10 & 11 Downing Street

Number 10 Downing Street stands on what was once a piece of marshy and boggy land known as Thorney Island or the Island of Thorns. The 30 acre island lay between two branches of the River Tyburn which flowed from Hampstead Heath to the Thames.

Today, numbers 10 and 11 Downing Street are the residences of the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. These two properties are all that remain of Downing Street and are protected by large black iron gates and police on duty 24 hours a day.

10 Downing Street was given to Britain's first Prime Minister, Rupert Walpole, by George II in 1732. Number 11 has been the official residence of the Chancellor since 1828.

Location
10 & 11 Downing Street
Westminster
SW1

Location Map

Nearest Tube / Rail Station
Westminster Station