10 downing street press office phone number

If you are emailing about an issue relating to the responsibilities of another Government Department or public authority then you should contact them directly.Due to the exceptionally high volumes of emails being received at this time, the Prime Ministers Office is only able to deal with those that relate directly to the Prime Minister. [115] The resulting small space, framed by the pillars, serves as an anteroom to the larger area. The Windsor Framework, agreed by the Prime Minister and European Commission President, replaces the old Northern Ireland Protocol, providing a new legal and UK constitutional framework. Suffragettes posed in front of the door when they petitioned H. H. Asquith for women's rights in 1913, a picture that became famous and was circulated around the world. 10 Downing Street, the locale of British prime ministers since 1735, vies with the White House as being the most important political building anywhere in the world in the modern era. If you are not a member of the media, please use the public correspondence contact form. He felt thatit was not right that the public should be prevented from walking down the street and taking photographs outside Number 10. At this time we are not able to respond to emails that do not fall into this category or are of a general nature.Please consider carefully whether your email is necessary and note that emails are not monitored throughout the day or at weekends. In May 2010, it was reported that David Cameron, who also had four small children upon taking office, would also take up actual residence above Number 11, and his Chancellor, George Osborne, above Number 10. As part of the renovations begun in 1783, it was extended, giving the space its modern appearance. Once used when policemen sat on watch outside in the street, it has an unusual "hood" designed to protect them from the wind and cold and a drawer underneath where hot coals were placed to provide warmth. [33], When Count Bothmer died, ownership of the "House at the Back" reverted to the Crown. [90], To accommodate their large families, both Tony Blair and David Cameron chose to live in the private residence above Number 11 rather than the smaller one above Number 10. Berlin Carved into the plasterwork above the door leading to the Pillared Room is a tribute to Margaret Thatcher: a straw-carrying 'thatcher'. Blick, Andrew and Jones, George (2010). To allow Walpole quicker access to Parliament, Kent closed the north side entrance from St James's Park, and made the door in Downing Street the main entrance. 10 Downing Street. [a] The reorganisation brought about the fusion of the old Prime Minister's Office and other Cabinet Office teams, with a number of units (including the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit) now reporting directly into the Prime Minister's Office. . A black ironwork fence with spiked newel posts runs along the front of the house and up each side of the step to the door. [164] It is staffed by a mix of career civil servants and special advisers. Sir Robert Walpole, with his Lady and Family, removed from their House in St James's Square, to his new House, adjoining to the Treasury in St James's Park". 294 Following. Phone number (604) 536-3353. Rome By 1857 Downing Street's townhouses were all gone except for Number 10, Number 11 (customarily the Chancellor of the Exchequer's residence), and Number 12 (used as offices for Government Whips). Although its hard to get a good look at the street due to security, Downing Street still remains as one of the most visited sites in our capital city. [37] This small house and the mansion at the back were then incorporated into Number 10. When Margaret Thatcher came to power it was the Blue Room; she had it re-decorated and renamed the Green Room. [94] (See The Entrance Door c1930: As seen from the outside)[95][96] The door cannot be opened from the outside; there is always someone inside to unlock the door. 10 Downing Street, The Story of a House. In the committee's report there was some discussion of tearing down the building and constructing an entirely new residence but because the prime minister's home had become an icon of British architecture like Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament, the committee recommended that Number 10 (and Numbers 11 and 12) should be rebuilt using as much of the original materials as possible. [21], George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle, the general responsible for the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660, lived there from 1660 until his death in 1671. [129][104][130] After the Apollo 11 lunar landing in July 1969, Harold Wilson hosted a reception in the room for astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, in addition to Cambridge scientist Francis Thomas Bacon, inventor of the alkaline fuel cell used to generate power for space capsules. [131], The Terracotta Room is the middle of the three drawing rooms. Prime Minister Tony Blair, for example, hosted a farewell reception in 2007 for his staff on the terrace. To