10 Downing Street serves as the official residence and office of the British Prime Minister, located at the southern end of Downing Street in Westminster, London. Originally constructed in the late 17th century, it has been the symbolic heart of UK government since the 1730s.
Sir George Downing developed the site between 1682 and 1684 as part of a cul-de-sac of terraced townhouses near St James’s Park, initially poor-quality builds on marshy land. Number 10 combined three properties – a mansion, townhouse and cottage – acquired and linked under early tenants before major alterations.
In 1732, King George II gifted the house to Sir Robert Walpole, Britain’s first Prime Minister, who accepted it for official use as First Lord of the Treasury. Architect William Kent redesigned it, creating grand rooms, a notable three-sided staircase and the layout still in use today.
The yellow brick façade hides structural reinforcements added over time, including 20th-century steel supports and modernisations by figures like Winston Churchill. Key spaces include the Cabinet Room, Pillared Drawing Room (42×26 feet, by John Soane) and state dining areas, blending Georgian elegance with functional upgrades.
PTSG has tested the lightning protection system at the famous building since 2019 (with a break in 2022 and 2023).
