Housing official residences of some of the biggest names in British politics, Downing Street is one of the most well-known locations in London. Number 10 Downing Street is known the world over as the home of the Prime Minster and although today it’s hard to get a good look at the street (thanks to security additions over the years), Downing Street still remains as one of the most visited sites in the capital city.

The most famous on the street, Number 10 is the official residence of the First Lord of the Treasury. Now-a-days the job of First Lord of the Treasury is always held by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom which means it is the Prime Minister who lives in this house. The majority of our Prime Ministers, dating back to the very first, (Robert Walpole) have called Number 10 home since the creation of the job in the 1720’s.

The building itself is made up of over 100 hundred rooms – only part of which is actually residential. There is a private residence on the third floor and a private kitchen in the basement. Everything in between is offices, conference rooms, reception halls, sitting rooms, dining rooms, etc. These rooms are all in constant usage – Foreign dignitaries are entertained here and the Prime Minister and his government base the majority of their work at Number 10.

The front door to Number 10 is most likely the most famous feature of the building. Large, shiny and black and bearing ‘10’ in large brass numbers, the door is most likely one of the most photographed in the world! Originally, the door was made of Georgian black oak; it is today made of blast-proof steel and takes a reported eight men to lift it. The original door can be seen by the public – it is on display in the Churchill Museum at the Cabinet War Rooms!

10 Downing Street is located in the City of Westminster just a short walk away from the Palace of Westminster and Parliament, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey.