[24], The "House at the Back" reverted to the Crown when Lady Overkirk died in 1720. My head has no protection other than this porchway. [117][118][119][120], Although Kent intended the First Lord to use this space as his study, it has rarely served that purpose; it has almost always been the Cabinet Room. There is one exception. Downing's portrait hangs in the entrance hall of Number 10. This project was completed in 1737 and included corridors connecting the Treasury building with Ten Downing Street allowing Walpole, as Chancellor of the Exchequer as well as First Lord of the Treasury and Prime Minister, direct and convenient access to the Treasury offices. He had the Government Art Collection loan pieces. This structure can be seen today as the rear section of Number 10. Emmeline Pankhurst and other suffragette leaders stormed Downing Street in 1908;[73] anti-Vietnam War protestors marched there in the 1960s, as did anti-Iraq War protestors in 2005. "The whole project has been a frightful waste of money because it just has not been done properly. The previous year, Knevett had moved into a house next door, approximately where Number 10 is today. Carved into the plasterwork above the door leading to the Pillared Room is a tribute to Margaret Thatcher: a straw-carrying 'thatcher'. [155] (See works from the Government Art Collection currently on display at Number 10[156]), About a dozen paintings are changed annually. So much has this extraordinary edifice cost the country For one moiety of the sum a much better dwelling might have been purchased! This video below made for the 2012 Olympics, gives you a good look into the public rooms inside 10 Downing Street. [46], One reason many First Lords chose not to live in Number 10 was that most owned London town houses superior in size and quality. [148])[149], The terrace and garden were constructed in 1736 shortly after Walpole moved into Number 10. [125], In the restoration conducted in the late 1980s, Quinlan Terry restored the fireplace. This website uses cookies to improve your browsingexperience and analyze the use of the website. A copy of a 16th-century original now kept in the Victoria and Albert Museum, there is an inscription woven into it that reads: "I have no refuge in the world other than thy threshold. [83], When builders examined the exterior faade, they discovered that the black colour visible even in photographs from the mid-19th century was misleading; the bricks were actually yellow. Nashville "I am heart broken by the result," he said. Runners and riders: 10 Downing Street's new press conference host 10 Downing Street, the locale of British prime ministers since 1735, vies with the White House as being the most important political building anywhere in the world in the modern era. Upon Inquiry, however, it appeared that the House was attached to the Treasury as a Part of the Office. Although large, they were put up quickly and cheaply on soft soil with shallow foundations. Jones, p. 89 and see also Soane's sketches of several versions of the State Dining Room on p. 84. secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities, This became the subject of public controversy, principal private secretary to the prime minister, Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister, Downing Street Director of Communications, Political Secretary to the Prime Minister, Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister, "10 Surprising facts about Number 10 Downing Street", Cabinet Office letter dated 9 October 2018, "No. [158], In addition to outstanding artwork, Number 10 contains many exceptional pieces of furniture either owned by the house or on loan. You can change your cookie settings at any time. [157] These redecorations may reflect both individual taste as well as make a political statement. preceding the Great Repair, and 11,000 the Great Repair itself! The room therefore has a unique architectural feature: over the fireplace there is a window instead of the usual chimney breast. With or without the prime minister present, visitors had their picture taken. News stories, speeches, letters and notices, Reports, analysis and official statistics, Data, Freedom of Information releases and corporate reports. Public Enquiries: Online Contact Form. Although he had accepted it on behalf of future First Lords of the Treasury, it would be 21 years before any of his successors chose to live there; the five who followed Walpole preferred their own homes. [19][20], From that time, the "House at the Back" was usually occupied by members of the royal family or the government. About half belong to the Government Art Collection. At this time we are not able to respond to emails that do not fall into this category or are of a general nature.Please consider carefully whether your email is necessary and note that emails are not monitored throughout the day or at weekends. [137][138][139] (See Simon Schama's Tour of Downing Street. 