THE A - Z OF DOWNING STREET
A is for... ANNEXED
In 1732 a grateful King George II presented Sir Robert Walpole with a house on Downing Street. Walpole, who is usually recognised as the first to have and to use the powers of a prime minister, refused the property as a personal gift. Instead, he agreed to accept it as an official residence for the First Lord of the Treasury, to which post – held by Walpole for more than 20 years – “he got it annexed for ever”.
The king’s gift was, in fact, two houses: one fronting onto Downing Street and a larger one overlooking Horse Guards behind. Walpole moved in only once the two had been combined and refurbished, becoming the first premier to call Downing Street home in September 1735. The house was then actually No. 5, and remained so until 1779 when it was renumbered.
B is for... BRICKWORK
No. 10’s distinctive brickwork is not actually black – restoration works in the 1960s revealed that the terrace was built with yellow bricks, subsequently blackened by two centuries of inner-city air pollution. A black colourwash is used today to maintain its historic appearance.
“RESTORATION WORKS REVEALED THAT THE TERRACE WAS BUILT WITH YELLOW BRICKS, BLACKENED BY TWO CENTURIES OF POLLUTION”
C is for... CONFISCATED
The land on which Downing Street stands
