With its L-shaped lawn and rose beds commissioned by Margaret Thatcher, the garden at Number 10 Downing Street has played host to some historic moments.
In recent years, they have ranged from David Cameron’s love-in with Nick Clegg in 2010 to Dominic Cummings’ defiance after his lockdown drive to Durham.
Now, ordinary Britons have the chance to tour the garden, which dates back in its current form to 1736.
The tour is being run as part of the London Open Gardens weekend, during which more than 100 normally private gardens will open their doors.
During the Second World War, prime minister Winston Churchill had brief moments of respite in the garden as Britain fought against Nazi Germany.
With its L-shaped lawn and rose beds commissioned by Margaret Thatcher, the garden at Number 10 Downing Street has played host to some historic moments. Above: David Cameron’s love-in with Nick Clegg when the pair launched the Coalition in 2010
During the Second World War, prime minister Winston Churchill had brief moments of respite in the garden at Number 10 Downing Street as Britain fought against Nazi Germany. Above: Sir Winston in the garden in 1943
In 1952, during Churchill’s second term as PM, his deputy Anthony Eden posed with his new wife Clarissa – his boss’s niece – in the garden on their wedding day.
In 1991, an IRA mortar bomb that was fired from a white transit van exploded in the garden just a few yards away from where then prime minister John Major was chairing a cabinet meeting.
The explosion left a crater and blew in the windows of the neighbouring houses.
In 1995, the nation’s media were summoned to a press conference in the garden and watched as Sir John resigned as Tory leader so he could run for re-election to silence his critics.
He famously told his political enemies to ‘put up or shut up’ – and the ploy worked as he beat rebel John Redwood in a vote among MPs and so remained as leader and PM.
In 1997, new prime minister Tony Blair enjoyed a friendly press conference with US president Bill Clinton in the garden.
In 2010, David Cameron and then Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg launched the first peacetime coalition government since the 1930s in the half-acre space.
The pair looked relaxed in each other’s company as they held an open-air press conference.
In May 2020, Dominic Cummings – who was chief adviser to then PM Boris Johnson – held a hastily arranged press conference in the Downing Street garden to field questions about the furore generated by his 260-mile drive to Durham during the coronavirus lockdown
Margaret Thatcher picking tulips in the garden of Number 10 Downing Street, May 1985
Margaret Thatcher cutting azalia blooms in the Downing Street garden, May 1985
In 1995, the nation’s media were summoned to a press conference in the garden and watched as Sir John resigned as Tory leader so he could run for re-election to silence his critics
Now, ordinary Britons have the chance to tour the historic garden, which dates in its current form back to 1736
Churchill and his wife Clementine are seen in the garden at Downing Street in 1941 talking to five French youths after they reached Britain by paddling for two days from occupied France
Lord Cameron, who is now Foreign Secretary, had failed to secure an overall majority in that year’s election and so needed Lib Dem support to form a stable government.
The Coalition went on to last for a full five-year term before Clegg lost his seat at the 2015 election as the Lib Dems were hammered.
In May 2020, Dominic Cummings – who was chief adviser to then PM Boris Johnson – held a hastily arranged press conference in the Downing Street garden to field questions about the furore generated by his 260-mile drive to Durham during the coronavirus lockdown.
He claimed he had always behaved ‘reasonably and legally’ and said his decision to travel to the city to stay in a cottage on his parents’ land was the result of a ‘very complicated, tricky situation’.
New Labour prime minister Tony Blair enjoys a cup of tea in the Downing Street garden after his victory in the 1997 election
Tony Blair at a cosy press conference with US President Bill Clinton in the Number 10 garden
Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and US President Joe Biden drink ffrom mugs as they sit in the garden of 10 Downing Street in central London on July 10, 2023, during their meeting
Boris Johnson hosts a BBQ with NHS staff in the garden of Downing Street in 2021
Antony Eden on the day of his wedding to Clarissa Churchill, in the garden at 10 Downing Street, August 1952
The signatories of the Treaties of Locarno in the garden of 10 Downing Street in 1925. Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin is on the far right, French Foreign Minister Aristide Briand (front row, center), and Winston Churchill (back row, right)
Prime Minister James Callaghan talks to the gardener in the Number 10 garden, April 1978
Cummings said he took the action to ensure his young son would be looked after if both he and his wife became seriously ill with coronavirus.
The adviser then drove himself and his family to Barnard Castle, around 25 miles from his parents’ home.
Cummings said he made the trip to test his eyesight before driving back to London.
Another controversy came when a photo emerged of a lockdown-busting gathering in the Downing Street garden in the summer of 2020.
The photo, obtained by the Guardian, showed Mr Johnson, his wife Carrie, and 17 other staff members in the garden with bottles of wine and a cheeseboard on a table in front of the PM.
At the time there were strict restrictions on mixing.
Britons who want to tour the garden on June 8 have until May 7 to enter a free public ballot to secure one of the 48 places.
Head to the website of charity London Parks & Gardens to enter the ballot.
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk