can you visit number 10 downing street

The Ultimate Guide to visiting 10 Downing Street in 2024

10 downing street ultimate guide.

It has one of the most famous addresses in the world and the most photographed door in England, yet many don’t even bother including 10 Downing Street in their London travel because they can’t even get close to it. But even though you can’t even step inside 10 Downing Street, let alone walk down Downing Street, just snapping a photo of the iconic front black door is a tourist activity in itself. You can approach the iconic house on your own or join a guide in a free walking tour for a more comprehensive experience.

10 Downing Street is essentially London’s White House, and has been the official address for British prime ministers since 1735. The first residential home which was built on the site of 10 Downing Street was constructed by Sir Thomas Knyvett in 1581 (who was perhaps best known for arresting Guy Fawkes after the gunpowder plot). Some of the many famous political figures who once lived and/or worked at 10 Downing Street include Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher, Pitt the Younger, Robert Walpole, Benjamin Disraeli, William Gladstone and David Lloyd George.

Both the first and second world wars were directed from inside 10 Downing Street, and some of the many key decisions related to the British Empire were developed here as well (such as the building of the British nuclear bomb, the Great Depression, and many more).

10 Downing Street also stretches all the way to 12 Downing Street (because of its interconnected corridors and buildings which make up much of the street), and many important world leaders visit 10 Downing Street throughout the year whenever the British prime minister hosts a reception or charitable event.

10 Downing Street Highlights

10 Downing Street’s front door is said to be the most photographed front door in all of Britain, and can only be seen when looking through the gates from Whitehall (where you can see the single white stone step and the black steel door with the number “10” on it). The door was originally made of oak, but was replaced with blast-proof material in 1991 after an IRA bomb exploded in the nearby garden.

For those with good eyesight and/or a camera with a good zoom, you should be able to see the front door’s black iron knocker (in the shape of a lion’s head) as well as the brass letter box with the “First Lord of the Treasury” inscription.

The iconic black bricks of the house are also famous (although they are actually yellow underneath). They were blackened by the London smog during the 19th century, and as a result were painted black during the 1960s since people were accustomed to seeing them that way.

Inside 10 Downing Street is a treasure trove of architectural delights that very few people get to see (unless you’re famous, or a royal, of course). Its main staircase is perhaps one of the most famous highlights of the house, as the walls along the staircase are lined with portraits of past British prime ministers.

Special Tips

Getting There

Visiting 10 downing street.

Unfortunately for tourists, 10 Downing Street (as well as the majority of Downing Street itself) is blocked off by a black gate and heavily patrolled by police at all times. (However, visitors can now take a look at the inside of 10 Downing Street by taking a 360-degree virtual tour on 10 Downing Street’s official website.)

If you’re lucky enough, you might even be able to see the Prime Minister leaving or entering the residence in his armed car. You’ll know if the prime minister is en route to or from Downing Street because there is normally a flurry of activity with lots of people and police officers standing around (and possibly even some photographers too). But don’t let the flurry of activity deceive you, because the prime minister may be leaving or entering the residence when there is no one around at all!

The closest you can get to 10 Downing Street would be to stand on the edge of the street next to the FCO building (near the Captain James Cook statue) and peer through the black barriers. In your view you should be able to see 10 and 11 Downing Street, as well as a group of armed forces with machine guns standing near the famous black door.

When to Visit

Unfortunately for tourists, 10 Downing Street is not open to the public. As a matter of fact, you can’t even walk up to the residence, let alone walk down Downing Street.

However, if you’re hoping to see the prime minister enter or leave the residence, check to see if the gates are open. In that case, you may be able to catch a glimpse of the Prime Minister from far away, or even snap a photo through the high iron gates at the end of Downing Street.

Although there’s no telling when the cabinet minister and/or prime minister will enter or leave the building, your chances of spotting them will be higher during weekday mornings, rather than at night, or on the weekends.

If you are checking out Downing Street you might also want to join any of the  free London tours  that are available on offer.

Free Tours in Your Language

Downing Street Tour

A short tour of Number 10 Downing Street.

10 Downing street. Photo: Sergeant Tom Robinson RLC/MOD , OGL v1.0OGL v1.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Black Door

The most famous door in the world.

10 Downing Street’s black door is seen at every election and during every political crisis. The Prime Minister will often speak to the nation directly from Downing Street, with the door as a backdrop.

Downing Street’s black door is the iconic symbol of British political fortunes and power. It is also a good symbol of Downing Street’s history itself. It has an old, orderly, and traditional appearance, but also contains hints that things are more complicated than might appear.

On the letter box are the words ‘First Lord of the Treasury’, the Prime Minister’s official and original position (they would only be known as ‘Prime Minister’ decades later). It was the first Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole, who insisted that Downing Street accompany the office of the First Lord of the Treasury in 1732.  Though, Walpole would never have recognised this door; it only took on this appearance during the late eighteenth century.

The door has not always been black. It was a dark green during the early 20 th Century. Nor were the bricks originally black, they were yellow when the house was originally built during the 1680s, but centuries of grime turned them black. The modern façade is, however, painted black.

The sharp eyed will note that the 0 in 10 is actually slightly lopsided. This is a recent invention and a nod to Downing Street’s history of shoddy building, restoration and repairs.  Don’t try and post anything through the letter box either; it’s only a decoration. The door’s impressive lion’s head doorknocker and brass doorbell are also decorative.

The Entrance Hall

On the other side of the black door is the Downing Street Entrance Hall.

This is the first view that an incoming Prime Minister has of Number 10 as they are ‘clapped in’ by the staff. It is also the last place where they will be in Downing Street, after being ‘clapped out’ by staff, before they exit and face the pitiless cameras of the waiting media outside.

Move around the map to explore the Entrance Hall

The black and white marble floor dates from the 1770s. The Chippendale hooded chair was once used by Downing Street’s guards, and there are marks on the leather where their pistols supposedly caused scratches.

