Downing Street, London

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Downing Street, London
Author: Tom Ordelman (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)

Downing Street is a historic street in the City of Westminster in London. It was named after Sir George Downing (1623-84), a diplomat under Oliver Cromwell and King Charles II.

In 1653, George Downing bought the land where Downing Street is located today. He built a row of townhouses to be sold to the rich, as it was prime property close to the Palace of Westminster and St James's Park. Historians believe Downing built some fifteen such townhouses along a road ending in a cul-de-sac. These are houses intended for the wealthy. They include coach-houses and stables.

Today Downing Street is most famous for house number 10, which is the official residence of the First Lord of the Treasury. As this position is also that of the prime minister since 1735, 10 Downing Street by extension is the official residence of the British Prime Minister.

How to reach Downing Street

For the purpose of security, Downing Street is now closed to the public with a grill gate. You can view it from the outside along Whitehall, which you can reach by taking the Circle Line, District Line or Jubilee Line of the London Underground to the Westminster Tube Station.