Downing Street

Downing Street sign

London policeman guarding Downing Street, with semi-automatic Heckler & Koch MP5.

The gates at the entrance to Downing Street

Downing Street is a street in London. It is close to Whitehall and Buckingham Palace. The official residences of the two most senior Government ministers are here. These are the Prime Minister, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Downing Street is a few minutes' walk from the Houses of Parliament. The street was built in the 1680s by Sir George Downing, 1st Baronet (1632–1689) on the site of a mansion called Hampden House. The Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the Chief Whip all have official residences in buildings along one side of the street. The houses on the other side were all replaced by the Foreign Office in the nineteenth century.

Related pages

• 10 Downing Street