The smaller chairs in the room are supposedly from a design for chairs used at cockfights, allowing the sitter to face either way. This might be considered a reference to the Cockpit theatre, which once stood near this site.

There are portraits of the first Prime Minister Robert Walpole (1721-42), Henry Pelham (1743-1754), and William Pitt the Elder (1766-68). The latter two remembered as leaders in peace and war respectively. A portrait of George Downing is to the right of the door. An 18 th Century view of Horse Guards Parade is above the fireplace on the right. Of the four persons depicted on the walls, only Walpole actually lived here.

A door to the left leads into Number 11. To your right, there is a door to the press offices, with their distinctive bow-windows, built by Erith during the 1960s.

Cabinet Room

Move around the map to explore the Cabinet Room

Leaving the entrance hall, you will walk down a corridor, past the lift, and out of the original, narrow Downing Street house, into the ‘House at the Back’. Soon, you are in the Cabinet ante-room, where the Cabinet ministers assemble awaiting the Prime Minister. There is a painting of long-vanished Whitehall Palace on the wall. Perhaps it is a reminder of England’s rich history, or a warning to ministers that even palaces can be transient.

Entering the Cabinet Room, the eye is immediately drawn to the famous ‘boat shaped’ table, which was introduced by Harold Macmillan during the early 1960s. The design allows the Prime Minister to see every member of the cabinet without having to lean forward. The seats are all tucked in, except for the Prime Minister’s, which faces outwards at an angle. A portrait of Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister, watches from above.

This is the most significant room in the British government, and perhaps in all British history. Some of the most important decisions since the 18 th Century were made in this room, and those decisions have shaped the destinies of millions of people in Britain, and millions more around the world. Cabinet usually meets once a week, though will occasionally meet much more often, especially during a political crisis.

Originally, Walpole used this room as a study, and the area where the pillars are, was his waiting room. In more recent times, Balfour also used this room as his study, as did Baldwin. Churchill liked to meet Cabinet here, but Downing Street was bomb damaged for much of the war, with business largely conducted in the secure Cabinet War Rooms.

Most Prime Ministers have worked in the Cabinet Room and several have used it as their main office, including Clement Attlee and John Major. However, others have felt less comfortable working there alone.

On 4 August 1914, after days of fraught Cabinet meetings, Prime Minister H.H. Asquith, Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey, Lord Haldane, and Chancellor Lloyd George sat in the Cabinet Room waiting until the expiry of the British ultimatum to Germany. At 11pm, they could hear the chimes of Big Ben, and knew that Britain was at war.

Corinthian columns date to a 1796 restoration which enlarged the room, by combining it with another. There is a small collection of books, many donated by prime ministers, visitors and aides. This was once Number 10’s library, though the books were removed during the 1950s, leaving only a couple of small bookshelves.

Double doors at the end of the Cabinet Room lead to  a small study that many Prime Ministers have used as their personal space.

Leave the Cabinet Room. Now, the grand staircase takes us up to the State Rooms.

Move around the map to explore the Staircase

If you follow the stairs down, you will find an exit to the gardens and some of the ‘Garden Rooms’, where Number 10’s tireless staff toil.

Portraits of every prime minister line the main staircase in Number 10. These were a gift of Sir Edward Hamilton, Treasury Permanent Secretary in 1907. Briefly removed by Dorothy Macmillan during the 1950s, Harold Wilson restored the pictures and they remain to this day. Every portrait is black and white and they are all shuffled down when a new one is added.

The staircase has no visible supports – something that allowed Ramsay MacDonald’s daughter Sheila to slide down the banisters during the 1920s. She told anyone who challenged her that she was learning the Prime Ministers of England as their portraits went past. The lamps were not there at the time, because they were added during the renovation of the 1960s.

White Drawing Room

Move around the map to explore the White Drawing Room

This is the first of Downing Street’s three major state rooms. These state rooms were once the Prime Minister’s living areas. It was only during the late 1930s that a flat was built on the second floor for the Prime Minister, allowing them to vacate the state rooms. Stanley Baldwin was the last Prime Minister to live in the first floor rooms, and his successor, Neville Chamberlain, was the first to live in the Downing Street Flat.

During Churchill’s second ministry (1951-55), Clementine Churchill used these rooms as a residence, as did Dorothy Macmillan during the last months of Harold Macmillan’s premiership in 1963, but since then the State Rooms have been reserved for business.

Robert Walpole’s son, Horace, wrote on the 30 June 1742: I am writing to you in one of the charming rooms towards the park: it is a delightful evening, and I am willing to enjoy this sweet corner while I may, for we are soon to quit it. Horace Walpole, 30 June 1742

The room was transformed during the 1980s redecorating by Quinlan Terry and is now a grand state room. The ceiling moulds have a three-dimensional floral design, featuring the rose of England, thistle of Scotland, daffodil for Wales, and shamrock for Northern Ireland. The small table is thought to have belonged to Robert Clive (an 18 th  Century general), and the Waterford chandelier is similar to theone in the Terracotta Drawing Room. The furniture is mostly from the designs of famous 18 th Century furniture designer Thomas Chippendale.

It is the room where the unfortunate Lord Iddesleigh died in January 1887 after he collapsed on the stairs. Iddesleigh was one of only two men since 1721 to have been First Lord of the Treasury without ever being Prime Minister, and, when he died, he was visiting the other, William H. Smith (Arthur Balfour was also First Lord of the Treasury without being Prime Minister over 1891-92 and 1895-1902, but then became Prime Minister in his own right over 1902-05).

This room is often used for television broadcasts to the nation and interviews. Boris Johnson’s speech announcing a lockdown in March 2020 was made from this room (with the Terracotta Drawing Room in the background).

Terracotta Drawing Room

The Terracotta Drawing Room is another state room, and can be used for small meetings, discussions and interviews.

