10 Downing Street
| 10 Downing Street | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Front entrance of 10 Downing Street | |
  Location in Westminster | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Georgian |
| Town or city | City of Westminster London, SW1 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 51°30′12″N 0°07′39″W / 51.5033°N 0.1275°W |
| Current tenants | |
| Construction started | 1682 |
| Completed | 1684 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Kenton Couse |
| Website | |
| gov.uk | |
Listed Building – Grade I | |
| Official name | 10, Downing Street SW1 |
| Designated | 14 January 1970 |
| Reference no. | 1210759[1] |
10 Downing Street is the address of the London residence and office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The residence was presented by George II in 1733 to Robert Walpole, the first official Prime Minister of the country.
It is in Downing Street in the City of Westminster. The house is over 300 years old and has about 100 rooms.[2]
The house is close to St James's Park, Buckingham Palace, and the Palace of Westminster (which is the meeting place of both houses of Parliament).
A private residence for the prime minister is in the third floor and there is a kitchen in the basement. The other floors has offices and conference, reception, sitting and dining rooms where the prime minister works, and where government ministers, national leaders, and foreign dignitaries are met and hosted. It also has an interior courtyard and a terrace overlooking a 1⁄2-acre (0.2 ha) garden.
Originally three houses, Number 10 was offered to Robert Walpole by King George II in 1732.[2]
Despite its size and close location near to Parliament, few early prime ministers lived at 10 Downing Street. In 1985 Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said Number 10 had become "one of the most precious jewels in the national heritage".[3]
The Prime Minister's Office, for which the terms Downing Street and Number 10 are metonyms, are in the 10 Downing Street building and is part of the Cabinet Office.[4]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ National Heritage List for England
- 1 2 "10 Surprising facts about Number 10 Downing Street". BBC. 2020.
- ↑ Jones 1985, in letter from Margaret Thatcher used as a preface to the book.
- ↑ "Cabinet Office structure". Cabinet Office HM Government. 10 June 2010. Archived from the original on 1 July 2010. Retrieved 6 July 2010.
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