Downing Street
Downing Street is a street in Westminster in London that houses the official residences and offices of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Situated off Whitehall, it is 200 metres (660 ft) long, and a few minutes' walk from the Houses of Parliament. Downing Street was built in the 1680s by Sir George Downing.
Downing Street seen from Whitehall, 2013 | |
Location within Central London | |
| Namesake | Sir George Downing, 1st Baronet |
|---|---|
| Owner | UK Government |
| Length | 217 m (712 ft) |
| Postal code | SW1A |
| Coordinates | 51.5034°N 0.1276°W |
| From | Whitehall |
| Construction | |
| Completion | 1680 |
| Other | |
| Known for | Official residences and offices of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office and the Chancellor of the Exchequer |
| Status | Closed to public |
For more than three hundred years, it has held the official residences of both the First Lord of the Treasury, the office now synonymous with that of the Prime Minister, and the Second Lord of the Treasury, the office held by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The Prime Minister's official residence is 10 Downing Street, and the Chancellor's official residence is Number 11. The government's Chief Whip has an official residence at Number 12. In practice, these office-holders may live in different flats; the current Chief Whip actually lives at Number 9. The houses on the south side of the street were demolished in the 19th century to make way for government offices now occupied by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
The term "Downing Street" is also used as a metonym for the Prime Minister or the British Government more generally.