12 Downing Street

12 Downing Street stands on Downing Street in London, within a historic group of government buildings. George Downing built the original houses in the late seventeenth century.

12 Downing Street is one of three surviving original houses, alongside 10 and 11 Downing Street. These addresses form one connected government complex.

A corridor links their entrances and staircases, allowing movement between the buildings without stepping outside. Number 12 has also supported government operations.

Number 11 has served as the official residence of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Its interiors combine formal rooms with practical spaces.

Its architecture reflects an improvised original construction, while later repairs addressed structural problems across the complex. Raymond Erith strengthened the buildings during work in the early 1960s.

He also added a lift to the interconnected buildings. Number 11 contains a wood-panelled state dining room designed by Sir John Soane.

A staircase displays portraits and caricatures of former chancellors, with each cartoon chosen to represent its subject. The buildings combine offices, residences, dining rooms, and political history.

Their separate addresses still describe spaces joined inside a single working complex.