioneers, Chiswick Auctions, the seller was a retired civil servant who found it after he was given permission to remove water-damaged boxes marked for incineration following a flood in Whitehall.
placeholder image

It had been expected to raise around £15,000 but the sale was suspended after the Cabinet Office claimed it was government property under the Public Records Act 1958.

The Cabinet Office declined a request for comment on the decision now to release all three books to the National Archives.

Related topics:Downing StreetHistory
Register
Follow us
© 2026 Formpress Publishing LTD. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice