Margaret Thatcher Museum and Library planned as permanent memorial - Museums Association

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Margaret Thatcher Museum and Library planned as permanent memorial

Fundraising to commence after funeral
Plans are under way to set up a Margaret Thatcher Museum and Library in central London as a permanent memorial to the former prime minister, whose funeral takes place at St Paul’s Cathedral today.

The Cherish Freedom Trust, which is behind the project, said it hopes to raise £15m to set up a museum to house artefacts from the Thatcher era.

Exhibition themes will include her values and political principles as well “national pride”, covering economic renewal and global leadership with particular emphasis on the Falklands, the special relationship, the cold war and the Kuwait conflict.

According to its website the new venture will focus on public outreach activities with teachers and lecturers “so that the next generation receives a truly balanced economic, political and historical education”. It will also encourage research and scholarship on Thatcher’s life and legacy.

A US-style presidential library honouring Thatcher was first proposed in 2009 by Donal Blaney, chief executive of Conservative Way Forward, after he visited the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum and the Reagan Ranch Center, operated by Young America’s Foundation, both in California.

The Cherish Freedom Trust states on the museum's website that several large donations have already been pledged. More details of the new museum and library, and the launch of a wider fundraising campaign, are expected after Thatcher’s funeral.

Negotiations for the purchase of a site are still ongoing but it is likely to be based near to Westminster.

The project has been endorsed by several senior Conservatives, including communities secretary Eric Pickles; former defence secretary Liam Fox; and London mayor Boris Johnson.  

Conor Burns, MP for Bournemouth West and the parliamentary spokesman for the Margaret Thatcher Library and Museum as a trustee of the Cherish Freedom Trust, said: “Lady Thatcher changed the political landscape in Britain and so we wanted something fitting her memory.

"She believed in action and so along with the usual statues and portraits we thought it was vital to do something that will continue to actively contribute toward political debate long after her death.”

It is not clear how the running costs of the museum and library will be met or whether it will receive any public funding. At the time of publication, the Cherish Freedom Trust was not available for comment.



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