Downing Street in Westminster

Monday, 29 August 2016 - 11:00 am (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination:
Category/Kategorie: General, London
Reading Time:  6 minutes

© Drow male/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Drow male/cc-by-sa-3.0

Downing Street in London has for more than three hundred years housed the official residences of two of the most senior British Cabinet ministers: the First Lord of the Treasury, an office now synonymous with that of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; and the Second Lord of the Treasury, an office held by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The Prime Minister’s official residence is 10 Downing Street; the Chancellor’s official residence is next door at Number 11. The government’s Chief Whip has an official residence at Number 12, although the current Chief Whip’s residence is at Number 9. Downing Street is in Whitehall in the City of Westminster, a few minutes’ walk from the Houses of Parliament and a little further from Buckingham Palace. The street was built in the 1680s by Sir George Downing on the site of a mansion, Hampden House. The houses on the south side of the street were demolished in the 19th century to make way for government offices now occupied by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. “Downing Street” is used as a metonym for the Government of the United Kingdom.

The street was built in the 1680s by Sir George Downing, 1st Baronet, on the site of a mansion, Hampden House. Downing was a soldier and diplomat who served under Oliver Cromwell and King Charles II, and who invested in properties and acquired considerable wealth. In 1654, he purchased the lease on land east of Saint James’s Park, adjacent to the House at the Back, and within walking distance of parliament. Downing planned to build a row of townhouses “for persons of good quality to inhabit”. However, the Hampden family had a lease which prevented their construction for 30 years. When the Hampden lease expired, Downing received permission to build further west to take advantage of recent developments. The new warrant issued in 1682 reads: “Sir George Downing … [is authorised] to build new and more houses further westward on the grounds granted him by the patent of 1663/4 Feb. 23. The present grant is by reason that the said Cockpit or the greater part thereof is since demolished; but it is to be subject to the proviso that it be not built any nearer than 14 feet of the wall of the said Park at the West end thereof.”

Downing Street gates © flickr.com - Garry Knight/cc-by-2.0 11 Downing Street © geograph.org.uk - DS Pugh/cc-by-sa-2.0 10 Downing Street © flickr.com - robertsharp/cc-by-2.0 Statue and backside of Downing Street, between Downing Street and Horse Guard Parade © geograph.org.uk - Lewis Clarke/cc-by-sa-2.0 © Drow male/cc-by-sa-3.0
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Statue and backside of Downing Street, between Downing Street and Horse Guard Parade © geograph.org.uk - Lewis Clarke/cc-by-sa-2.0
Houses in Downing Street

The houses at the end of the street were arranged around Downing Square.

Read more on Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street, VisitLondon.com – Downing Street and Wikipedia Downing Street (Smart Traveler App by U.S. Department of State - Weather report by weather.com - Global Passport Power Rank - Travel Risk Map - Democracy Index - GDP according to IMF, UN, and World Bank - Global Competitiveness Report - Corruption Perceptions Index - Press Freedom Index - World Justice Project - Rule of Law Index - UN Human Development Index - Global Peace Index - Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index). Photos by Wikimedia Commons. If you have a suggestion, critique, review or comment to this blog entry, we are looking forward to receive your e-mail at comment@wingsch.net. Please name the headline of the blog post to which your e-mail refers to in the subject line.




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