Google Arts and Culture’s VR tour takes you inside British prime minister’s home

By Lulu Chang September 15, 2016

google arts and culture british prime minister 10 downing street screen shot 2016 09 15 at 1 14 03 pm — Image used with permission by copyright holder

It’s not every day that you’re able to check out the Prime Minister’s residence and office at 10 Downing Street — or is it?

Now that Google Arts and Culture has added the famous halls and rooms of the British Prime Minister’s home and working quarters to its ever-growing collection of virtual reality tours and experiences, you can play political heavyweight for a day — or at the very least, see what it’s like to live and work in those quarters.

As of Thursday, Google Arts and Culture invites anyone and everyone to “walk through historic rooms and hallways and get up-close looks at more than 50 photographs and works of art” inside historic 10 Downing Street in London. “Take a peek into the cabinet room, where the Prime Minister has held weekly cabinet meetings since 1735, or look around Margaret Thatcher’s office,” Google wrote in a blog post announcement. “Stroll down the grand main staircase, stopping to study the carefully ordered portraits of the house’s previous residents. Once you’re ready for some fresh air, you can wander through the gardens, where Winston Churchill liked to nap.”

It’s the latest in a series of exhibits Google has introduced to its unique digital museum of sorts. Already, you can stomp about with dinosaurs or go en pointe with ballerinas from some of the most prestigious companies in the world, and now you can get immersed in British politics. In addition to the tour of the prime minister’s office, Google has two other new online exhibits. The first serves as an introduction to “two of Britain’s most iconic leaders, Winston Churchill and Harold Wilson.” The other draws attention to three of 10 Downing’s most historic places: the cabinet room, the study, and the grand staircase.

While you can use your Android device, iPhone, or desktop to experience the virtual tour, the full immersive experience can be best achieved with Google Cardboard, which comes complete with the built-in audio tour. But hey, even without a VR headset, this is a pretty nifty way to visit one of the most historic sites in the U.K.

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