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Downing Street
Downing Street was built by Sir George Downing in the 1680s as a speculation. The site had once been part of Whitehall palace. Only three of the original houses remain, on the north side—no. 10 used by the prime minister, no. 11 by the chancellor, and no. 12 by the whips. The south side is taken up by Sir George Gilbert Scott's government offices, built in the 1860s. Behind the modest façade of no. 10 is another large house, fronting the Horse Guards and connected. Sir Robert Walpole accepted it from George II in 1732 for the prime minister of the day. Its nearness to Parliament was an important consideration. The internal arrangements include work by Kent, Taylor, and Soane and are dominated by the staircase, with its collection of engravings and photographs of prime ministers. The cabinet room was redesigned in 1781–3.
J. A. Cannon |
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Cite this article
JOHN CANNON. "Downing Street." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "Downing Street." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-DowningStreet.html JOHN CANNON. "Downing Street." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-DowningStreet.html |
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