10 Downing Street is the official residence of the Lord Treasurer, who has also been the Prime Minister

of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland since 1905. This address is one of the most
famous in the United Kingdom and in the world. It is located in the center of London on Downing Street.

All the residences of government members are located on one side of the street. The buildings on the
other side were transferred to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the 19th century. The street was
built up in the 1680s by Sir George Downing (his picture hangs in the foyer of this house). George
Downing was in the military and diplomatic service of Oliver Cromwell and King Charles II and was a very
rich man. Thus, the building is over three hundred years old and has about a hundred rooms. Private
rooms are on the third floor, and the kitchen is in the basement. On the other floors, there are rooms,
offices, receptions, banquet halls - in general, the prime minister's workspace. There is a courtyard and a
terrace. House No. 10 actually consists of three buildings-a combination of a mansion, a cottage, and a
townhouse. They were united in 1732, and No. 10 was the largest of them.

After Downing built up the street, the address changed several times, with No. 10 being No. 5 until 1787.
The houses were designed by Christopher Wren. They were built using fairly cheap technology. Downing
himself never lived here. Of the thirty-one First Lords (as the Prime Ministers were formerly called) from
1735 to 1902, sixteen lived in house number 10. The rest ignored their official residence, living
elsewhere, for example, from 1834 to 1877 the house was empty or used on rare occasions for
meetings, and so on.

Now let's move on to some interesting facts:

1. The "0" in the number "10" is attached unevenly, and at a slight angle - this is exactly how it was done
in the original, originally, and this mistake also became a kind of symbol, a characteristic sign.

2. The door was originally made of black oak, but after an attack by terrorists from the Irish Republican
Army (1991), it was replaced with a heavy steel door, which now requires 8 people to remove it from its
hinges. As for the above-mentioned attack, on February 7, 1991, IRA militants fired mortars at politicians
and military personnel meeting in the building, including Prime Minister John Major. The shells exploded
in the immediate vicinity of the room where the meeting was taking place, but did not enter. No one was
killed - only a couple of police officers received light shrapnel wounds. The attackers fled. In general, the
residence had not been guarded properly before. Anyone could enter this street and approach the
house. Demonstrators gathered in front of this door and tourists took pictures.

3. Since 1997, every prime minister has also lived for some time in the house next door, the residence of
the Minister of Finance at 11 Downing Street.

It was started by Tony Blair and his government's finance minister, Gordon Brown, when they agreed to
swap residences - the room at No. 11 is larger and therefore more suitable for the Blair family of six.

When Mr. Brown became prime minister, he also initially lived in the office at No. 11 and only moved to
the prime minister's residence some time later.

After winning the 2010 election, David Cameron initially moved into office number 11 because his
government's finance minister, George Osborne, remained in his private home in Notting Hill for some
time. Theresa May did the same with her finance minister, Philip Hammond.

4. The door is constantly monitored.

 Have you ever asked yourself how it is that the door opens for ambassadors, ministers and other
distinguished guests at the exact moment they approach it? It's not a matter of luck at all, it's just that
the doors are under constant 24-hour surveillance.

They can only be opened from the inside, and it is impossible to lose the keys to them, because they do
not have a keyhole. However, this is not the only entrance to the building. Its residents and staff usually
use other doors that can be opened from the outside.

5. In a house on Downing Street, a cat named Larry lives permanently and is the chief mouse catcher

The Prime Minister's residence has a long tradition of keeping cats. One of the most famous is the
Munich Mouser, who lived in the house under Neville Chamberlain and Winston Churchill. No less
famous is the long-lived record-breaking Downing Street cat Wilberforce, who served for 18 years, from
1970 to 1998.

Larry, the current resident of No. 10, a striped cat, moved into the building in 2011, having been adopted
from the Battersea Cat and Dog Shelter. He is in the civil service, officially holding the position of chief
mousecatcher.

However, most of the time the official sleeps, and occasionally participates in fights with Palmerston, the
chief mouser of the neighboring office of the Minister of Finance.

I hope you were interested in listening to my report. Now I would like to ask you some questions.

1. Who built Downing Street?

George Downing

2. In what year did George Downing do it?

1680s
3. How many buildings does No. 10 actually consist of?

House No. 10 actually consists of three buildings-a combination of a mansion, a cottage, and a
townhouse
4. How can you get into the building if there is no keyhole on the outside?

the second police officer on duty inside the building opens it from the inside and only in front of
the Prime Minister