reach 10 Downing Street by tube, it's best to reach it by either the Westminster or Charing Cross Station. Since July 2016 the Prime Minister has been Rt Hon Theresa May MP. The House stands in fact upon the same footing as the Houses of the Admiralty, which could not be assigned to any Person not belonging to that office. The Treasury issued an order "for repairing and fitting it up in the best and most substantial manner" at a cost of 2,522. He had the Government Art Collection loan pieces. To its left is a long case clock by Benson of Whitehaven. This arrangement began to change in 1877 when Benjamin Disraeli took up residency. The doorbell is inscribed with "PUSH" although is rarely used in practice. Jones, p. 52. [125], In the restoration conducted in the late 1980s, Quinlan Terry restored the fireplace. Share. [23], After Buckingham retired in 1676, Lady Charlotte Fitzroy, Charles II's daughter, moved in when she married Edward Lee, 1st Earl of Lichfield. Edward Heath borrowed French paintings from the National Gallery and was loaned two Renoirs from a private collector. He insisted that the Treasury should bear the cost of furnishings at least in the public areas. [24], The "House at the Back" reverted to the Crown when Lady Overkirk died in 1720. In 1787 Number 5 became "Number 10". [136][150] (See North elevation of Number 10 with steps leading to the garden[151])[152] The terrace and garden have provided a casual setting for many gatherings of First Lords with foreign dignitaries, Cabinet ministers, guests, and staff. F: 011-61-293-552-2797. [14] The cul-de-sac had several distinguished residents: George Granville, 1st Baron Lansdowne from 1692 to 1696 and the Earl of Grantham from 1699 to 1703. There is one exception. [162], That same year, the Leisure Circle published Christopher Jones' book No. [87][93] A black iron knocker in the shape of a lion's head is between the two middle panels; below the knocker is a brass letter box with the inscription "First Lord of the Treasury". [43], The same document confirmed that Number 10 Downing Street was: "meant to be annexed & united to the Office of his Majesty's Treasury & to be & to remain for the Use & Habitation of the first Commissioner of his Majesty's Treasury for the time being". Number 10 Downing Street is one of the most famous addresses in the world. Lastly, Google made this crystal-clear 360-degree virtual tour of some of the rooms in 10 Downing Street. 7 reviews. The modern boat-shaped top, introduced by Harold Macmillan in the late 1950s, is supported by huge original oak legs. 10, Downing Street: plan of alterations in 1781, "Electoral Commission to investigate Boris Johnson's Downing Street flat renovations", "Trump and May to meet for talks in Davos after 'special relationship' tested", 10 Downing Street: The World's Most Famous Front Door, Plate 118: No. [41] The name changes according to the colour it is painted. We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services. One of the most striking and unusual is the already mentioned Chippendale hooded guard's chair that sits in a corner of the entrance hall. The deterioration had been obvious for some time. [155] (See works from the Government Art Collection currently on display at Number 10[156]), About a dozen paintings are changed annually. George II took this opportunity to offer it to Robert Walpole, often called the first prime minister, as a gift for his services to the nation: stabilising its finances, keeping it at peace and securing the Hanoverian succession. The number of people allowed in the upper floors was limited for fear the bearing walls would collapse. Kent's door was modest, belying the spacious elegance beyond. No longer "fitted with variety Walle fruit and diverse fruit trees" as it was in the 17th century, there is now a centrally located flower bed around a holly tree surrounded by seats. The Office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; also known as '10 Downing Street' or 'No 10' . Since the door had no keyhole, the inside officer depended upon the lone outside officer. Terry also added an ornate gilded ceiling to give the rooms a more stately look. Filter by rating. Lord North certainly occupied it during the two years he was Chancellor of the Exchequer only. Claimed. Any original materials that were beyond repair such as the pair of double columns in the Cabinet Room would be replicated in detail. Two years later in 1690, William III and Mary II gave the "House at the Back" to Hendrik van Nassau-Ouwerkerk, a Dutch general who had assisted in securing the Crown for the Prince of Orange. The same restrictions applied when No 10 staff gathered for a "bring your own booze" event in the Downing Street garden. Prime Ministers made historic announcements from the front step. Waving the Anglo-German Agreement of Friendship, Neville Chamberlain proclaimed "Peace with honour" in 1938 from Number 10 after his meeting with Adolf Hitler in Munich. The garden is dominated by a half-acre (0.2 ha) open lawn which wraps around Numbers 10 and 11 in an L-shape. In 1782 the Board of Works reporting