DOWNING STREET
See Also: THE RUTHLESS REVEREND; WHITEHALL
Downing
Street was built for Sir George Downing 1st Bt., who was the
Secretary of the Treasury from 1667 to 1671.
Media
Joe
Haines
Joe
Haines served as Harold Wilson's press secretary from 1969 to 1976. Haines believed that Marcia Williams fostered
the premier's tendency to believe that there were conspiracies against him.
No. 10 Downing Street
In 1732
King George II offered No. 10 Downing Street as a personal gift to his then 1st
Lord of the Treasury (Prime Minister) Sir Robert Walpole. The politician appreciated the jaded
interpretation that some backbench M.P.s might choose to make of such an
instance of royal generosity. As a
consequence, he accepted the gift on condition that the house was given to him
in his official capacity and not in his private one. As a consequence, when the knight fell from
power in 1742 he left the house for his successors as premier to occupy.
The
street fa ade of No. 10 belies what is in reality a small office block,
housing the Prime Minister's Private Office.
Some Prime Ministers have used the building purely as a place of work,
preferring to continue to reside in their own grander townhouses.
There
are two front doors to No. 10. This
means that one can be maintained while the other one is in use. Neither of them has a keyhole. The portal is always opened from within.
Location:
10 Downing Street, SW1A 2AA (orange, red)
5
Arlington Street, SW1A 1RA. Walpole's
own townhouse. (blue, yellow)
See
Also: CATS Humphrey; ROYALTY The Constitution, The Prime Minister and The
Sovereign; TOWNHOUSES
Website:
www.gov.uk/government/organisations/prime-ministers-office-10-downing-street
No. 11 Downing Street
No. 11
Downing Street is the official residence of the Chancellor of the Exchequer
(the finance minister). Until the early
19thC a number of Prime Ministers were both First Lord of the
Treasury and Chancellor. After 1835 it
became the usual practice for the two offices to be held separately from one
another.
Since
the mid-19thC Chancellors have taken their Budget speeches to the
House of Commons in the Budget box, a battered wood and leather case that is
believed to have been made for the Liberal politician William Gladstone. On the morning of each Budget it is customary
for the Chancellor to appear upon the steps of No. 11 bearing the case. This is held up by the politician. At the official's side stands her/his
spouse. The practice started following
the Chancellorship of the Conservative politician George Ward Hunt. He presented his only Commons Budget Speech
in 1869. When he rose to address the
Chamber he realised that he had left his speech at home.
It is
customary for the Chancellor to have an alcoholic drink while s/he makes the
Budget speech. However, some refrain
from doing so and instead opt for a non-alcoholic refreshment.
As a
residence, 11 is physically far more spacious than No. 10. Whereas the Prime Minister's private quarters
are confined to a flat at the top of No. 10, 11 is still a townhouse.
Location:
11 Downing Street, SW1A 2AB (orange, grey)
See
Also: THE HOUSE OF COMMONS Money Bills; WHITEHALL DEPARTMENT The Treasury
Website:
www.gov.uk/government/history/11-downing-street
The Downing Street Gates
The
Downing Street gates were erected in 1990.
Before then it had been possible for members of the public to walk into
the street. Later than year Margaret
Thatcher was ousted from power by her own party.
Early
the following year her successor as prime minister, John Major, was presiding
over a weekly Cabinet meeting when the members of an I.R.A cell drove a lorry
into Horse Guards Parade. From there
they launched a series of mortars towards No. 10 Downing Street. One of these exploded in No. 10 s
garden. The house's staff regarded the
incident as being an annoyance .
Location:
Downing Street, SW1A 2AA (orange, blue)
See
Also: CATS The Ousting of Thatcher; STREET FURNITURE Gates1
1. It is to be noted that the Gates do
not have a cat flap.
David
Backhouse 2024