The United Kingdom, known in philatelic circles as "Great Britain", released many commemorative stamps (postage stamps issued to honour or commemorate a place, event or person) in the 1970s.
The first adhesive postage stamp, the Penny Black, was introduced in the UK on 6 May 1840. Until 1924, all British stamps only showed the reigning monarch's portrait, except for the 1913 "Sea Horses" design. The first commemorative stamp was issued in 1924 for the British Empire Exhibition, and since the mid-1960s, six to nine sets of commemorative stamps are released each year. PHQ cards, postcard-sized reproductions of commemorative stamps, have also been issued since the mid-1970s.
| Issue date | Issue details | Stamps in set | Designer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | |||
| 11 February 1970 | British Rural Architecture | Four | David Gentleman[1] |
| 1 April 1970 | Anniversaries | Five | |
| 3 June 1970 | Literary anniversaries | Five | Rosalind Dease |
| 15 July 1970 | Ninth British Commonwealth Games | Three | |
| 18 September 1970 | "Philympia 70" Stamp Exhibition | Three | David Gentleman |
| 25 November 1970 | Christmas | Three | |
| 1971 | |||
| 16 June 1971 | "Ulster 1971" Paintings (first decimal commemoratives) | Three | Stuart Rose[2] |
| 28 July 1971 | Literary Anniversaries | Three | |
| 25 August 1971 | British Anniversaries | Three | |
| 22 September 1971 | British Architecture | Four | |
| 13 October 1971 | Christmas | Three | |
| 1972 | |||
| 16 February 1972 | British Polar Explorers | Four | |
| 26 April 1972 | General Anniversaries | Three | |
| 21 June 1972 | British Architecture, Village Churches | Five | |
| 13 September 1972 | Broadcasting Anniversaries | Four | David Gentleman |
| 18 October 1972 | Christmas | Three | |
| 20 November 1972 | Royal Silver Wedding | Two | |
| 1973 | |||
| 3 January 1973 | Britain's entry into the European Communities | Three | |
| 28 February 1973 | Plant A Tree Year | One | |
| 18 April 1973 | British Explorers | Five | |
| 16 May 1973 | County Cricket 1873–1973 | Three | Edward M Ripley |
| 4 July 1973 | British Paintings | Four | |
| 15 August 1973 | 400th Anniversary of the Birth of Inigo Jones | Four | |
| 12 September 1973 | Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference | Two | |
| 14 November 1973 | Royal Wedding | Two | |
| 28 November 1973 | Christmas | Six | David Gentleman |
| 1974 | |||
| 27 February 1974 | British Trees | One | David Gentleman |
| 24 April 1974 | Bicentenary of Fire Prevention Act | Four | David Gentleman |
| 12 June 1974 | Centenary of Universal Postal Union | Four | Rosalind Dease |
| 10 July 1974 | Medieval Warriors | Four | |
| 9 October 1974 | Birth Centenary of Sir Winston Churchill | Four | |
| 27 November 1974 | Christmas | Four | |
| 1975 | |||
| 22 January 1975 | Health & Handicap Funds | One | Philip Sharland |
| 19 February 1975 | Birth Bicentenary of J. M. W. Turner | Four | |
| 23 April 1975 | European Architectural Heritage Year | Five | |
| 11 June 1975 | Sailing | Four | |
| 13 August 1975 | 150th Anniversary of the first Steam Train | Four | |
| 3 September 1975 | 62nd Inter-Parliamentary Union Conference | One | |
| 22 October 1975 | Birth Bicentenary of Jane Austen | Four | |
| 26 November 1975 | Christmas | Four | |
| 1976 | |||
| 10 March 1976 | Telephone Centenary | Four (p,10p,11p,13p) | |
| 28 April 1976 | Social Reformers | Four (p,10p,11p,13p) | David Gentleman |
| 2 June 1976 | Bicentennial of American Independence 1776–1976 | One (11p) | Philip Sharland |
| 30 June 1976 | Centenary of National Rose Society | Four (p,10p,11p,13p) | |
| 4 August 1976 | British Cultural Traditions | Four (p,10p,11p,13p) | |
| 29 September 1976 | 500th Anniversary of British Printing | Four (p,10p,11p,13p) | |
| 24 November 1976 | Christmas | Four (p, p, 11p,13p) | |
| 1977 | |||
| 12 January 1977 | Racket Sports | Four (p,10p,11p,13p) | |
| 2 March 1977 | Royal Institute of Chemistry Centenary | Four (p,10p,11p,13p) | |
| 11 May 1977 | Silver Jubilee (p-10p-11p-13p values) | Four | |
| 8 June 1977 | Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, London | One (13p) | Peter Murdoch |
| 15 June 1977 | Silver Jubilee (9p value) | One | |
| 5 October 1977 | British Wildlife | Five (5 x 9p) | |
| 23 November 1977 | Christmas | Six (5 x 7p, 9p) | David Gentleman |
| 1978 | |||
| 25 January 1978 | Energy Resources | Four (9p, 10p, 11p, 13p) | |
| 1 March 1978 | British Architecture | Four + Miniature sheet (9p, 10p, 11p, 13p) | Stamps: Ronald Maddox;Mini-sheet: Jeffery Matthews |
| 31 May 1978 | 25th Anniversary of the Coronation | Four | |
| 5 July 1978 | Horses | Four | Patrick Oxenham |
| 2 August 1978 | Centenaries of Cyclists' Touring Club and British Cycling Federation | Four | Fritz Wegner |
| 22 November 1978 | Christmas | Four | Faith Jacques |
| 1979 | |||
| 7 February 1979 | Dogs | Four | |
| 21 March 1979 | Spring Wild Flowers | Four | Peter Newcombe |
| 9 May 1979 | First direct elections to European Assembly | Four | |
| 6 June 1979 | Horse Racing paintings | Four | |
| 11 July 1979 | International Year of the Child | Four | |
| 22 August 1979 | Death Centenary of Sir Roland Hill | Four | |
| 26 September 1979 | 150th Anniversary of Metropolitan Police | Four | |
| 24 October 1979 | Death Centenary of Sir Roland Hill | Miniature sheet | |
| 21 November 1979 | Christmas | Five | Fritz Wegner |