History of No. 10 Downing Street

ALFRED MULENGA
Correspondent | Friday June 21, 2013 00:00

After his Labour Party failed to secure an absolute majority in the general elections and could not negotiate a deal to form a coalition government with Liberal Democrats, Brown stepped down both as prime minister and leader of the Labour Party. What must have impressed most people even more, especially in so-called African democracies where political leaders want to die in office, was the grace with which Brown, his wife and the entire Labour Party leadership accepted 'defeat' for a peaceful handover of power to take place in the best interests of the British and their country. That was simply magnanimous. Certainly African, Asian, Latin American and Middle Eastern countries have much to learn from the Westminster democracy if they are to avoid coups, counter-coups, Arab springs and the resultant economic and political mayhem.

President Barack Obama of the United States of America, who had became the second African-American to benefit from the fruits of a vibrant democracy and the principle of the 'May the-best-man win' - was quick to send a message of good wishes to then 44-year-old Tory leader David Cameron, and also congratulated Brown for accepting defeat with grace and for a job well done during his tenure.Cameron thus became the youngest British premier in more than 200 years to occupy No. 10 Downing Street, the official residence of British prime ministers since 1735 when the title was changed from First Lord of the Treasury.

History shows that No.10 became the home of prime ministers by accident, however. When George I, a Hanoverian ruler, ascended the throne, he spoke only German. It had been the tradition for the King to preside at Cabinet meetings, but his ignorance of English prevented him doing so.  As a result, the vacancy at the council table or Cabinet meetings was filled by the First Lord at the Treasury who was then Sir Robert Walpole. Because he sat in the King's chair, he automatically assumed a new authority. The authority stuck and so did the unofficial title, Prime Minister. The in coming ruler, King George II gave No. 10 to Walpole as a gift probably because of the excellent service he had rendered. But Walpole accepted the house on condition that it became the permanent home for all First Lords of the Treasury. The close association between the prime minister and the treasury continues. (When Tony Blair was prime minister, Brown, who was then the Chancellor of the Exchequer or finance minister, lived near him in No. 11).

A door between No. 10 and 11 gives the Chancellor of the Exchequer easy access to his boss next door.  When I lived at the Royal Commonwealth Society in 1980, I and my mate Vijay Kumar from India often walked past this house - known all over the world as No 10 Down Street. It is located along one of the shortest streets in Central London, and within walking distance from Trafalgar Square and South Africa House and, of course, the Houses of Parliament. It got its name from its builder, Sir George Downing, who came to London in the 1640s from Massachusetts Bay colony, of which his father was a founder. Downing had been taken to the New World as a child, ultimately became a member of the first graduating class of Harvard College. Upon his return to England he joined forces with Oliver Cromwell. But when he realised that Cromwell's days were numbered, he changed sides, offering his services to Charles II. In gratitude, King Charles granted him a 99-year lease on the property that is now Downing Street. The 'renegade' promptly erected a string of houses as a business investment. The certificate of title eventually reverted to the Crown (state); only three of the houses now stand - numbers 10, 11, and 12, the offices of the Government Whips, who see that Members of Parliament (MPs) are present or accounted for when an important vote is to be taken in the House of Commons.

Sightseers and tourists who stand staring at N0 10's narrow front see only a simple entrance with old-fashioned wrought-iron foot scrapers, a black metal knocker in the shape of a lion's head and a brass name plate that says 'First Lord of the Treasury'.  The unassuming doorway apparently leads to a surprisingly large house.  There are approximately 60 rooms beneath its slate roof, in a wide gamut from the ground-floor Cabinet Room through the oak-panelled dining-room and the chastely simple drawing-room to the bedrooms on the top floor. It is a simple residence. In fact it is said that some well to do families in the United Kingdom (UK) live in more elegance than a British Prime Minister. Entering the door of no 10, momentous-looking gentlemen and women make their state way across the black and white checked marble floor of the front lobby and through a corridor lined with photos of past cabinets, to the cabinet room. Here, save for the House of Commons itself, is the legislative heart of the former British empire. To ensure maximum privacy, all entrances have two sets of doors to make eavesdropping impossible. Cabinet meetings in No.10 are held as often as events dictate. Ministers often assembled at 10.30am round a huge oblong table, protected by its traditional green cloth.

The premier, who chairs the meetings, occupies the only armchair. Behind him hangs a portrait of Sir Robert Walpole, the first official occupant of No. 10.  It is in this room that the destinies of a quarter of the human race have been and are shaped. The room has many memories, of defeat and victory. Among the pictures on the wall is that of Walpole and Queen Caroline, making policy as they drank coffee. Then there is William Pitt, the elder, trying to starve off trouble in the American colonies; and George Grenville, passing the Stamp Act. This article was prompted by what often shocks me each time I fly out of the country - the complete destruction of the old Sir Seretse Khama International Airport building. For posterity's sake why couldn't planners find a way of preserving it and erect the new Chinese-built giant edifice next to the small old airport building? The British (and other developed countries) are pretty good at preserving their heritage. For instance, the Coventry Cathedral in England, which was destroyed in the German blitz during World War II (1939-1945) - has been rebuilt but next to the relic that has become a huge tourist spot that attracts visitors from all over the world.  If the old No 10 Downing Street had been razed like the old Sir Seretse Khama Airport structure, the rest of the world would have had no clue as to how it looked like in 1735.  I am sure environmentalists would have something to say about the 'destruction' of what was probably Gaborone's 'Sherwood Forest' to pave way for the mushrooming concrete jungle called the new Gaborone Business District (CBD). By the way Robin Hood's famous Sherwood Forest, from which he used to 'steal from the rich to give to the poor', in Nottingham city in the UK, is still there; so are magistrate courts from which English convicts were tried before being shipped to far away Australia.  (Sila Press Agency)