When Keir Starmer moves into 10 Downing Street with his wife, Victoria Starmer, and their two children, he will become the 57th prime minister to live at the SW1A property.
Downing Street has been the residence of the UK leader of the government since 1735 and has been the seat from which the nation’s leaders have weathered world wars, financial crises and pandemics.
The property serves three functions: it is the official residence of the Prime Minister, as well as his official office and the place where UK leaders receive other world figures and guests of His Majesty the King.
Every prime minister likes to leave his mark on his new residence, which means that the interior appearance of the building has changed over time.
Former Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair in the Terracotta Room at 10 Downing Street in 2005, which was renovated in the late 1980s by Margaret Thatcher. XXX will become the XXXth UK leader to live at the SW1A property
Upon entering the black door, visitors are greeted by a black-and-white checkered hallway with an elegant staircase leading to the first floor. On the yellow walls around the stairs hang photographs of former prime ministers.
The prime minister’s quarters occupy only a fraction of the building, which is primarily office space for the dozens of staff who work there.
In the early 18th century, when the address was first used as the Prime Minister’s residence and office, 10 Downing Street was annexed to a more elegant building behind it to create the space necessary for its new purpose.
As for the rest of the residents on the street, the Prime Minister’s most famous neighbour is his Finance Minister, who lives at number 11.
However, in recent years some prime ministers have chosen to live on the upper floors of Number 11, which are considered more spacious.
Sir Tony Blair was the first to do so when he took office in 1997, and his successors Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Theresa May and Boris Johnson all chose to follow suit.
The leader of the ruling party’s parliamentary group is also known to live at 9 Downing Street (although the official residence of this official is number 12).
Having housed prime ministers for nearly 300 years, it is perhaps unsurprising that the residence has undergone several renovations, as well as extensive restoration.
The main staircase inside is lined with photographs of former prime ministers, from Sir Robert Walpole to Liz Truss (pictured: David Cameron on the staircase during his time in office).
The Downing Street Rose Garden, which was the scene of Boris Johnson’s former adviser Dominic Cummings’ press conference after the Barnard Castle controversy in 2020
The White Reception Room at 10 Downing Street has seen prime ministers receive a number of VIP guests, such as Theresa May hosting US Secretary of State John Kerry in 2016.
At the end of World War II, the building was found to have serious structural problems, including leaning walls and crooked door frames.
Finally, during Harold MacMillan’s tenure, Number 10 Downing Street was restored in a project that cost around £1 million and took three years to complete.
Since then, structural problems appear to have been largely kept at bay, although some of the building’s most famous reception rooms have been renovated by different leaders.
During her 11 years in office, Margaret Thatcher oversaw renovations of the White Drawing Room and the Terracotta Room, both used to host important guests.
The latter, on the first floor of Number 10, was actually called the Blue Drawing Room when Thatcher first took office in 1979, but she decided she preferred the warm tones of an orange shade in the reception space.
The renovation took place in the late 1980s when Mrs Thatcher was nearing the end of her term in office and hired interior designer Quinlan Terry to carry out the work.
The space itself was first used as a dining room by Sir Robert Walpole, who was the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
Having lived at 10 Downing Street for so long, Mrs Thatcher left her mark on the residence and now has a room named after her in the property.
The Thatcher Room was used as her personal study during her time in office and a painting of her hangs on the interior wall.
It’s not just the interior of Number 10 that has an impressive history: the property’s rose garden has been the scene of several historic press conferences over the years.
When Sir Tony stepped down in 2007 to hand over the reins to Mr Brown, he hosted a farewell reception in the Rose Garden.
In a more recent memory, British media gathered in the Rose Garden during the pandemic, to attend a press conference hosted by Johnson’s former adviser Dominic Cummings, after it was revealed he had broken lockdown rules to drive from London to Durham after testing positive for Covid in 2020.
Tony Blair is photographed in the Downing Street Rose Garden in July 1998 after delivering his annual report to MPs.
Shortly before leaving office, David Cameron sits on an armchair with Larry the cat after rumours emerged that he and the chief mouser had a frosty relationship.
In addition to the dozens of people who enter and leave 10 Downing Street every day, the house is also home to a cheeky feline and “chief mouser”, Larry.
He is a rescue dog from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home who was brought to Number 10 in 2011 and was originally intended to be a pet for David and Samantha Cameron’s children.
According to the 10 Downing Street website, Larry’s duties include: “Welcoming guests into the house, inspecting security defences and testing antique furniture for quality.”
The website adds: “His daily responsibilities also include contemplating a solution to the house being occupied by mice. Larry says this is still “in the tactical planning stage.”
By the time Mrs May became prime minister in 2016, Larry had already gained a reputation for being “aggressive”, particularly towards cat number 11, Palmerston, a black and white kitty.
Prime Minister Mr Cameron was also rumoured to have a frosty relationship with the feline, prompting him to take a photo of himself sitting in an armchair with Larry on his lap just before he moved in, which he showed at his final questions to the Prime Minister as “proof” that they got on very well.
In recent years, Larry has been seen attacking a pigeon outside his home in front of media around the world and chasing away a fox that dared to enter his territory.
He was also filmed snubbing Prime Minister Liz Truss as she left Downing Street when she leaned over to try to pet him during her 49-day tenure.
