10 Downing Street, also known colloquially as Number 10,[1] is the headquarters of the Government of the United Kingdom, as well as the personal residence of the Prime Minister in London, England.
History[]
The first residence built on the site was gifted to Thomas Knyvet, 1st Baron Knyvet by Queen Elizabeth in 1581. Knyvet was involved in arresting Guy Fawkes and foiling his Gunpowder Plot in 1605.[2] The house then passed through various owners over the years. Eventually in 1682, Sir George Downing gained ownership of the block and built them up in a cul-de-sac of two-story town houses. Over the years, the addresses changed several times.[3]
In 1732, Sir Robert Walpole became the first Prime Minister to live at 10 Downing Street after King George II offered Walpole the house as a gift. However, Walpole only accepted on the condition that the house become the official residence of the Prime Minister.[2]
The residence would later fall into disrepair as many Prime Minister preferred living in their own house. By 1868, Benjamin Disraeli was Prime Minister and he worked to repair the place for his own accommodation. He successfully convinced Parliament to help pay for repairs, although he had to pay for the repair of the private rooms out of his own coin.[2]
In 1908, Prime Ministers became legally required to live at the residence.[2]
At some point during her tenure as Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher was manipulated by the Templar front company Abstergo Industries into helping depose Mikhail Gorbachev as leader of the Soviet Union in 1991 and supporting Boris Yeltsin's presidential campaign. On one occasion, Thatcher personally wrote to Yeltsin, informing him that several of her Abstergo contacts would incite a riot with help from members of the communist old guard, and suggested that Yeltsin publicly repel any attempt to seize parliament, before closing with the request that he "telephone [her] at No. 10" to discuss the matter further.[1]
Appearances[]
- Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (mentioned only)
- Assassin's Creed: Syndicate (mentioned in Database entry only)
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood – Rifts: Cluster #6
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Assassin's Creed: Syndicate – Database: 10 Downing Street
- ↑
10 Downing Street on Wikipedia