HISTORY

The History of 10 Downing Street

It won’t be Boris Johnson’s home for much longer, but this address has a colourful past of its own

robertsharp, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

The famous 10 Downing Street is probably one of the most famous addresses in the UK. Its black front door has become a familiar backdrop to many a long awaited prime ministerial announcement, as well as the comings and goings of ministers during a cabinet reshuffle. But, at the end of the day, it’s just a building… and all buildings have a history. So I thought I’d dig a little deeper to understand more about this iconic location.

How it all began

10 Downing Street became the official residence of the Prime Minister in 1735, but the area of Westminster in which it sits had been a significant location for a long time before. King Canute built a palace in the area, and Henry VIII built Whitehall Palace as his own personal leisure centre. Henry’s palace burnt down in 1698, and Downing Street is set on the edge of the palace site.

Henry VIII’s Wine Cellar — Harland Quarrington, OGL v1.0OGL v1.0, via Wikimedia Commons

In the Middle Ages, the location was a brewery owned by the Abbey of Abingdon, but by the fifteen hundreds it…