A Visit To 10 Downing Street

A classics, politics and history buff, having recently written an adaptation of Greek Myths for Scholastic UK, I’m not sure there’s anywhere more exciting or uncanny to visit than 10 Downing Street.

Being invited was certainly not on my 2025 bingo card but after interviewing the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, admittedly, another surprise request, in November, 2025, preceded this special invitation for a meeting and tour around the 300 year old, Grade 1 listed building housing the private residence of the PM (I was understandably not privy to), offices, dining rooms and a cafe, which is mostly staffed by civil servants and special advisors, some of whom I had meetings with that day. 

Stand out moments (of which there were many) would be walking through the famous, polished black door of Number 10, one of the most documented doors in the world and taking the same steps as so many Prime Ministers, Presidents and dignitaries before me across the entrance hall. Leaving your phone by the door, you are greeted with a large and beautiful photo of the Queen, her son, King Charles on the opposite wall in a small frame. 

Next is the main staircase where you could while away hours but we had mere minutes due to events and footfall, observing the black and white portraits of every UK Prime Minister (a few still pending such as Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak) on the main staircase of Number 10, which begins the ascent with illustrations moving into modern photographs.

There was also an exhibit of Winston Churchill’s famous leather chair, more of that later and a staggeringly unique gift from US President Richard Nixon, now on display, of 4 pieces of the moon! Yes, you read that right! 

Last but not least, meeting the sleepy Tabby, Larry the cat was another memorable highlight as was sneaking a photo of him curled up in the window, surrounded by police at the door. What a star. 

Now some historical context to the above: 

Gifted by Sir Edward Hamilton in 1907, the black-and-white portraits of Prime Ministers past, are shuffled down when a new Prime Minister joins and two are currently missing: Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak as they need to submit theirs. The PM in office isn’t featured until he or she leaves. 

The teeny tiny black moon rock fragments were a gift from Nixon in 1970 after the Apollo 11 mission. Encased in a clear plastic sphere with a flown UK flag, these samples spent years in a cupboard before being placed on display. 

Winston Churchill’s iconic high-backed armchair was also on show, with ropes around it preventing anyone from touching or worse, sitting on it, of course. The marks on the arms show a little wear and tear and likely stress from its most famous occupant.

Used during WWII, this seat represents the tension he no doubt felt while directing the war effort. It was used for 115 War Cabinet meetings and over 300 Defence Committee meetings and still looks fairly pristine. 

The Government Art Collection rotates art work on display with an emphasis on modern work over historical. Sir Keir Starmer has introduced pieces such as Covid Anxiety 5 (Mask Disorder) and Misunderstood by Donna Coleman, along with Portrait of a Woman (Invisible Virus) by Lisa Fielding-Smith. He famously replaced a portrait of Margaret Thatcher in his office with a landscape but we did not have access to view that. He jokingly said he “might tolerate” a picture of former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry on his wall, but “that’s about as far as I go” as per the BBC. 

Discussions were had with the Communications team for the PM and the Department of Education and I look forward to future interviews and collaborative efforts to share how the government are supporting children and parents as well as women in business and entrepreneurship, mental health and equality in the workplace, all topics I’ve spoken about in Parliament over the years at round table discussions and events respectively with Ministers in attendance, in order to share my experiences, help with research, to foster relationships and best case scenario, to assist with policy making. 

A day I will never forget, and hopefully not the last time I might visit!