Move around the map to explore the Terracotta Drawing Room

This room was painted blue during the 1980s, and then green during the 1990s, and only took on its current appearance during the 2000s.  A desk in the corner is believed to have belonged to Pitt the Younger, though it would have been a cramped fit for the famously tall Pitt.

Portraits of Britain’s paramount heroes of the Napoleonic Wars, Lord Nelson and the Duke of Wellington, hang above the doors. They appear to have been hung there during the Thatcher years. She proudly showed off the paintings to American Secretary of State Alexander Haig during the Falklands crisis, indicating that she intended to follow their victorious example.

The paintings commemorate the only time that Nelson and Wellington met, which was in 12 Downing Street on 12 September 1805, in an anteroom of the War and Colonial Office where they were awaiting a meeting with Lord Castlereagh. Wellington (then Major General Arthur Wellesley) later recalled “[Nelson] talked of the state of this country and of the aspect and probability of affairs on the Continent with good sense…in fact, he talked like an officer and a statesman’. Nelson was killed at the Battle of Trafalgar a few weeks later.

The Pillared Room

The Pillared Room is the largest of the state rooms. As such, it is frequently used for events, political cabinets, and any large meeting of Number 10 staff.

Ionic columns decorate this room and give it its name. These date from the 1790s, during Pitt the Younger’s long tenure. The chandelier is the largest in the house and is made from cut glass. There is a pair of Chippendale mirrors in this room.

Historically, this room was used by Lord Palmerston and William Gladstone as a Cabinet Room. In 1930, John Logie Baird demonstrated the ‘wondrous miracle’ of television to Ramsay MacDonald in this room.

This is also a room decorated by large paintings. The artwork on Number 10’s walls comes from the National Gallery and the Government Art Service. It was Ramsay MacDonald, during the 1920s, who, having no art collection himself, began the tradition of borrowing art from the National Gallery. The art is chosen by a working group of art specialists, though it reflects the inclinations and instructions of the current Prime Minister.

Some say this room is haunted by the ghost of a woman in a taffeta dress, though others say they have seen a ghost in the nearby dining room. As usual with such matters, the story tends to have been heard from somebody else.

Move around the map to explore the Pillared Room

The State Dining Room

This is the largest and arguably the most impressive room in Number 10. It certainly hosts the most prestigious events with space for up to 65 guests to be seated.

Move around the map to explore the State Dining Room

This room was designed by the architect Sir John Soane during the 1820s. He chose a star vault pattern for the ceiling and created a large room by demolishing a wall. He added a central window, and the oak panelled sides.

This room is used for large state dinners for visiting world leaders and dignitaries. Winston Churchill dined with the new Queen here the night before announcing his retirement in 1955. This is where the 250 th anniversary dinner was celebrated in 1985 (when 6 Prime Ministers were present –Macmillan, Douglas-Home, Wilson, Heath, Callaghan, Thatcher). It is also where the Queen’s Golden Jubilee dinner took place in 2002 (this time with 5 Prime Ministers – Heath, Callaghan, Thatcher, Major, Blair), and where the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee dinner was celebrated in 2012 (attended by Major, Blair, Brown and Cameron).

This room is also used for the grand press conferences that are an increasingly common part of the Prime Minister’s schedule. In these circumstances, the table is cleared away (it is of telescopic design, so this can be easily done) and chairs are set out. The doors are always left open to allow the PM access, and often flags are placed (in the small dining room, which is also cleared) to provide a backdrop. The press briefings during the 2020-21 Coronavirus outbreak took place in this room.

Small Dining Room

Move around the map to explore the Small Dining Room

Once nothing more than a corridor and waiting area before entry into the State Dining Room, this was designed by Soane in 1826. The bust by the window is of Isaac Newton.

It was once known as the Breakfast Room and can be used for meals attended by up to 12 people. It is often used for smaller events, like meetings of the Prime Minister with key advisers and for more discrete meetings with world leaders. Before the building of the Downing Street flat, it would be used for dining by the Prime Minister’s family.

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A Tour Inside 10 Downing Street

This post covers tours of 10 Downing Street.

We include information such as how to get there, the best times to go, as well as some virtual tours of the famous residence.

• Introduction
• Plan Your Visit
• Tours of 10 Downing Street
• Buckingham Palace
• Things to Do in London

INTRODUCTION

Number 10 Downing Street is one of the most famous addresses in the world. Since 1735, it has been home to the UK's prime ministers.

Although it’s hard to get a good look at the street due to security, Downing Street still remains as one of the most visited sites in our capital city. 

Should you want to visit this historic street to get a glimpse of the iconic black door of No. 10 Downing, check out our guided Westminster Tour  and our  London in a Day Tour , which both stop at Downing Street.

You can also try our GPS-enabled anytime audio tour  which includes a stop at Downing Street.

PLAN YOUR VISIT

How to Get Here

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 .  

Click  here to get exact directions from your point of departure. 

To reach 10 Downing Street by tube, it's best to reach it by either the Westminster or Charing Cross Station.  

If you need help figuring out which tube to take, make sure to read our posts covering the London Underground and which tube pass you should buy .

You can take bus #11 or a  hop-on, hop-off tour bus , both of which pass by frequently.

You can also reach it by boat with City Cruises from the Westminster City Pier which is very nearby.

For obvious safety reasons, the public is not allowed to walk on Downing Street, let alone go into the residence of the Prime Minister (PM).

There have been barriers erected along both sides of Downing Street since the 1920s. 

In 1974, it was suggested that permanent barriers should be erected to prevent the public from walking along the street.

However, the Prime Minister at the time, Harold Wilson, overturned the idea.

He felt that it was not right that the public should be prevented from walking down the street and taking photographs outside Number 10.

That has changed, and now security is very tight, as one would expect for the home of a country's head of government.

Today, the closest visitors can get is standing on the edge of the street to peer through the permanent black metal gates. 

See below for some tips on how to get the best view of the street and door .

