Editing 10 Downing Street (section)

=== History of the "House at the Back" before 1733 ===
[[File:The Old Palace of Whitehall by Hendrik Danckerts.jpg|thumb|''The Palace of Whitehall'' by [[Hendrick Danckerts]] {{Circa|1660}}–1679. Viewed from [[St James's Park]], the "House at the Back" is on the right; the octagonal building next to it is the Cockpit.]]
{{anchor|Lichfield House}}<!--[[Lichfield House, Whitehall]] redirects here-->
The "House at the Back", the largest of the three houses which were combined to make Number 10, was a mansion built in about 1530 next to the [[Palace of Whitehall]]. Rebuilt, expanded, and renovated many times since, it was originally one of several buildings that made up the "Cockpit Lodgings", so-called because they were attached to an octagonal structure used for [[cock-fighting]]. Early in the 17th century, the Cockpit was converted to a concert hall and theatre; after the [[Glorious Revolution]] of 1688, some of the first cabinet meetings were held there secretly.{{sfn|Minney|1963|p=23}}

For many years, the "House at the Back" was the home of [[Thomas Knyvet, 1st Baron Knyvet|Thomas Knyvet]], Keeper of [[Whitehall Palace]], famous for capturing [[Guy Fawkes]] in 1605 and foiling his plot to assassinate King [[James VI and I|James I]]. The previous year, Knyvet had moved into a house next door, approximately where Number 10 is today.{{sfnm|Jones|1985|1pp=16–18|Minney|1963|2pp=23–24}}

From that time, the "House at the Back" was usually occupied by members of the royal family or the government. [[Elizabeth of Bohemia|Princess Elizabeth]], eldest daughter of King [[James VI and I|James I]], lived there from 1604 until 1613 when she married [[Frederick V, Elector Palatine]] and moved to [[Heidelberg]]. She was the grandmother of King [[George I of Great Britain|George I]], the [[Elector of Hanover]], who became King of Great Britain in 1714, and was a great-grandmother of King [[George II of Great Britain|George II]], who presented the house to Walpole in 1732.{{sfn|Minney|1963|p=24}}

[[George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle]], the general responsible for the [[Restoration (England)|Restoration of the Monarchy]] in 1660, lived there from 1660 until his death in 1671. As head of the Great Treasury Commission of 1667–1672, Albemarle transformed accounting methods and allowed the Crown greater control over expenses. His secretary, [[Sir George Downing, 1st Baronet|George Downing]], who built Downing Street, is thought to have created these changes. Albemarle is the first treasury minister to have lived in what became the home of the First Lord of the Treasury and prime minister.{{sfn|Minney|1963|pp=24–25}}

In 1671 [[George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham]] took possession when he joined the [[Cabal Ministry]]. At considerable expense, Buckingham rebuilt the house. The result was a spacious mansion, lying parallel to Whitehall Palace with a view of St James Park from its garden.{{sfn|Jones|1985|pp=20–21}}

After Buckingham retired in 1676, [[Charlotte Lee, Countess of Lichfield|Lady Charlotte Fitzroy]], Charles II's daughter, moved in when she married [[Edward Lee, 1st Earl of Lichfield]]. The Crown authorised extensive rebuilding which included adding a storey, thus giving it three main floors, an attic and basement. This structure can be seen today as the rear section of Number 10.{{sfn|Jones|1985|p=21}} ''(See Plan of the Premises Granted to the Earl and Countess of Lichfield in 1677)''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/image.aspx?compid=67934&filename=fig50.gif&pubid=748 |title=fig50 | publisher=[[British History Online]] |access-date=15 March 2013}}</ref><ref name="multiref4">British History Online, From: '[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=67934 No. 10, Downing Street] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140829162757/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=67934 |date=29 August 2014 }}', [[Survey of London]]: volume 14: St Margaret, Westminster, part III: Whitehall II (1931), pp. 113–141. Date accessed: 22 July 2008.</ref> The likely reason that repair was required is that the house had settled in the swampy ground near the Thames, causing structural damage.<ref>The diarist [[Pepys]] recorded a high tide when Whitehall was under water and it is known that buildings in the area require deep foundations to avoid settling.</ref> Like Downing Street, it rested on a shallow foundation, a design error that caused problems until 1960 when the modern Number 10 was rebuilt on deep pilings.{{sfn|Minney|1963|p=25}}

The Lichfields followed [[James II of England|James II]] into exile after the [[Glorious Revolution]]. Two years later in 1690, [[William III of England|William III]] and [[Mary II of England|Mary II]] gave the "House at the Back" to [[Henry de Nassau, Lord Overkirk|Hendrik van Nassau-Ouwerkerk]], a Dutch general who had assisted in securing the Crown for the Prince of Orange. Nassau, who Anglicised his name to "Overkirk", lived there until his death in 1708.{{sfn|Jones|1985|p=21}}

The "House at the Back" reverted to the Crown when Lady Overkirk died in 1720. The Treasury issued an order "for repairing and fitting it up in the best and most substantial manner" at a cost of £2,522. The work included: "The Back passage into Downing street to be repaired and a new door; a New Necessary House to be made; To take down the Useless passage formerly made for the Maids of Honour to go into Downing Street, when the Queen lived at the Cockpit; To New Cast a great Lead Cistern & pipes and to lay the Water into the house & a new frame for ye Cistern".{{sfn|Jones|1985|p=23}}<ref name="multiref4"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/image.aspx?compid=67934&filename=fig51.gif&pubid=748 |title=fig51 |publisher=British History Online |access-date=15 March 2013}}</ref>

The name of the "House at the Back" changed with the occupant, from Lichfield House to Overkirk House in 1690 to Bothmer House in 1720.<ref name="Jones2005">{{cite book|last=Jones|first=Nigel R.|title=Architecture of England, Scotland, and Wales|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=epsFOeV1mCMC&pg=PA187|year=2005|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-313-31850-4|page=187}}</ref>