What we know about the interiors of No 10 Downing Street
Arguably the most famous address in London, No. 10 Downing Street, the home of every British Prime Minister since 1735, is allegedly in need of serious renovation, and has been for some time. Downing Street was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and building was completed in 1684, overseen by property developer Sir George Downing, from which it takes its name. However, with each new Prime Minister having very little idea how long they’ll have at the address (see: Boris Johnson and the early departures of his two predecessors as a case in point), no one wants to be the self-sacrificing resident who moves out to let work commence.
Over the course of its history as the residence of the Prime Minister, various works have taken place. Most extensively, in 1957 new concrete underpinnings were added to strengthen the almost-subsiding structure, and in 2006, work began to modernise and weatherproof the building and make it more energy efficient. Former resident Gordon Brown claims though that what Downing Street needs is ‘to be gutted from bottom to top’.
Speaking to David Tennant on his podcast David Tennant Does a Podcast With…, Gordon Brown said that Prime Ministers are advised that work would take at least four years, and so any Prime Minister who chooses to be the one to let renovations get underway knows that – with the current political climate – they may never get to go back into the revamped interiors of 10 Downing Street and enjoy that rite of passage which comes with the monumental task of running the country. So, ‘You say no,’ says Brown. Therefore, they move in, deal with any superficial cracks and hope the next Prime Minister will manage the major issues (not the political kind).
The inside of Downing Street is mostly kept from the public gaze, with some official state rooms well photographed, but just a handful of glimpses of the private quarters over the past decades. Margaret Thatcher was pictured relaxing on the sofa with the infamous red briefcase, while David Cameron and Theresa May let newspapers in to their inner sanctums. When she entered No 10, Theresa May allowed The Sunday Times to photograph her study for a profile piece on her, while David Cameron granted a shoot in the flat at No 11 Downing Street, redecorated by his wife Samantha Cameron.
Famously, one of the many scandals that Boris Johnson has endured in his short time as PM so far has been around the interiors of No 10 Downing Street and the cost of redoing them. In fact, it’s 11 Downing Street, the Prime Minister’s private residence, that has been called into question. Reportedly, Carrie Symonds called on Lulu Lytle of Soane to advise on a redecoration project and the funding for what could have been quite a costly renovation caused some raised eyebrows as to where that money came from.
Scandals aside, we’ve devised the House & Garden shortlist of who we would choose to revamp the interiors of 10 Downing Street, should anyone ever undertake the work that really needs doing there.