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Downing Street sign goes under the hammer
Downing Street sign expected to go for thousands as it goes under the hammer.
A sign bearing the name of Britain’s most exclusive political address is expected to fetch several thousand pounds when it goes under the hammer. The 19th century cast iron Downing Street sign was previewed today at Bonhams auctioneers in central London ahead of its sale next Wednesday. It is perhaps the perfect gift for political pundits or even politicians keen to hang on to the remnants of power.
Equally, a bidder might want to snap it up – the estimate is £4,000-£6,000 – for David Cameron’s 44th birthday in October, or even for Nick Clegg, who was 43 last week.
The battered strip of cast iron is a 19th-century sign from one of the most famous streets in the world, Downing Street, right, which was replaced in the 20th century by the white-on-black style. It was rescued from a Westminster city council yard, and hung in a foreman’s office before being sold to a private collector in the 80s. Downing Street itself dates back to speculative building on what had been hunting and farm land on the outskirts of the city by an astute 17th-century property developer, Sir George Downing.
No 10 became the office and official residence of the head of government because it was the home of the first prime minister, Robert Walpole, who despite being imprisoned for corruption at one point, prospered so spectacularly in office that he also built a palatial new house at Houghton in Norfolk, filled with a staggering art collection.
Source: guardian.co.uk.
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