What is Conservative Heritage?
Conservative Heritage exists to support the vital work of the Conservative Party Archive: the official record of our Party’s political, organisational and intellectual life from 1867 to today.
The archive collects and preserves the historical records of the Party across all three areas of its organisation: the Parliamentary Party, the voluntary wing and the professional Party. Its holdings include everything from early Party Conference minutes and campaign materials to private correspondence, photographs, objects, audio-visual media and, increasingly, digital records.
It is the most comprehensive political archive of its kind in the world, and an essential resource for understanding how Conservative ideas have evolved, how campaigns were fought and how generations of Conservatives shaped modern Britain.
The archive is housed at the Bodleian Libraries in Oxford, one of the UK’s foremost centres for modern political papers. Alongside the Party’s records, the Bodleian holds the personal papers of seven Prime Ministers and collections from political figures, journalists and public servants of all parties.
Since 2014, the archive has been based in the Bodleian’s Weston Library, a state-of-the-art facility providing world-class storage, conservation and reader access. Material is preserved in climate-controlled conditions and supported by a professional archivist and archives assistant.
The Archive is open to:
Why preservation matters
The Conservative Party has one of the longest and most influential political traditions in the world. Understanding that history is not nostalgia; it is how Conservatives refine arguments, learn from earlier generations and shape responses to the challenges of today.
The archive is one of the most heavily used collections in the Bodleian. Researchers consult material every month onto pics ranging from Party organisation and major campaigns to economic debates, European policy, strategy committees and the voluntary Party. It is a living resource, not a museum shelf.
How is it funded?
The archive is owned by the Conservative Party Archive Trust on behalf of the Party. The Trust was created to acquire, preserve and catalogue the Party’s historical material and works closely with the Bodleian Libraries to ensure professional oversight and long-term stewardship.
Its core work is generously funded by the Conservative Foundation, whose support ensures the archivist, archives assistant, cataloguing, digitisation and outreach programmes can continue.
Get involved
Our history is one of our greatest assets. Conservative Heritage helps preserve it, promote it and ensure future generations can draw on it as they renew the Conservative cause.
