Downing Street is home to No 10, one of the most instantly recognisable and famous doors in the world. The official residence of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdon.
Though only a few of the houses are occupied, Downing Street is often used as a metonym to describe the British Government in general.
So, you’d think that the man who built these Georgian properties back in the 17th century would be a trustworthy chap, full of scrupulous morals.
Apparently not. George Downing has gone down in history as bit of a turncoat, a chancer, a man who would betray you at the blink of an eye and a dodgy entrepreneur to boot.
Born in Dublin, his family moved to America in 1638 where he attended the newly founded Harvard College, apparently excelling as a student. He was immediately rewarded with a teacher’s appointment but Downing already had eyes on the future and saw the English Civil War, which had broken out offered opportunities. He made a sudden departure from the college with a dramatic change of career, becoming chaplain in the Parliamentarian New Army under Oliver Cromwell.
Discarding his briefly found devotion to God, he joined the New Model Army and took part in the war against the King. Spying came naturally to Downing and was put in charge of running a network of spies gathering intelligence on the royal enemy.
After Parliamentary victory in 1649 he became a champion of the republican cause and supported the controversial decision to execute the King. But Downing showed his uncanny ability to bend with the wind when in 1660, the monarchy was restored, he claimed he was misled in his support of Cromwell and even took part in the hunting down and executing his old republican colleagues.
In the years that followed, Downing aggressively promoted English mercantile interests to the point that he was widely held responsible for outbreak of war with the Durch in 1665. Bizarrely afterwards, he was appointed as the Dutch Ambassador but was forced to abandon the post as they understably loathed him.
So finally to Downing Street.
George Downing always had an eye on making money and when he saw the opportunity to acquire land with views of St James Park, he grabbed it and built the cull-de sac of coach houses, employing the eminent architect Sir Christopher Wren to build them.
But probably, true to George Downing fashion, short cuts were made, and the houses were built on soft soil with shallow foundations. This led Winston Churchill to remark when he moved in as Prime Minister in 1940, ‘that Number 10 was shaky and lightly built by the profiteering contractor whose name they bear’
Image: Thomas Smith. Portrait of a Man, probably Sir Gerorge Downing 1624-1684
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