Things to Do Nearby

There are plenty of other significant London sites within walking distance of Downing Street.

• Trafalgar Square
• Changing of the Guard
• Houses of Parliament
• Westminster Abbey
• The Churchill War Rooms
• The Horse Guards
• St. James’s Palace

Find some more ideas, read our post on  what to see in Royal London .

Many of these attractions have ticket prices attached to them for entry. Most are included in a number of tourist attraction concession passes available to you in London.

Read our post which compares these city passes to see if any are a good fit for you.

TOURS OF 10 DOWNING STREET

As noted above, you cannot walk on Downing Street as a member of the general public.

But, there are a few ways that you can see what the inside looks like, and also potentially glimpse the PM or cabinet members coming or going.

An Inside Look at 10 Downing Street

This video below made for the 2012 Olympics, gives you a good look into the public rooms inside 10 Downing Street.

Also, take a look at the  virtual tour of 10 Downing Street  on the UK Government's website.

Lastly, Google made this crystal-clear 360-degree virtual tour of some of the rooms in 10 Downing Street.

Outside 10 Downing Street

Here are some tips on how to get a good glimpse of the famous black door (and perhaps famous people as well).

(1) To get a quick photo-op of 10 Downing Street, you can take the #11 bus, and sit on the top deck of the doubledecker.

You may want to take a video from the bus since a still shot might be hard to capture while the bus is in motion.

(2) You can actually see 10 Downing Street while taking a ride on the London Eye ! 

(3) Make sure to go to the gates on Whitehall, which is where you will get your best pictures through the heavy security and barriers.

(4) To see any comings and goings of the PM and other government members, Thursday morning is the best time, as this is when the PM and Cabinet meeting. 

Also, Wednesdays between 11 and 11:30 a.m. are good since the PM leaves at this time to head to Parliament.

Larry, Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office

Prime ministers come and go, but one resident of 10 Downing Street has no plans to leave any time soon.

Larry the cat, whose official title is Chief Mouser, has been living at 10 Downing Street since February 2011. He has now seen two PMs come and go.

He may be the most beloved resident of 10 Downing Street in the modern era and his activities are watched closely by the press and the adoring public. 

Here he is, on May 24, 2019, being escorted into the residence just minutes before Theresa May stood in front of the famous black door and announced her resignation.

HISTORY OF DOWNING STREET

Downing Street itself was built in the 1680s by Sir George Downing who had purchased a large tract of land near Parliament, on the edge of St. James’s Park .

He originally intended that the street should be full of fine townhouses designed specifically “for persons of good quality to inhabit in...”

When building these houses, Downing was assisted by master architect Sir Christopher Wren, who designed the buildings.

Most were actually built rather cheaply and were not of good quality – still the case when Winston Churchill resided at Number 10 and he is quoted as saying his house was “shaky and lightly built by the profiteering contractor whose name that bear.”

Earls, Lords, and Countesses quickly moved into the prime real estate built here although it seems unlikely that Sir Downing himself ever actually resided on the street that holds his name.

Regardless of this fact, a portrait of him still hangs in the entrance foyer of Number 10 Downing Street.

By the 1800s the houses had nearly all been taken over by the government.

Some of the original buildings were demolished to allow space to build and expand the Privy Council Office, the Board of Trade, and the Treasury Offices.

10 Downing Street

The majority of the UK's Prime Ministers, dating back to the very first, (Robert Walpole in 1720) have called Number 10 home.

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 .

According to Margaret Thatcher, Number 10 Downing Street is “one of the most precious jewels in the national heritage.”

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Take a tour through the historic rooms of 10 Downing Street

A selection of three of the most famous rooms in 10 downing street.

By 10 Downing Street

10 Downing Street

Churchill Memoirs: 10 Downing Street by William J Sumits LIFE Photo Collection

The Cabinet Room

The Cabinet Room is at the heart of collective Government. The Prime Minister holds weekly meetings on a Tuesday morning with their entire Cabinet. They meet to discuss domestic and foreign affairs and important legislation.

A view of the famous cabinet table. See if you can guess which chair the Prime Minister sits in...

This room has seen some truly monumental moments in British political history.

Simon Schama's Tour of Downing Street. Pt2: The Cabinet Room (2015-06-15) by 10 Downing Street 10 Downing Street

On 7th February 1991, a terrorist mortar bomb exploded in the garden of Number 10, just a few metres from the Cabinet Room. John Major was chairing a Cabinet meeting at the time.

Otherwise known as the Thatcher Room, given it was used by Margaret Thatcher as her main office.

Just like the cabinet room, the study includes a table which has a fascinating history of its own.

The study's wall pays tribute to one of its most famous residents, thanks to artist Richard Stone.

Mikhail Gorbachev (1984-12-16) by Fox Photos Getty Images

Margaret Thatcher, who won three consecutive general elections, has certainly left her mark on Downing Street.

The Grand Staircase

Portraits of every Prime Minister line the walls in chronological order, with the most recent incumbents at the top and group photographs from past Cabinets and Imperial Conferences at the bottom.

Black and white engravings and photographs of all the past Prime Ministers decorate the wall; every time a Prime Minister leaves No. 10, the pictures are moved down one by one to make way for their portrait.

The Grand Staircase captures centuries of British political history, stretching all the way back to Sir Robert Walpole, generally regarded as the first Prime Minister.

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill by Yousuf Karsh 10 Downing Street

Winston Churchill is the only Prime Minister to have two portraits on the staircase. See if you can find both in the street view tour of 10 Downing Street.

Produced by 10 Downing Street. Images courtesy of the Government Art Collection and other external sources. With thanks to Researcher in Residence at 10 Downing Street Jack Brown of Kings College London.

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No.10 Downing Street

 What does No.10 Downing Street do?

What is No.10 Downing Street?

