The very substantial archive of the SDP comprises a collection of papers, videotapes, film, audiotapes and memorabilia from 1980-1989. Papers include:
Some 17 metres of committee minutes, associated correspondence and administrative records, covering all aspects of party policy, strategy and coordination (the various committees, groups and working parties that produced these papers are listed, alphabetically, at the end of this section).
Papers of prominent individual members. More recently, the papers of Sir Ian Wrigglesworth, Lord Alec McGivan, and Lord Robert Maclennan have been acquired. Maclennan's papers have much to say about merger negotiations with the Liberal Party, while McGivan's include a wealth of information on the by-elections fought by the SDP, and on the Campaign for Labour Victory in the years prior to the foundation of the party. Publications, including policy papers, green and white papers produced by the SDP and Council for Social Democracy records Local SDP files (or Area Party files), including papers arising from the SDP's work at local and constituency levels Miscellaneous items, such as SDP Survey of GCSE Examination
In addition to the collection of party papers the archive holds 8 box files of transcripts of the speeches of The Gang of Four: Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Shirley Williams and William Rodgers.
Audio-visual materials, (film, video and audio-tape), preserve many of the SDP's party political/party election broadcasts.
There is also a 'Press Archive', which contains several thousand newspaper cuttings relating to the SDP.
The archive includes papers, minutes, correspondence and publications for the following committees, groups, policies and working parties, (as specified):
- Agricultural Policy Group
- Alliance Strategy Committee
- Animal Welfare
- Area Party submissions
- Arts Policy
- Association for a Democratic Europe (ASDE)
- By-Election Working Group
- Campaign Committee
- Citizens' Rights Policy Working Group/Party
- Communications Committee
- Competition Policy Working Party
- Constitutional Review Committee
- Coordinating Committee/Group
- Council Arrangements Committee
- Crime and Policing Working Party
- Decentralisation of Government Working Party
- Defence and Disarmament in Europe
- Defence and Disarmament Working Party
- Disability Working Party
- East-West Relations Committee
- Ecology and Environment Committee
- Economic Policy Committee
- Economic Policy Group
- European Community Group
- Finance and General Purposes Committees
- Financial Advisory Committee
- Financial Planning Group
- Health and Social Services Policy
- Health and Welfare Association
- Higher Education
- Housing and Planning Policy Group
- Industrial Democracy Committee
- Industrial Strategy Policy Committee
- International Affairs Committee and sub-groups - Formulation and Presentation of Foreign Policy; European Institutional reform (European Community Group); Association for a Social Democratic Europe. Improving East/West Relations. The International Economy; Manufacturing and Selling of Arms; Southern Africa; The Middle East; China Relations; Friends of Israel; Third World and Development
- Joint Commission on Employment and Industrial Recovery
- Joint Negotiating Team
- Joint Publicity sub-group
- Joint SDP/Alliance Commission on the Constitution
- Joint Themes/Slogans Group
- Leaders' Joint Advisory Committee
- Liberal /SDP Policy Group
- Local Government Campaign Co-ordinating Committee and Sub-Committee
- Manifesto Committee
- Marketing Advisory group
- Marketing Strategy Group
- Membership Development and Services Committee
- National Committee
- Organisation Committee
- Parliamentary Advisory Committee
- Parliamentary Committee
- Partnership for Progress Consultative Paper
- Policy Committee (health related papers)
- Policy Committee and Policy Discussion Group
- Policy Committee on Decentralisation of Government
- Policy Group on Education and Training
- Policy Group on Health and Personal Social Services
- Policy Group on Third World Development
- Policy Group on Training
- Policy Statements on the Environment
- Press-cuttings and non-SDP publications on health issues
- Privatization and Competition
- Prospective Parliamentary Candidate Files
- Regional Industrial Policy
- Regional Policy
- Research Sub-Committee
- SDP and the Budget
- Steering Committee
- Sub-Committee on Local Government Finance
- Third World and Development
- Trade Union Campaign Committee
- Trade Union Reform Committee
- Urban Policy Committee
- Water Privatisation Papers
- Women for Social Democracy
- Working Party on Housing
- Working Party on Taxation
- Working Party on the Environment
- Working Party on the Future of the GLC
- Worksearch Steering Committee
- Young Social Democrats/Students for Social Democracy