The 10 Downing Street Guard Chairs are two

antique An antique () is an item perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance, and often defined as at least 100 years old (or some other limit), although the term is often used loosely to describe any object that i ...

porter's chairs. In the early 19th century,

10 Downing Street 10 Downing Street in London is the official residence and office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, prime minister of the United Kingdom. Colloquially known as Number 10, the building is located in Downing Street, off Whitehall in th ...

was guarded by two men who sat outside the building in leather chairs made by

Thomas Chippendale Thomas Chippendale (June 1718 – 1779) was an English woodworker in London, designing furniture in the mid-Georgian, English Rococo, and Neoclassical styles. In 1754 he published a book of his designs in a trade catalogue titled ''The Gen ...

. There was a drawer underneath the chair which was filled with hot coals to keep the guards warm whilst on duty. The chairs were hood chairs, made with a circular back and hood, both to shield the guards from bad weather and to improve the surrounding

acoustics Acoustics is a branch of physics that deals with the study of mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including topics such as vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician ...

, thereby allowing the guard to hear better from a wider angle.

Current state

The chairs still exist. One of them (also known as the Hall Porter's Chair) stands in the entrance to 10 Downing Street; the other is owned by a private collector of furniture. The fraying of the inner arm rests evident in the accompanying picture is the result of the guards' pistols repeatedly rubbing against the fabric during their watch.

References

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External links

Official 3D Tour of 10 Downing Street
19th-century works 10 Downing Street Chairs Individual chairs English furniture