IT wasn’t every night that the news editor’s chair in The Herald’s old office in Albion Street was briefly occupied by a Prime Minister wearing an evening gown. And one, moreover, who removed her shoes to ease her aching feet.

Margaret Thatcher was in Glasgow in late January 1983 to address the bicentenary dinner of the Glasgow Chamber f Commerce. It was this paper’s bicentenary, too, and to mark it she spent an hour touring its offices after attending the dinner.

In her dinner speech she said that the Glasgow Herald had had a rather unfortunate start, when its first editor was imprisoned for sedition. “I am sure the present editor will escape the fate of the first one,” she added, “but I shall be taking a particularly close look at the leader column, just in case.”

In Albion Street she was greeted (above) by newspaper executives including Kenneth Harris, chairman of George Outram & Co, editor Arnold Kemp, and the Outram managing director, Terry Cassidy. As she was introduced to guests in the boardroom, work continued on the editions that would provide coverage of the tour.

Thatcher visited the case-room, where operators explained how video units with silent keyboards linked to a central computer had replaced the noise of the old “hot metal” typesetting technology.

She also spoke to the Herald's defence correspondent, Ian Bruce, who had covered the Falklands campaign the previous year.

Clearly in a relaxed mood, at one point Mrs Thatcher eased herself into the news editor’s chair, saying, “Oh, how I need a seat. You don’t mind if I kick my shoes off?” Regardless of whether it was a question or statement, she proceeded to remove them.

As she left, Mr Kemp presented her with a leather-bound edition of 'Glasgow's Herald', signed by its author, Alastair Phillips, and a bottle of Glasgow Herald whisky for her husband, Denis.

* Monday: Arnold Kemp’s recollection of the visit.

Read more: Herald Diary