Prince's Trust

THE GATHERING visit Downing Street

September 2009

Click here for the background to The Gathering

It was with great excitement that “The Gathering” learnt of an invitation sent out by The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling and his wife Maggie to visit Number 11 Downing Street.  They had heard about the Scholars’ Challenge and been so impressed by the achievements of the Dollar Academy pupils that they wanted to meet us.

On a bright September day the team arrived in London by plane and train.  With picture identification in hand, we were ready to pass through the security gates into No 11 Downing Street.

Maggie Darling met us at the door of No 10.  The famous lion’s head doorknocker and the brass letterbox date back to the 1770s. The letterbox is inscribed ‘First Lord of the Treasury’, the title held by every Prime Minister since Sir Robert Walpole.  We were then in the hallway with the famous black and white chequered floor.  The Victorian black leather guard seat, with a brazier drawer to keep guards warm before the advent of central heating, sits in this hallway. 

We were taken first to No 11 using the connecting passageway.  This house was reminiscent of country hotels described as “with faded elegance”.  The living room was very comfortable, filled with Scottish works of art chosen by Maggie Darling when they moved in.  It was here Alistair Darling came to meet with us.  He spent forty five minutes asking and answering questions.  He was asked why he had left law and gone into politics.  He said it was accidental as he never expected to succeed in gaining a seat.  He also said there was a glut of lawyers and politics was something he had always been passionate about.  He was very candid about all aspects of his life until he was asked for details of how he was going to ensure a sustained recovery from the recession; a true politician.  After learning about “The Gathering’s” project in detail he then made the offer of possible employment in his department to interested pupils!

The tour, of almost three hours duration, continued, allowing us to explore all areas of both No 10 and No 11.  We heard about the IRA attack on the cabinet and were shown the scarred back wall, a legacy they have left intact.  We were also shown the incredible art work, The Blue Peter Millennium Garden at the back of No 10, the seat Barack Obama sat in at dinner, the giant globe President Mitterrand gifted, the ornate ceilings commissioned by Margaret Thatcher when she was in office and numerous other fascinating snippets, which all lie concealed behind the blackened walls of Downing Street.  The visit far exceeded all our expectations.  For a more detailed tour see the next edition of Fortunas.