Who lives at 10 Downing Street?
10 Downing Street is one of the most famous addresses in the world, serving as the official residence and office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for the past three centuries.
Who built Downing Street?
Downing Street was originally constructed in the 1680s by Sir George Downing, a diplomat, soldier and spy who served loyally under Oliver Cromwell and King Charles II, accrewing a considerable fortune, which he opted to invest in property. With the government’s approval, he hired Sir Christopher Wren to construct a small cul-de–sac of at least 15 grand homes “for persons of good quality to inhabit”, however ill health caused him to move to the countryside, where he died shortly after the houses were finished.
Who was the first Prime Minister to move in?
In the early 18th Century, the road became increasingly tied to the British government, in part because of its proximity to parliament, and number 10 Downing Street was presented by King George II to Robert Walpole, who was effectively the first Prime Minister, although his title was actually First Lord of the Treasury. In a characteristic show of gallantry, Walpole refused the gift, instead requesting that the house would be available to anyone who took the job in the future.
Walpole opted to use the ground floor for meeting guests, and kept the largest room on the first floor, now the Cabinet Room, as his personal office, but many subsequent Prime Ministers chose not to live on Downing Street, prefering to think of it as a perk of the job and remaining in residence in their country estates, and the decision was made to remodel much of the house to make it more appealing to the high profile owners.
In the 19th Century, most of the other houses on Downing Street were purchased by the government and demolished, replaced by the Board of Trade, The Treasury offices, The Foreign Office and The Home Office, cementing Downing Street’s reputation as the centre of British politics.
Was Downing Street used During the World Wars?
The Cabinet Room at number 10, became the nerve centre of the war effort during the First World War, which included titanic names including David LLoyd George, Lord Kitchener, a young Winston Churchill (who was serving as First Lord of the Admiralty), General Haig and many more.
In 1938, following Chamberlain’s visit to Germany to sign the Munich Agreement with Adolf Hilter, Chamberlain declared from the first floor window “I believe it is peace for our time”. Time would prove him wrong though, and one year later, sitting in the Cabinet Room, Chamberlain broadcast to the nation that the United Kingdom was once again at war. He resigned shortly afterwards, eventually replaced by Winston Churchill who moved into Number 10 with his family. When the Blitz began, Downing Street was not spared, and on 14th October 1940 a bomb landed in the vicinity of the building, destroying the kitchens and killing three civil servants. The decision was taken to relocate the Cabinet and Churchill’s living quarters to the underground War Rooms, a stone’s throw away.
Who else lives on Downing Street?
The Prime Minister is not the only politician to live on the street. Traditionally, number 11 has been home to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and number 12 is the office of the Chief Whip, but this is a fluid arrangement. After his election in 1997, Tony Blair decided to move into number 11, whilst Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown took up residence in number 10, as Blair was married with 3 children and number 11 was more spacious. This started a trend which has continued to the modern day, of Prime Ministers opting to work at number 10, but live at number 11.
Perhaps the most popular resident of Number 10 is Larry the Cat. Rescued from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home in 2011, he was bestowed the title, Chief Mouser, and has been scaring away rodents and winning the hearts of the nation ever since!
Can the public visit 10 Downing Street?
Historically the public were granted access to the street and it was not uncommon to see crowds of tourists wandering up and down the road, taking photos of the famous black door at number 10. Fears over an IRA attack led to heavy black gates being installed in the 1980s, and access restricted to those with a pass, meaning that tourists in the 21st Century can only catch a glimpse of number 10 from Whitehall.
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