Catalogue description Inquiry into Hillsborough Stadium Disaster (Taylor Inquiry): Evidence, Papers and Report

On 15 April 1989, 95 people died in a disaster at the Hillsborough football stadium in Sheffield; two subsequent deaths brought the total to 97. On 17 April the Home Secretary appointed Lord Justice Taylor"to inquire into the events at Sheffield Wednesday Football Ground on 15 April 1989 and to make recommendations about the needs of crowd control and safety at sports events."

Lord Justice Taylor was assisted by two assessors: Brian Johnson, Chief Constable of Lancashire, and Leonard Maunder, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Newcastle University. The inquiry was conducted in two stages.

The first stage was an investigation of events at Hillsborough. In addition to inviting written evidence the inquiry held public hearings in Sheffield during May and June. An interim report was presented on 1 August in the hope that its recommendations could be implemented by football clubs before the start of the new season.

During the second stage the inquiry considered written submissions, held informal private meetings with representatives of public bodies, clubs and spectator interests, and visited sports grounds in the UK and Europe to witness crowd control during events. Professor Maunder also chaired a working party to review technical aspects of the Home Office's Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds. The final report was presented in January 1990.

The secretariat for the inquiry was provided by the Home Office, who registered inquiry papers into their own FEP (Fire and Emergency Planning) file series. Some of the papers appear to have been registered retrospectively.