The fronts had facades with lines painted on the surface imitating brick mortar. Although large, they were put up quickly and cheaply on soft soil with shallow foundations. Downing employed Sir Christopher Wren to design the houses. The addresses changed several times Number 10 was numbered 5 for a while, and was renumbered in 1787. How many he built is not clear most historians say 15, others say 20. 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." īetween 16, Downing built the cul-de-sac of two-storey townhouses with coach-houses, stables and views of St James's Park. to build new and more houses further westward on the grounds granted him by the patent of 1663/4 Feb. The new warrant issued in 1682 reads: "Sir George Downing. When the Hampden lease expired, Downing received permission to build further west to take advantage of recent developments. However, the Hampden family had a lease which prevented their construction for 30 years. Downing planned to build a row of townhouses "for persons of good quality to inhabit". In 1654, he purchased the lease on land east of St James's Park, adjacent to the House at the Back, and within walking distance of Parliament. ĭowning was a soldier and diplomat who served under Oliver Cromwell and King Charles II, and who invested in properties and acquired considerable wealth. It is not known what was on the site before the mansion, but there is evidence of a brewhouse called 'The Axe', owned by the Abbey of Abingdon. The street was built in the 1680s by Sir George Downing, 1st Baronet, on the site of a mansion, Hampden House.
The term "Downing Street" is also used as a metonym for the Prime Minister or the British Government more generally. 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, Commonwealth and Development Office.
In practice, these office-holders may live in different flats the current Chief Whip actually lives at Number 9. The government's Chief Whip has an official residence at Number 12. The Prime Minister's official residence is 10 Downing Street, and the Chancellor's official residence is Number 11. Downing Street was built in the 1680s by Sir George Downing.įor more than three hundred years, it has held the official residences of both the First Lord of the Treasury, the office now synonymous with that of the Prime Minister, and the Second Lord of the Treasury, the office held by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Situated off Whitehall, it is 200-metre (660 ft) long, and a few minutes' walk from the Houses of Parliament. Official residences and offices of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the Chancellor of the Exchequerĭowning Street is a street in Westminster in London that houses the official residences and offices of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
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