10 Downing Street in London

Photo of 10 Downing Street in London, England
Photograph © London Tourist Board.
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10 Downing Street
Formerly:Hampden House
Formerly:Kynvet House

10 Downing Street, London, England, Whitehall SW1
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The modest façade of this building does not reveal the power behind its legendary black door. This is the home of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. It is from this place that, for hundreds of years, power has radiated throughout the kingdom. Though the portal appears modest, it conceals a much more complicated building inside. Number 10 is connected to another building, which used to be a standalone mansion. The Downing Street location gets its name from Sir George Downing, a civil servant who built the street on the site of the demolished Axe Brewery. It has been abandoned since the early 16th century. When that building was leveled, it became a residential zone. The earliest record of a home on the spot is from 1581. . But the history goes back much farther than that. In the ninth century, the area was known as the Isle of Thorns. By the 11th century, King Canute had a palace constructed in the area. Subsequent rulers expanded their royal dwellings, and the area became commonly known as the seat of government. The last palace in this neighborhood was Whitehall, which burned down in 1698. However, it wasn't until 1732 that King George II designated Number 10 the official residence of the First Lord of the Treasury, who is also the Prime Minister. The first Prime Minister to live here was Sir Robert Walpole; the last private citizen to live here was a Mister Chicken who left in 1735.

Quick Facts
Timeline
  • ~1500: The Axe Brewery is abandoned and the land redeveloped.
  • 1581: First record of a residential home in this location.
  • 1698: Whitehall Palace burns down.
  • 1732: The building is designated the official home of the Prime Minister.
  • 1732: Number 10 is linked to a larger mansion to create a single building.
  • 1735: Mister Chicken moves out. The first British Prime Minister moves in.
  • 1894: Electric lights are installed.
  • ~1960: Renovated to prevent collapse. The façade was preserved, but everything else gutted and rebuilt.
  • 7 February, 1991: The building is attacked by a mortar launched from a nearby van by Irish terrorists. The bomb landed in the backyard and blew out the windows.
  • 1993: The first computer cables are installed.
Notes
  • The mail box outside reads, "First Lord of the Treasury." Technically speaking, it is his official residence. But since the Prime Minister is also the First Lord of the Treasury, it is the de facto Prime Minister's residence.
  • The building is made of yellow bricks. These were blackened by decades of exposure to sooty London air. They were cleaned in the 1960's, and painted black because the public couldn't cope with the yellow color.
  • It is said that the front door of the building can only be opened from the inside.
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