on "the dangerous state of the old part of the House", stated that "no time be lost in taking down said building". Check benefits and financial support you can get, Find out about the Energy Bills Support Scheme, Windsor Framework unveiled to fix problems of the Northern Ireland Protocol, PM speech on the Windsor Framework: February 2023, Exclusive interviews with former cabinet secretaries, Listen to Number 10 staff talk about their work, Prime Minister's and Cabinet Office ministers' transparency publications, PM statement to the House of Commons: 27 Feb 2023. Lord Frost, Chief Negotiator, said: "We have just completed our eighth round of negotiations with the EU. original source. The work included: "The Back passage into Downing street to be repaired and a new door; a New Necessary House to be made; To take down the Useless passage formerly made for the Maids of Honour to go into Downing Street, when the Queen lived at the Cockpit; To New Cast a great Lead Cistern & pipes and to lay the Water into the house & a new frame for ye Cistern". Also, take a look at thevirtual tour of 10 Downing Streeton the UK Government's website. If he declines it, the Chancellor of the Exchequer occupies it, not as Chancellor of the Exchequer, but as second in the Commission of the Treasury. Robert Taylor, the architect who executed this concept, was knighted on its completion. The original door can be seen by the public it is on display in the Churchill Museum at the Cabinet War Rooms. From 1834 to 1877, it was either vacant or used only for offices and meetings. He originally intended that the street should be full of fine townhouses designed specifically for persons of good quality to inhabit in. Skirting boards, doors, sills and other woodwork were riddled and weakened with disease. [4], For most of its history, Number 10 was accessible to the public. The brass letterbox still bears the legend "First Lord of the Treasury". Jones, in letter from Margaret Thatcher used as a preface to the book. This was a formidable undertaking: the three buildings contained over 200 rooms spread out over five floors. Only a few are permanent features. To find more go to "More details" about the price bundles. Boston But, there are a few ways that you can see what the inside looks like, and also potentially glimpse the PM or cabinet members coming or going. Originally three houses, Number 10 was offered to Robert Walpole by King George II in 1732. Save. Click to get Helen Cook's email: h****k@cantab.net Role: Head of Prime Minister's Points of Light UK @ 10 Downing Street, London, United Kingdom. This website uses cookies to improve your browsingexperience and analyze the use of the website. [121] The only picture in the room is a copy of a portrait of Robert Walpole by Jean-Baptiste van Loo hanging over the fireplace. Charleston By the 1800s the houses had nearly all been taken over by the government. Downing Street itself was built in the 1680s by Sir George Downing who had purchased a large tract of land near Parliament, on the edge of St. Jamess Park. During the 1990s John Major converted the first floor anteroom into a small gallery of modern art, mostly British. See below for some tips on how to get the best view of the street and door. Dont worry we wont send you spam or share your email address with anyone. Behind its black door have been taken the most important decisions affecting Britain for the last 275 years. View Company Not the person you were looking for? A few peers lived in Number 10 out of necessity. This video below made for the 2012 Olympics, gives you a good look into the public rooms inside 10 Downing Street. Dry rot was widespread throughout. In the summer of 1993 windows were rebuilt and in 1995 computer cables installed. In 1931, Mohandas Gandhi, wearing the traditional homespun dhoti, posed leaving Number 10 after meeting with Ramsay MacDonald to discuss India's independence. The post of First Lord of the Treasury has, for much of the 18th and 19th centuries and invariably since 1905, been held by the prime minister. 6 Lord Street Lakes Business Park Botany, NSW 2019, Australia. In one from 28 April 2021, seven months before press reports about parties first appeared, an unnamed No 10 official noted that another official was "worried about leaks of PM having a piss up and . If you are a journalist with a press enquiry or interview request, please email our press office. Jones, see back cover picture credited to Robert Hill @ BBC. Extensive reconstruction again had to be undertaken in the late 1960s to resolve these problems. Executed in the Kentian style, the small Ionic pilasters in the over-mantel are miniature duplicates of the large Ionic pillars in the room. [71] During World War II, Churchill was photographed many times emerging confidently from Number 10 holding up two fingers in the sign for "Victory". (See the State Dining room with the Silver Trust Silver in use for a luncheon[135]) Above the fireplace, overlooking the room, is a massive portrait by John Shackleton of George II, the king who originally gave the building to the First Lord of the Treasury in 1732. 