5 stars. It was here that Edward Heath kept his grand piano. "Under (Prime Minister) Blair . Dont include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details. Jones, in letter from Margaret Thatcher used as a preface to the book. The Letterbox is Useless. Today, there is a portrait of Queen Elizabeth I over the fireplace; during the Thatcher, Major and Blair Ministries, a portrait of William Pitt by Romney was hung there. Prime ministers come and go, but one resident of 10 Downing Street has no plans to leave any time soon. For obvious safety reasons, the public is not allowed to walk on Downing Street, let alone go into the residence of the Prime Minister (PM). Robert Taylor, the architect who executed this concept, was knighted on its completion. Traditionally, it has always had a chopping block work table in the centre that is 14 feet (4.3m) long, 3 feet (0.91m) wide and 5 inches (13cm) thick. [66] To reassure the people that his government was functioning normally, he insisted on being seen entering and leaving Number 10 occasionally, and indeed, continued to use it for meetings and dinners despite being urged not to. Kent's staircase is the first architectural feature visitors see as they enter Number 10. [77][81] Macmillan lived in Admiralty House during the reconstruction. This was the pattern until the beginning of the 20th century. [44], At about the same time that William Kent was combining the Downing Street townhouse with the house at the back, he was also commissioned to design and construct a new Treasury building on the site of the old Tudor Cockpit located behind Downing Street. Balfour revived the custom that Number 10 is the First Lord and Prime Minister's official residence. The staircase had sunk several inches; some steps were buckled and the balustrade was out of alignment. The interior wood in the Cabinet Room's double columns was like sawdust. Churchill called his secretaries the "garden girls" because their offices overlook the garden. Originally, the door was made of Georgian black oak; it is today made of blast-proof steel and takes a reported eight men to lift it. You can take bus#11 or ahop-on, hop-off tour bus, both of which pass by frequently. Check benefits and financial support you can get, Find out about the Energy Bills Support Scheme, Windsor Framework unveiled to fix problems of the Northern Ireland Protocol, PM speech on the Windsor Framework: February 2023, Exclusive interviews with former cabinet secretaries, Listen to Number 10 staff talk about their work, Prime Minister's and Cabinet Office ministers' transparency publications, PM statement to the House of Commons: 27 Feb 2023. The No. He connected the Downing Street houses with a corridor. Dubai I believe Mr. Charles Townshend occupied it, but I know Mr. Dowdeswell did, & it is remarkable that he is, I believe, the only instance of a Chancellor of the Exchequer upon Record who was not in the Cabinet. London We will be stepping up capacity of testing to 25,000 people in hospitals a day. Walpole commissioned William Kent to join the three houses and it is this larger house that is known as Number 10 Downing Street. [54] While there, Pitt reduced the national debt, formed the Triple Alliance against France and won passage of the Act of Union that created the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Share. 10, Downing Street: breakfast room and smaller drawing room, Plate 117: No. Overall rating. 10 Downing Street | 22,408 followers on LinkedIn. )[26][55], Treasury officials complained that the building was costing too much to maintain; some suggested that it should be razed and a new house constructed on the site or elsewhere. Wed like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services. In 1879 a fire destroyed the upper floors of Number 12; it was renovated but only as a single-storey structure. Downing Street apologised to Buckingham Palace after details emerged of boozy drinks parties, including one for outgoing communications director James Slack. The main section had no visible supports. Nassau, who Anglicised his name to "Overkirk", lived there until his death in 1708. [122], Number 10 has three inter-linked state drawing rooms: the Pillared Drawing Room, the Terracotta Drawing Room and the White Drawing Room. Downing, a notorious spy for Oliver Cromwell and later Charles II, invested in property and acquired considerable wealth. Premiership: The Development, Nature and Power of the Office of the British Prime Minister, Imprint Academic. To help us improve GOV.UK, wed like to know more about your visit today. The office helps the Prime Minister to establish and deliver the government's overall strategy and policy priorities, and to communicate the government's policies to Parliament . Tweets. [124], A Persian carpet covers almost the entire floor. The houses deteriorated from neglect, became unsafe, and one by one were demolished. By 1857 Downing Street's townhouses were all gone except for Number 10, Number 11 (customarily the Chancellor of the Exchequer's residence), and Number 12 (used as offices for Government Whips). There have been barriers erected along both sides of Downing Street since the 1920s. The Ministry of Works has insisted on economy after economy. The Office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; also known as '10 Downing Street' or 'No 10' . (See The State Dining Room c1930: View toward the entrance[141][142] and View from the entrance[143] and also a more modern view[144])[145], The great kitchen located in the basement was another part of the renovations begun in 1783, probably also under the direction of Robert Taylor.

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