Apart from one or two exceptions - during the Second World War and when the house was being renovated - Cabinet meetings have been held here every Tuesday morning to discuss the big issues of the day.
The room was extended in 1796 by knocking a wall down and inserting columns to carry the extra span. The Cabinet room is separated from the rest of the house by soundproof doors.
A terrorist bomb exploded in the garden of Number 10 in 1991, only a few metres from where John Major was chairing a Cabinet meeting.
Interesting items
Chairs
The members of the Cabinet are the most senior ministers in the Government. Each member is allocated a chair based on order of seniority. Blotters inscribed with their different titles, for example ‘Cabinet Room First Lord’, mark their places. The PM sits with his back to the fireplace and has the only chair with arms. Former US President Ronald Reagan was the first non-Cabinet member to sit in on a meeting here.
Prime Ministers Library
The Cabinet Room also doubles as a library. Outgoing Prime Ministers and Cabinet members have donated books over the years - a tradition started by Ramsey MacDonald.
Clocks
The room has two clocks - the more prominent one is on the mantle piece behind the Prime Ministers chair. The other is on the small table opposite.
The clocks have the disconcerting habit of chiming at different times. Harold Wilson had the second one installed so that he could see the time without having to look over his shoulder.
Table
The boat-shaped table was introduced by Harold Macmillan and is designed to allow the Prime Minister to see everyone. No one sits directly opposite the PM. The tabletop is 20th century, but its tripod legs date from the time of William IV.
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