Living in London

As a follow-up to our post on Prime Ministers yesterday, we wanted to add a bit of colour about 10 Downing Street. In the US, the President lives and works in the White House at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Similarly, the Prime Minister of Britain lives and works at 10 Downing Street.

No 10 Downing Street is a historic building that is also a place of work. It is a symbol of Government known the world over and is the home to the Prime Minister and his family. From the outside, the plain Georgian frontage with its famous black door appears too small to accommodate all these roles. Inside, the building opens out to reveal a series of elegant state rooms, used both for official receptions and everyday meetings. Offices for the staff of the Prime Minister's Office are crammed into every spare space.

A few interesting facts about 10 Downing street:

• Number 10 has been the official home of the Prime Minister since 1735 when Sir Robert Walpole first took residence
• It has been home to over 50 Prime Ministers
• Downing Street stands on the site of a former brewery
• Number 10 was originally Number 5
• The last private resident of Number 10 was a Mr Chicken
• The Cabinet usually meets once a week in 10 Downing Street, normally on a Thursday morning, in the Cabinet room

Take a few minutes to explore the rich site dedicated to 10 Downing Street.