No.10 Downing Street is the site of the prime minister’s office and official residence of the prime minister. It forms part of the centre of government, alongside the Cabinet Office (which it is technically a part of) and the Treasury.  ‘No.10’ or ‘Downing Street’ is often used as shorthand to describe the prime minister’s office as a whole.

What is the history of the building No.10 Downing Street?

No.10 has been the prime minister’s office since 1732, when the King gifted the building to Robert Walpole, who is widely regarded as the first prime minister. Originally intended as a personal gift, Walpole insisted he instead accept it in his capacity as first lord of the Treasury. 7 Brown J, No.10: The Geography of Power at Downing Street , 2019. The right to reside in and use the property has been passed to every subsequent prime minister.  

The prime minister’s office complex incorporates No.11 and No.12 Downing Street, which have been knocked through to connect them to No.10. The three buildings together contain over 100 rooms and have been described as possessing “maze-like corridors and a disorientating layout”. 8 Brown J, No.10: The Geography of Power at Downing Street , 2019.  

What does No.10 Downing Street do?

No.10 does not have an official list of core functions. Prime ministers can adapt the way their office works to suit their preferences and working style, which inevitably leads to differences in the duties that their staff perform. Nonetheless, there are some similarities in what No.10 must do to support the prime minister.

Every prime minister has three roles – a party role as leader of the main governing political party; a parliamentary role, as leader of the government in parliament; and an executive role as leader of the executive arm of government . To support a PM across all three, functions that No.10 must perform include:

In performing many of these functions, particularly those related to the prime minister’s role as head of the executive, No.10 works closely with the Cabinet Office. 

Who are the most senior staff in No.10 Downing Street?

Downing Street staff fall into three categories: politically appointed special advisers (SpAds), civil servants, and permanent staff of the building like chefs and security guards who manage its upkeep and smooth running. While a large number of civil servants work in No.10, increasingly most of the most senior staff in No.10 have been politically appointed.

Prominent civil service roles include:

• PPS: Traditionally, the most senior civil servant in No.10 has been the prime minister’s principal private secretary (PPS). In recent years, the PPS has been appointed at a director general (SCS3) grade . 
• No.10 permanent secretary: Some prime ministers appoint No.10 permanent secretaries. This job is often used as a way to convince someone back into government after they have left, as was the case with Sir Jeremy (later Lord) Heywood and the current cabinet secretary, Simon Case. The division of responsibilities between the permanent secretary and PPS has depended on individual circumstance and has sometimes overlapped.

Prominent politically appointed roles include:

• Chief of staff : Since 1997, every prime minister has had a politically appointed Downing Street chief of staff. 
• Head of the No.10 policy unit:  This role has been politically appointed since Margaret Thatcher was prime minister.  
• Director of communications: In 2000, Alastair Campbell become the first Downing Street director of communications, a role held by political appointees since (although it was briefly split into ‘political’ and ‘government’ components under Liz Truss). 

The co-existence of civil servants and political appointees can sometimes lead to unclear lines of accountability. Former cabinet secretary Lord Butler told the Institute that he felt it was currently “unclear whether the leadership of No.10 is in the hands of the civil service PPS, or in the hands of political appointees, particularly the chief of staff”. 

This tension can be mitigated by a close working relationship between the PPS and chief of staff. Gavin Barwell , who served as Theresa May’s chief of staff from 2017–19 told the Institute for Government that “you work really closely with the prime minister’s principal private secretary…to run the building. And I think that is about setting the tone”. The PPS he worked with, Peter Hill, also told the Institute that the PPS and chief of staff “worked hand in glove…and the building got a solid message about what together we were doing”.

How is No.10 Downing Street structured?

At an Institute for Government event , Lord Butler described No.10 between 1982 and 1985 as relatively small and with a simple structure. Since then it has grown substantially – Peter Hill, PPS to prime minister Theresa May between 2017 and 2019, described No.10 as consisting of around 250 people during his time in government. In her report into the ‘partygate’ scandal of 2021, Sue Gray argued that “in terms of size, scale and range of responsibility [No.10] is now more akin to a small Government Department than purely a dedicated Prime Minister’s office”.

With the growth in size – and corresponding growth in the number of politically appointed special advisers – the structure of 10 Downing Street has become more complex. Alongside the private office – which has existed in some form since at least the 19th century – Downing Street now tends to contain multiple ‘units’. Some of these, like the Policy Unit and press office, are long-standing. Others are more recent innovations, with recent No.10s containing a delivery unit, data science unit, legislative affairs unit and strategy unit. 

There is no regularly published, comprehensive data reflecting the size of No.10, but it is estimated that around 300 civil servants and SpAds currently work there.  

What is the future of No.10 Downing Street?

There has been some criticism of No.10 as a place from which to run British government. Sir Alex Allan – Sir John Major’s PPS between 1992 and 1997 – argued at an Institute event that No.10 was “absolutely not fit for purpose for a modern prime minister’s office”.

Jonathan Powell, Tony Blair’s chief of staff, has said that his biggest regret in government was not moving the Blair operation out of Downing Street and into the QEII centre. 

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It’s three years since Eye Revolution were commissioned to give the public their first glimpse inside 10 Downing Street. Now we are pleased to announce that we have worked on new and updated virtual tours for the new No.10 website. In fact, the tours offer much more than a glimpse, giving the viewer the opportunity to inspect a full 360 degrees around many of the rooms inside 10 Downing Street in high resolution and at fullscreen size. You can zoom in to see the detail, such as the Union Flag which was carried to the moon and back by Apollo 11!

Viewers can stand right outside the famous Number 10 door, taking in the view up and down Downing Street, and look at the black bricks – these are no longer blackened by London smog but were artificially blackened after the 1960s renovation as people had grown so used to seeing them as black!

We hope you enjoy viewing the 10 Downing Street virtual tours as much as we have enjoyed creating them. Please visit the link to see the 10 Downing Street virtual tours .

