Where: Whitehall, SW1

What: One of the most famous streets in London, Downing Street is around a hundred yards up Whitehall from the Houses of Parliament, walking towards Trafalgar Square. The street is named after its builder, Sir George Downing, who was a Cromwellian civil servant.

No. 10, with its famous black front door - the backdrop to many historical announcements - has been the official residence of Britain’s Prime Minister since 1732, when King George II presented the property to Sir Robert Walpole, Britain’s first Prime Minister. No. 11 has been home of the Chancellor of the Exchequer since 1806 and No. 12 is the home of the government’s chief whip.

Unchanged externally in this time, this brick built terrace of interconnecting houses has been modernised internally over the years to accommodate, as well as the many offices required by a modern government, the cabinet room on the ground floor and a flat on an upper floor which is occupied by the prime minister’s family.

At the end of Downing Street today there are a pair of iron gates, to prevent the public access to the cul-de-sac for security reasons. Unfortunately, because of gates, there is very little to see, unless you catch a glimpse of someone coming or going in a car.

Nearest underground station: Westminster