Downing Street, in Westminster, London, has the official homes of the United Kingdom’s prime minister and chancellor of the exchequer. The prime minister lives at number 10 and the chancellor at number 11, next door. The street is named after Sir George Downing, who built several of its houses in the late 1600’s.
In 1732, King George II offered number 10 to Sir Robert Walpole, who was prime minister at the time. The front part of the house was rebuilt about 30 years later. In the 1960’s, both number 10 and number 11 were rebuilt behind the old frontages.