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10 Downing Street is the official residence and the office of the British Prime Minister. The office helps the Prime Minister to establish and deliver the government's overall strategy and policy priorities, and to communicate the government's policies to Parliament, the public and international audiences.

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You can take a tour of the gardens of Number 10 Downing Street

See if you can spot Rishi in the bushes

Londoners enjoy few things more than taking a snoop around someone else’s gaff. Witness the perennial popularity of Open House Weekend every autumn: the chance to browse (and judge) the interior design choices of hundreds of normally off-limits dwellings and other spaces, guilt- (and step-ladder-) free.

Almost as popular is the annual Open Garden Squares Weekend in June. It offers the opportunity to get into the hundreds of private gardens dotted across the capital, specifically the railed-off and gated leafy glades in some of London’s fanciest residential squares, built at a time when open space was not a big priority for London’s property developers. It was one thing to have a house, but if you had a garden , you were properly god-tier.

Included again this year is the garden of Number 10 Downing Street, aka Rishi’s pad. There are two tours on offer on June 10, both accommodating 24 punters (ie, you). Tickets are allocated by ballot, which is open until April 5.

If your impetus for visiting is horticultural rather than just nosiness, highlights of the half-acre garden include some impressive rose beds commissioned by Mrs Thatcher, a big lawn and a sculpture by renowned artist Dame Barbara Hepworth.

If you do enter the ballot and you are successful, the Downing Street garden tours are free. If you want to visit the others gardens in Open Garden Squares Weekend, you will need the weekend pass .

Open Garden Squares Weekend , Jun 10-11. You can enter the ticket ballot for 10 Downing Street until Apr 5.

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Tourists visiting Washington, DC, invariably want to see the White House. Why not? That’s where the President of the United States lives. In London, England, crowds line up against the fence to get a glimpse of #10 Downing Street, the home of the British Prime Minister. Unless they know the secret to getting a sneak peek, they will never see that prestigious individual. You see, #10 Downing Street may seem an ordinary residence on a (formerly) working class street, but that doesn’t mean you get to walk up and ring the doorbell to say hello.

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While 10 Downing Street appears to be a modest-looking brick terrace house from the outside, there’s more than meets the eye. The original residence, built on the site of a medieval brewery, is a portal leading to over 100 rooms in several houses all connected by a warren of hallways and staircases. The terrace house is the epicentre of British power, with world famous guests arriving regularly. Should you wish to be in attendance at such a moment, don’t expect to stand right in front of the building. The photos you see of #10 in newspapers are taken only by accredited photojournalists.

The secret to visiting #10 Downing Street Back to video

Downing is in the middle of a district of London named Whitehall, where many important government buildings are located. There are two entrances to Downing Street, east and west. Arriving from the west where St. James Park features a lovely lake, you find Downing Street blocked off for security purposes. No entry. Walk south down Horse Guards Road, past the Churchill War Rooms and Her Majesty’s Treasury to Birdcage Walk, which becomes Great George Street as your turn left (west). Proceed to Parliament Street, passing by statues of Winston Churchill and Mahatma Ghandi. (There are even more statues in London than there are museums.)

You may be tempted to walk over to the Parliament Buildings, the House of Commons and the House of Lords, located right behind the iconic clock tower of Big Ben, but first you are on a mission to find #10 Downing. Turn left at Parliament and walk north, passing King Charles Street to your left with the mighty Foreign and Commonwealth Offices looming large. While the sign for Downing Street is rather small, there is usually a large crowd pressing against a tall wrought iron fence, where a single Bobbie (police officer) stands with a clipboard checking off the names of official visitors on a piece of paper, dignitaries that arrive via armoured limos.

If you think this is an innocent instance of casual British security, have an eye beyond the gates to the heavily armed officers carrying automatic weapons. This is where the secret clue to getting a glimpse of #10 Downing comes in, and perhaps a look at the Prime Minister. What you need is a zoom lens on a quality digital camera. You won’t see anything at all using a smart phone from this distance. On the other hand, should you bring a camera armed with a large telephoto lens mounted on it, you may find yourself in the “Clink” (jail) in a jiffy.

Looking through the zoom lens will reveal several very serious looking officers staring you right back in the eye, and they aren’t smiling. Over their shoulders you can see the prestigious passengers stepping out of their limos, off to have a spot of tea with the PM. If there is an important announcement to be made, perhaps the Prime Minister herself will emerge from the ordinary looking terrace house. Now you know the secret to getting a photo, perhaps you will get a peek. Cheers.

Michael McCarthy is a freelance journalist and owner of mccarthy-travels.com.

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No Place To Be - A couples' teaching, diving and skiing travel blog

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I’m with him… An Extra Special Treat!

by Kirsty on February 5, 2014

This weekend I was extremely lucky and got the chance to visit 10 Downing Street!

Just over a year ago I found out that it was a possibility, I came very, very close but got turned away at the last moment. Finally, this weekend everything lined up and I was allowed through those famous gates.

But how I hear you ask?

Nothing to do with me, unfortunately I’m not that important but apparently my stepfather is. For anyone serving in military or police there’s an often unknown perk to the job, You’re able visit Downing street, get a little bit of the history and most importantly get your picture outside the number 10!

And as you can see, you’re able to drag your family along with you…

Kirsty and the famous door 

Interesting facts from my visit:

Shaky foundations

In the 1700’s the property was given as gift to the first prime minister of the United Kingdom. However instead of accepting it in his own name, he accepted it as the prime minister ensuring it stayed part of history forever.

In fact, it’s very lucky that he did accept it this way – it has cost a lot of money over the years to actually keep the house standing. Unfortunately George Downing didn’t take the due care and attention back in 1600. He built the houses on soft soil with very shallow foundations, which meant that the whole road wasn’t the most stable.  Over the years there has been constant renovations, digging down deeper to try and fix the problem.

Supposedly it would have been cheaper to knock down the whole house brick by brick and the rebuild it than what they actually did, but no one wanted to demolish 10 Downing Street.  

