Recent News

Well I Never!

One of our Associate Partners was lucky enough to be given a tour of 10 Downing Street recently. He did some snooping for us and came back with some interesting facts you may not know… (best Michael Cain voice)

• The letter box on the front door is a dummy. You might have noticed that it is fixed across the centre muntin. A regular timber door would be structurallycompromised if there was a letter slot in this position.
• The door is made of steel for security reasons. There is a spare and the doors are switched periodically for overhauling as the weight puts an immense strain on the hinges. The smooth black mirror finish is achieved by suspending the door horizontally and painting it from beneath.
• No-one really knows why the ‘10’ numeral painted on the front door has a lopsided ‘0’ – some think it is so that it appears to be in the correct proportion for a non-circular ‘0’ when approaching from Whitehall….
• The door is rarely opened wide to ensure the press can’t take candid shots of the PM and his/her staff going about their business
• The Terracotta Drawing Room refurbishment in the ‘80’s, included moulded plaster door pediments with cherubs at each end…except that one is not a cherub but a man climbing a ladder with sheaves of straw over his shoulder. The craftsman plasterer did this to ensure that there would always be a Thatcher in 10 Downing Street
• A portrait of Maggie Thatcher takes pride of place in the room used by Gordon Brown as his office when PM. Apparently he chose it as he is actually an admirer of the woman.
• A lot of the graceful sash windows are glazed in extremely thick bomb and bullet-proof glass – the timber glazing bars are not real but simply stuck on each side for effect. Some windows remain as originally glazed in the 17^thC with irreplaceable thin glass from France. These windows have contemporary glazed security screens fitted to the outer reveals.
• On display in the Cabinet Room is a gold sword and scabbard given by the Saudi Royal family during a state visit. The sword is contemporary and fitted with an ivory handle….which makes it illegal to bring into this country. The problem has been overcome by resting the sword on a piece of felt belonging to HM Revenue and Customs – so technically, the piece hasn’t been released from Customs and isn’t in the UK!