Who else lives in Downing Street?
Rishi Sunak is in his home constituency of Richmond, North Yorkshire, as the 2024 general election begins.
He has left his Downing Street residence — the historic home of the serving prime minister.
However, the prime minister and his family are not the only residents of Downing Street.
Here's who else lives on the famous street — and where the prime minister actually lives.
How big is 10 Downing Street?
Number 10 Downing Street is a Georgian townhouse with several floors and rooms. The exact number of rooms can vary depending on the sources and the specific configurations through the years.
Generally, it is estimated to have around 100 rooms, which include living quarters, offices, meeting rooms, and other functional spaces. The layout and specific use of rooms can change with each prime minister and their requirements.
It's important to note that access to detailed architectural plans or a precise room count is not publicly available due to security and privacy reasons associated with its role as a government building and private residence.
Number 10 is "much larger than it appears from its frontage," according to Sir Anthony Seldon. He wrote about the history of the famous street for the Government's official website.
Number 10 features "a warren of rooms and staircases," joining to a spacious building behind it. It also connects to Number 12 via a corridor through Number 11.
However, the flat above Number 10 is much smaller than the neighbouring one at Number 11.
How many houses are there on Downing Street?
There are now four houses on Downing Street: 9, 10, 11, and 12. Numbers 1-8 were demolished in the 19th century.
Where does the Prime Minister live?
Number 10 is traditionally the Prime Minister's official residence but, since 1997, prime ministers have chosen to live at Number 11, which is more spacious, with four bedrooms.
The swap occurred when Tony Blair came into office in 1997. As Blair had three children and the Chancellor at the time, Gordon Brown, had none, they swapped so the family could take the bigger flat at Number 11.
Read More Tories face historic defeat as 'Boris 2019 voter coalition splits with Reform surge' Party leaders cast votes as Labour drops 5 points in final campaign poll - live What happens after the General Election? Share your cat or dog's joyful moment to winNumber 11 Downing Street is the flat that Mr Johnson and his wife Carrie Symonds spent £200,000 redecorating , sparking a backlash.
Who else lives on Downing Street?
Number 11 Downing Street is the official residence of the Chancellor of the Exchequer officially.
However, as the Prime Minister typically lives at Number 11, the Chancellor of the Exchequer tends to reside at Number 10.
Number 9 Downing Street hosts the media briefing room that the Government spent £2.6 million on renovating.
It is the room where Allegra Stratton – then the Prime Minister's press secretary –infamously gave a mock TV briefing in which she joked about "a Downing Street Christmas party on Friday night".
Number 12 Downing Street is officially the Chief Whip's residence, though their offices are based at Number 9.
Number 10 Downing Street is also the official residence of the chief mouser – better known as Larry the Cat . Larry has lived at Number 10 since 2011, after being "recruited" from Battersea Dogs' and Cats' Home.
When was Downing Street built?
Downing Street was built in the 1680s by Sir George Downing, who was a diplomat and government administrator.
The area around Downing Street was already a prestigious centre of government 1,000 years ago.
Between 1682 and 1684, Downing pulled down the existing properties of the street and replaced them with 15 to 20 terraced houses.
The Downing Street houses were poorly built in order to maximise profit and the original numbering was completely different from what we see today.
House numbers were unorganised and were better known by the name or title of their occupants. Before 1779, Number 10 was known as Number 5.
Over the years, more changes and improvements were made to the house. Today Number 10 has three functions - it is the official residence of the British Prime Minister, it is their office and it is also the place where important guests are entertained.
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