What colour are the bricks of Downing Street?

London used to be very smoggy which turned the bricks of Downing Street black, back in the 60s someone decided to power wash the front of 10 and 11 and they discovered that the bricks are a sandy colour…. Can you imagine it?

Neither could the people in government, soon after they painted the exterior black, and the mortar is hand painted silver. They have to do this every ten years now to ensure it stays its old smoggy self.

Downing Street Sign

IRA bombings

Downing street is still counted as a public right of way however in 1982 the Police erected gates to protect one of the most famous addresses in the world. In 1989 the gates we know today were finally put in place.

This did not stop the IRA bombing in 1991. They had planned to throw mortar bombs over the back end of Downing Street. The night before they marked an X on the road where the transit van needed to stop to make sure they bombed the building. Luckily for us it snowed over night and they couldn’t find the X – and stopped a little short. This meant they only bombed the garden!

Finally and most importantly, they have a cat to chase away mice!

{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }

This is so neat! It must have been a great feeling getting to experience a place that isn’t commonly available to the public. I enjoyed reading the facts as well; that’s really neat about how the PM accepted the gift and about the cat, too funny. I just came across your blog and read your about section; you guys are so inspiring! As a bucket list blogger, I will definitely be keeping up with your new adventure plan for 2014 🙂 Christine´s last blog post .. Attend a Wine Tasting & Go to a Vineyard

I was so excited…. and they guy seemed really pleased to show us round 🙂

Thanks for checking out our site and glad you’re enjoying it!

I’m currently serving in the military how did you get access, I’ve heard theres a privit police email address that we can use?

Sgt T Reynolds. Royal Engineers

Leave a Comment

Hi, we're Poi and Kirsty! Join us as we try to create the perfect life for ourselves doing what we love. There will be diving, skiing, teaching and more as we travel the world trying new things and having fun along the way. Want the full story?

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10 Downing Street Tour

Topdogdays was fortunate to successful apply to tickets in the 10 Downing Street Ballot under the Open House Festival a few years back. Whilst we hadn’t been invited to see the Prime Minister to discuss tourism or other such world events, (mind, we’re always agreeable if the invitation comes my way), but rather was successful in a recent ballot run by Open House London; we have to say it was better than winning the lottery!  Find out how you too could enjoy a FREE tour of Downing Street house & gardens within our guide below.

10 Downing Street Tour; Open House Festival

Billed as the capital’s largest annual festival of architecture and design, Open House Festival London gives the public free access to many of London’s historic & iconic buildings around the city.  Whilst the vast majority of the buildings open on a first-come-first-served basis, a few of the most popular attractions require participants to apply via a ballot.  Open House London runs every year during mid September offering entry to hundred historic houses, government buildings, museums & private homes including 10 Downing Street.

10 Downing Street

Open House Festival; 10 Downing Street Tour

A few years back, we successfully applied for tickets for the 10 Downing Street tour and won 2 tickets for the morning tour.  Excited? we couldn’t quite believe our luck.  Joining us on our journey of 10 Downing Street were 3 enthusiastic tour guides, each of whom focused upon different aspects of the building.

Our first guide was drawn from the Government Art Collection that provides the art work found within 10 Downing Street & many other UK government buildings around the world. Second up was a conservation expert who focused on the history, design & preservation of the building.  Our third guide came from 10 Downing Street itself who provided anecdotal observations into the workings of the people within the building. Their interest in their subject matched our own to the extent that they obligingly extended the hour long tour to over 2 and half hours!  You could not have hoped for better guides.

As we walked through the front door of Number 10 Downing Street, the proverbial hairs on the back of our neck began to move.  Immediately all media devices were placed within an old fashioned wooden pigeon hole storage area located close to the front door.  As even Ministers & advisers are instructed to leave their phones here, this didn’t seem the moment to suggest Topdogdays readers might be interested in a couple of interior shots. Wasn’t going to happen.

As we moved through the rooms, our guides brought to life the stories behind the rooms and the political characters that have shaped our history through the years.  We slowly made our way through to the Cabinet Room, pausing outside in The Garden before taking the Grand Staircase up to the State Rooms.  To walk freely through rooms, notably seen as the backdrop for various Prime Ministers during official engagements/governmental work, was a unique experience and a dream come true for my accompanying 12 year old.

Mind, I just had to take them up on the chance to use the Downing Street toilet – well, it’s all part of the Topdogdays experience!

10 Downing Street Tour; 10 Interesting Facts From Our Tour

1. Whilst the well known black brickwork seen to the front of the building was original caused by soot pollution, the bricks are now simply re-painted black to match the original look of the building.

2. The Prime Minister’s chair within the cabinet room is thought to be located in the middle of the table, (rather than head of the table), as it is closest to the fireplace. An important factor before central heating was invented!

3. Within the garden of 10 Downing Street, you’ll currently find a Barbara Hepworth statue, the iconic rose garden and a very ordinary looking swing-set.

4. Whilst portraits of every Prime Minister line the walls of the Grand Staircase, set within chronological order, there is only room for around 50 more pictures.

5. Damage to the outside of the building remains, (deliberately), visible following a mortar attack on 10 Downing Street in 1991.

6. Around 200 people work within 10 Downing Street; it’s definitely bigger than you think!

7. Emergency evacuation plans for 10 Downing Street include the 2 Turner paintings located within the White Drawing Room, (currently valued at £15 million & £17 million).

8. The Study was revamped during Tony Blair’s time in office where he left 6 small bumble bees, one for each of the family, at the top of the white bookcases.  Apparently the bee is a firm favourite with Cherie.

9. Unfortunately 10 Downing Street lies above boggy ground that causes frequent sighs from those commissioned to look after the building.

10. Larry the cat is alive and well who even provides signed autographs on request.

You can find more information over at Open House Festival. 

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My granddaughter age 7 would love this experience. She is having a hard time as parents splitting up so would be such a wonderful treat.

