Number 10's Technology Timeline

10 Downing Street: 1877 – hot and cold running water installed. The living quarters were renovated for Benjamin Disraeli – including a bath.

10 Downing Street: 1894 – installation of electric lighting and first telephones. Following Disraeli’s departure William Gladstone redecorated the building and oversaw the installations.

10 Downing Street: 1902 – first motor-car driven onto Downing Street. Arthur Balfour brought the first car and since then, Prime Ministers have looked to select British marques for their official car.

10 Downing Street: In 1930 - John Logie Baird installed one of his prototype 'televisors' for Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald to view the test transmissions that the BBC were regularly broadcasting.

10 Downing Street: 1937 - first central heating introduced.

10 Downing Street: 1963 – electrical and telephone systems were replaced. 1963 was a major period of renovation for the building

10 Downing Street: In 1982 – the first microcomputer and microfilm systems were installed.

10 Downing Street: In 1996 – a No. 10 computer network with desktop PCs was installed.

10 Downing Street: 1997 – the No.10 website was launched. Read more.

10 Downing Street: In 1998 – staff desktops were given internet access.

10 Downing Street: 1982 – the first direct hotline between No10 and Washington was established during Margaret Thatcher’s first term of office

10 Downing Street: 1982 – first ‘micro-computer’ and microfilm reader installed.

10 Downing Street: 1983- wider roll-out of computers machines for Number 10 staff following a review of the building’s needs.

10 Downing Street: 1990s – first video conference. John Major used the technology from his study

10 Downing Street: 1996 – desktop PCs installed at all workstations

10 Downing Street: 1996 – the launch of the first No10 website Read more.

10 Downing Street: 1998 – internet access became mainstreamed across Number 10 staff desktops

10 Downing Street: 2002 – dedicated video conferencing suite was installed. This followed the events of 9/11 and allowed the Prime Minister and his team to be in face to face contact with counterparts around the world

10 Downing Street: 2005 – a new e-mail account allowed the public to contact the Prime Minister directly

10 Downing Street: 2008 – Number 10’s very own online TV station – Number10 TV

10 Downing Street: 2008 – Number 10’s first tweet – and there have been over 3,000 since