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Wales Online
Wales Online
National
Laura Clements

The couple who live at No. 10 Downing Street in Llanelli and get letters for the Prime Minister

Think of 10 Downing Street and you'll probably imagine a glossy black door and shiny brass letterbox, grand stone portico, painted black bricks, iron railings and sash windows. Step back and you'd take in a row of vast London town houses on a grand avenue in the heart of Westminster.

For Peter and Rhiannon Bryant though, Downing Street in Llanelli is a narrow road of pebble-dashed two-storey terraces coloured in a mix of beiges and creams with and odd spot of blue, where people sometimes park on the narrow pavement so there's enough space for cars to squeeze through.

They often get letters through their door on Stryd Downing, Llanelli, addressed to the Prime Minister of the day and keep them in a special folder upstairs. While the occupants of the celebrated 300-year-old mansion in central London are rarely afforded a long stay, they've lived at number 10 for 54 years.

Read more: The strange world of former climate change denier, devolution and same-sex marriage opponent David Davies

They are determined to stay "until we go". Mr Bryant, an ex-factory worker and now retired, said: "I'm 81 and my wife is 77 so we're not going anywhere now." The couple bought the hous in 1968 for £2,624.

The Downing Street sign in Lanelli (Dimitris Legakis/Athena Pictures)
General view of Downing Street in Lanelli (Dimitris Legakis/Athena Pictures)

"It had Number 10 on the door back then," Mr Bryant continued. "We didn't realise what would happen in the future, we've had some comments. We paid £2,000 for it and a few years ago I paid £10,000 for a new kitchen, that's how things have gone up." Mr Bryant has a replica Westminster sign in the house which he said he picked up from a charity shop.

He said letters had arrived to the Llanelli address intended for former Prime Ministers including Ted Heath, Tony Blair and David Cameron. "Even though it says Number 10 Downing Street, London, the postman puts them through our letterbox," Mr Bryant said. "I keep them all in a folder upstairs. They're mostly begging letters."

The Llanelli version of Number 10 Downing Street (Dimitris Legakis/Athena Pictures)

The couple raised a family in what had been a "happy home" which is more than you can say for the London one. The political shenanigans of late haven't impressed them but they said their address had given them some laughs over the years.

Their sitting room is has contrasting textured plaster on the walls and comfy leather sofas on either side. Homely alcoves and a cabinet are packed with commemorative china and photographs of their loved ones.

It is very different from the chandeliers, marble fireplaces, upholstered chairs, panelling, paintings and carpetry in the reception rooms in their namesake property 199 miles to the east, where world leaders are received and portraits of Prime Ministers line the stairs.

Peter and Rhiannon Bryant in their front room. (Dimitris Legakis/Athena Pictures)
(Getty Images)
The reception room at 10 Downing Street (Getty Images)

On Tuesday, Downing Street announced that Simon Hart, the former Wales Secretary who is MP for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, had been appointed Chief Whip in Rishi Sunak's new cabinet.

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