Sorry to hear that Jacqueline, I’m not sure what the lower age limit, (if any) is for the 10 Downing Street tour but I’m sure they will clarify this should you be successful in the ballot, Liz

Hi, how long was the tour of 10 Downing Street? Was it the full 2 hours indicated by the ballot entry? Thanks.

Hi, our tour of 10 Downing Street was from a number of years ago. At that time the tour was billed as an hour long experience but it went over this time quite considerable – we weren’t complaining as it was fascinating! This year the Downing Street tour is billed as a 2 hour experience & I would suggest that the timing is a more accurate reflection of the duration of the tour, Liz.

Hello, I live in a Care Home; and some of the residents – together with 2 of the staff – want to visit and go inside 10 Downing Street.

Please advise on this.

Many thanks for your help, Keith.

Hi Keith, we were fortunate to visit 10 Downing Street a few years after successfully been chosen through a ticket ballot run by Open House London. Open House London runs every year where over 500 historic houses, government buildings, museums & private homes, many of which are not normally open to the public, open their doors free of charge. Some of the most popular attractions use a randomly selected ticket ballot to limit numbers. Unfortunately 10 Downing Street hasn’t been taking part in this scheme over the past few years but worth keeping an eye out next year to see the full range of settings participating, Liz

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Inside No 10 Downing Street - secret bunker, eerie tunnels and controversial garden

Very few people get to go behind the famous black door and cross the threshold into Number 10 Downing Street, but what lies behind the historic facade is fascinating

• 12:13, 5 Jul 2024

It's one of the most famous addresses in the world, but it's somewhere many people will have never seen the inside of.

It's behind the door of Number 10 Downing Street that some of the biggest state secrets are discussed, and some of the most earth-shattering decisions are made.

And in keeping with the drama, there's nothing boring about No. 10. Beneath the PM’s home lies a network of mysterious bunkers. Intrepid urban explorer Dan, from Exploring With Fighters , ventured into the forbidding subterranean world to get a glimpse at the tunnels few top politicians have even seen.

The risky operation involved Dan’s guide for this trip, Matthew Williams, scaling the side of a building before abseiling down the other side to access the door.

For all the latest election news follow The Mirror's live blog.

That allowed them access into the tunnels some 200 feet beneath the London streets. Heavy steel doors guard the entrance to the maze of tunnels, and underground trains rumble overhead as the team of explorers walked down steel-reinforced tunnels dotted with occasional “stalactites” of limescale.

There are even rubber seals on the doors, to prevent microscopic particles of radioactive fallout seeping through in the event of a nuclear attack.

However, the tell-tale signs of water seeping in here and there suggest that the bunker was not quite as impregnable as its designers had hoped. “It would be great as an air-raid shelter,” Dan said, “but it would be terrible as a nuclear fallout shelter – you would be exposed to that radiation pretty quickly.”

An old landline telephone exchange was built for communication between different parts of the bunker, there’s a kitchen and even a bar but perhaps the most remarkable feature is a bowling alley, intended for survivors of World War Three to use.

When the tunnels were in use, No.10 staff would cycle along them to get from place to place. But, with the threat of a full-on nuclear exchange now fading, there are now plans to develop the Cold War bunker into an underground hotel and nightclub.

A now-disused exit leads out onto an underground station platform, but the explorers made their escape via a tiny two-person lift that leads out onto street level.

But while that bunker might not be fit for the protection of a PM, No.10 does come with one that's in full working order. After venturing below stairs in the building, it is accessed by another series of corridors and contains a world of briefing rooms, decontamination suites and communication and command and control offices.

It can be cut off from the outside world at a few minutes notice and has it's own ventilation system to allow people to breath without ingesting outside air.

The Pindar Bunker lies four stories deep, even deeper than the Tube lines which criss cross the capital, and is crammed with modern technology , including the ability to take over Britain's entire communications network.

Its construction - which took ten years and reportedly cost £126.3 million - was finished in the mid 1990s and was highly secret with plans being held back from public records.

More than 100 top politicians, generals and others could live in the bunker, built on the orders of Margaret Thatcher in the Eighties, in the event of nuclear war, a chemical weapons onslaught or other major attack.

There are bedrooms with simple bunks where the Prime Minister would sleep and cupboards stocked with mundane items like shower gel and toothpaste alongside glass cases holding breathing apparatus suits.

Meanwhile, back at ground level, No.10 contains everything you would expect - the famous Cabinet Room where they assemble for weekly meetings; 'The Study' which was used by Margaret Thatcher as her main office and, of court, the Grand Staircase as made famous by Hugh Grant's boogie to Girls Aloud in Love Actually.

Then there's the controversial garden that served as the backdrop to the Tories' scandalous 'Partygate'. During lockdown, more than 100 staff were invited to a boozy party on the law n while the rest of the country was banned from meeting more than one person outdoors.

The rarely seen half-acre garden lies next to the Horse Guards Parade and features a large terrace as well and an L-shaped lawn.It is overlooked by the chancellor of the exchequer's flat and various PM's have tinkered with it - including Sarah Brown who installed a veggie patch, which produces radishes, spring onions, tomatoes and lettuce

Meanwhile, the Camerons installed a play area for their children and hosted a barbecue for the Obamas there. There is a central flowerbed with flower urns, a bench and an arch, while flower baskets line the terrace and roses line the main pathway through the garden. The garden also features an attractive bronze sculpture by Dame Barbara Hepworth and a pond. Ducks are often caught trying to nest there before being escorted back to St James Park.

Famously, David Cameron and Nick Clegg announced that a coalition government had been formed in the garden in May 2010. Meanwhile, in 2011, the Cameron's and Obama's jointly hosted a barbecue for military personnel. Blair held a press conference with Bill Clinton in the garden. Meanwhile, Dominic Cummings was forced to hold a press conference in the rose garden after members of the public spotted him in Barnard Castle.

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