10. Kent joined the larger houses by building a two-storey structure between them, consisting of one long room on the ground floor and several above. [132], In the renovation of the 1980s Quinlan Terry introduced large Doric order columns to this room in the door surrounds and designed a very large Palladian overmantel for the fireplace with small double Doric columns on each side with the royal arms above. Also,Wednesdays between 11 and 11:30 a.m. are good since the PM leaves at this time to head to Parliament. A new foundation with deep pilings would be laid and the original buildings reassembled on top of it, allowing for much needed expansion and modernisation. Since 1990 when the Terry reconstruction was completed, repairing, redecorating, remodelling, and updating the house has been ongoing as needed. William Pitt the Younger, who made it his home for twenty years (longer than any First Lord before or since) from 1783 to 1801 and from 1804 to 1806, referred to it as "My vast, awkward house". The arrangement became the standard practice. Traditionally, it has always had a chopping block work table in the centre that is 14 feet (4.3m) long, 3 feet (0.91m) wide and 5 inches (13cm) thick. It became unsafe and frequently required repairs. 10 Downing Street in London, also known colloquially in the United Kingdom as Number 10, is the official residence and executive office of the First Lord of the Treasury, usually, by convention, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Dont include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details. [74], By the middle of the 20th century, Number 10 was falling apart again. 10, Downing Street: main doorway and kitchen, "Who has the key to front door of No. [2] Along with the adjoining Cabinet Office at 70 Whitehall, it is the headquarters of the Government of the . Nashville John Major announced his 1997 resignation as leader of the Conservative Party in the garden. We use some essential cookies to make this website work. She was the grandmother of King George I, the Elector of Hanover, who became King of Great Britain in 1714, and was the great-grandmother of King George II, who presented the house to Walpole in 1732. Learn More. 1 star. . This time the Board of Works declared that "the Repairs, Alterations & Additions at the Chancellor of the Exchequer's House will amount to the sum of 5,580, exclusive of the sum for which they already have His Majesty's Warrant. Please note, if you have a media query concerning the Prime Minister or media access to Downing Street - please call the press office for No10 Downing Street. San Francisco Since 2005, Number 10's Direct Communication Unit has not used its staff's real names on signed correspondence to MPs and members of the public; this is for security reasons. The Ministry of Works has insisted on economy after economy. The building itself is made up of over 100 hundred rooms only part of which is actually residential. Press Briefing Afternoon 11 June 2012 . This video below made for the 2012 Olympics, gives you a good look into the public rooms inside 10 Downing Street. MS. 38292, f. 11) from Lord Liverpool to Charles Ellis, dated 22 January 1823, is of interest. Although he had accepted it on behalf of future First Lords of the Treasury, it would be 21 years before any of his successors chose to live there; the five who followed Walpole preferred their own homes. Along with the adjoining Cabinet Office at 70 Whitehall, it is the headquarters of the Government of the United Kingdom. In the foreword, Thatcher described her feelings for Number 10: "How much I wish that the public could share with me the feeling of Britain's historic greatness which pervades every nook and cranny of this complicated and meandering old building All Prime Ministers are intensely aware that, as tenants and stewards of No. From 2010 to 2012 and from May to September 2020, there was a Downing Street Permanent Secretary, held by Jeremy Heywood and Simon Case respectively, which ranked above the principal private Secretary to the prime minister. To celebrate, Thatcher hosted a grand dinner in the State Dining Room for her living predecessors: Harold Macmillan, Alec Douglas-Home, Harold Wilson, Edward Heath and James Callaghan. However, the Prime Minister at the time, Harold Wilson, overturned the idea. He complained openly during and after the project that the government had altered his design to save money. To build it, Soane removed the chimney from the kitchen to put a door in the room. [77], The architect Raymond Erith carried out the design for this painstaking work[78] and the contractor that undertook it was John Mowlem & Co.[79]The Times reported initially that the cost for the project would be 400,000. Some of the original buildings were demolished to allow space to build and expand the Privy Council Office, the Board of Trade, and the Treasury Offices. The Cabinet Office press office only deals with enquiries from the media. You can change your cookie settings at any time. Churchill called his secretaries the "garden girls" because their offices overlook the garden. $2 / month. He connected the Downing Street houses with a corridor. Painted off-white with large floor to ceiling windows along one of the long walls, the room is light and airy. 3 stars. 