10 Adam Street

the other famous black door

An elegant Georgian doorway near the Strand that is an uncanny double for the world's most famous front door at Number 10.

Free to visit · Strand · Charing Cross · WC2N 6AA

Opening: Exterior viewable any time

Tucked into the Adelphi, the elegant Georgian quarter near the Strand designed by the celebrated Adam brothers, is a glossy black front door that does an uncanny impression of the most famous address in Britain. With its similar fanlight, lamp, lion's-head knocker and black-and-white step, 10 Adam Street is often mistaken for, and sometimes used to stand in for, Number 10 Downing Street.

It is a genuine private address, a fine surviving example of the Adam brothers' refined design, rather than a deliberate copy. It is free to admire from the pavement, a fun little doppelganger to seek out on a walk through one of London's most graceful and overlooked corners.

Getting there: On Adam Street in the Adelphi off the Strand, near Charing Cross.

Best time to go: Daytime, on a wander round the historic Adelphi streets.

Insider tip: Compare the door, lamp and step to photos of Number 10 and the resemblance is striking. While there, look at the surviving Adam brothers' architecture and decorative pilasters around the Adelphi streets.

Free things to do in London · London Free Guide