Downing Street, London

Downing Street, London
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Downing_Street.jpg
Author: Tom Ordelman


Downing Street is a historic street in the City of Westminster in London. It was named after Sir George Downing (1623-84), a diplomat under Oliver Cromwell and King Charles II.

In 1653, George Downing bought the land where Downing Street is located today. He built a row of townhouses to be sold to the rich, as it was prime property close to the Palace of Westminster and St James's Park. Historians believe Downing built some fifteen such townhouses along a road ending in a cul-de-sac. These are houses intended for the wealthy. They include coach-houses and stables.

Today Downing Street is most famous for house number 10, which is the official residence of the First Lord of the Treasury. As this position is also that of the prime minister since 1735, 10 Downing Street by extension is the official residence of the British Prime Minister.

How to reach Downing Street

For the purpose of security, Downing Street is now closed to the public with a grill gate. You can view it from the outside along Whitehall, which you can reach by taking the Circle Line, District Line or Jubilee Line of the London Underground to the Westminster Tube Station.

List of Streets in London

 Latest updates on Penang Travel Tips

Songs about Penang

About this website

Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.