GCHQ History

GCHQ moved to Cheltenham in 1952, occupying two sites at Oakley and Benhall. The local residents referred to it as 'the Foreign Office' for many years and were discreet about the secret organisation in their midst which was still largely unheard of outside Whitehall and the Cotswolds.

Cold War period

GCHQ made a major breakthrough in the field of secure communications in 1973 when it developed what is now known as public-key encryption.

In 1983, GCHQ gained a national profile when its function was avowed to Parliament. In 1984, the organisation that had shunned the limelight for so many years was thrust into the public eye when trade union rights were removed from its staff. However, GCHQ had a vital role to play and work continued.

The unthinkable happened in 1989: the Berlin Wall came down, symbolic of the thaw in East-West relations. It was the dawning of a new period and 1991 saw the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

A new landscape

The 1994 Intelligence Services Act (ISA) defined GCHQ's role in the post Cold War world. The ISA also brought about formal oversight of the intelligence agencies, with the formation of the Intelligence and Security Committee and the Intelligence Services Tribunal.

New threats emerged to take the place of the old. National security, economic well-being and the prevention and detection of serious crime were its headline interests.

In 1997, trade union recognition was restored to GCHQ.

The future

In May 1999, the Foreign Secretary announced that he had chosen the site of GCHQ's new accommodation. The two existing sites made way for a single site at Benhall by means of a major new construction project. The circular, space-age design -which was almost fully occupied by the summer of 2004 - is well suited to support GCHQ in meeting the challenges the future will bring.

Top of page