10, Downing Street: Official Dining Room, Plate 129: No. A note from Lord North to the Office of Works, dated September 1774, asks that the work on the front of the house, "which was begun by a Warrant from the Treasury dated 9 August 1766",[54] should be finished. 10, Downing Street: Official Dining Room, Plate 131: No. This project was completed in 1737 and included corridors connecting the Treasury building with Ten Downing Street allowing Walpole, as Chancellor of the Exchequer as well as First Lord of the Treasury and Prime Minister, direct and convenient access to the Treasury offices. The Green State Drawing Room contains mostly Chippendale furniture including a card table that belonged to Clive of India and a mahogany desk that is thought to have belonged to William Pitt the Younger and used by him during the Napoleonic Wars. So much has this extraordinary edifice cost the country For one moiety of the sum a much better dwelling might have been purchased! [22], In 1671 George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham took possession when he joined the Cabal Ministry. Early in the 17th century, the Cockpit was converted to a concert hall and theatre; after the Glorious Revolution of 1688, some of the first cabinet meetings were held there secretly. When building these houses, Downing was assisted by master architect Sir Christopher Wren, who designed the buildings. It was used as the dining room when Robert Walpole was prime minister. [101] Number 10 Downing Street has a lift. Prone to sinking because it was built on soft soil and a shallow foundation, floors buckled and walls and chimneys cracked. Nassau, who Anglicised his name to "Overkirk", lived there until his death in 1708. Review. The room links through to the Terracotta Room next door. Dont worry we wont send you spam or share your email address with anyone. Jones, p. 89 and see also Soane's sketches of several versions of the State Dining Room on p. 84. secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities, This became the subject of public controversy, principal private secretary to the prime minister, Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister, Downing Street Director of Communications, Political Secretary to the Prime Minister, Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister, "10 Surprising facts about Number 10 Downing Street", Cabinet Office letter dated 9 October 2018, "No. The IRA mortar attack in February 1991 led to extensive work being done to repair the damage (mostly to the garden and exterior walls) and to improve security. [117][118][119][120], Although Kent intended the First Lord to use this space as his study, it has rarely served that purpose; it has almost always been the Cabinet Room. The front door to Number 10 is most likely the most famous feature of the building. Pictures of prime ministers with distinguished guests at the door became commonplace. For obvious safety reasons, the public is not allowed to walk on Downing Street, let alone go into the residence of the Prime Minister (PM). It presently houses the UK Cabinet Room in which Cabinet meetings in the UK take place, chaired by the current Prime Minister, Sunak. Public Enquiries: Online Contact Form. Most lent it to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, others to lesser officials or to friends and relatives. It is now painted terracotta. My head has no protection other than this porchway. [175], However, the Institute for Government has written that the Cabinet Office (of which the Prime Minister's Office is a component) "is a long way from becoming a fully fledged premier's department", primarily based on the fact that the prime minister "largely lacks the direct policy responsibilities, either in statute or by convention under the Royal Prerogative, possessed by secretaries of state, who have substantial budgets voted to them by Parliament."[176]. 10 Downing Street The Office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; also known as '10 Downing Street' or 'No 10' . The freedom fighters could see their leader had been received in the prime minister's home. Addl. The attack led to the addition of guardhouses at the street ends as well as other less visible measures to further improve security of Downing Street. Situated in Downing Street in the City of Westminster, London, Number 10 is over 300 years old and contains approximately 100 rooms. London. He then surmounted the third storey of the house at the back with a pediment. To this end, he employed John Soane, the distinguished architect who had designed the Bank of England and many other famous buildings, to build a State Dining Room for Number 10. [6][7][8] In 1654, he purchased the lease on land south of St James's Park, adjacent to the House at the Back within walking distance of parliament. gemma longworth net worth,

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