1936 On the Continent

constitutionally restricted power, has retained all the pomp and splendour of feudal times, and everything connected with the Court is decorative, brilliant, impersonally majestic—and the British people will have it so. On the other hand, the dominant note of the British Government, which actually wields the power of the British Empire, is a contrasting simplicity, expressive of the realities of democratic, industrious England. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Whitehall, where the whole power of the British Empire is concentrated.
    We quite understand the tourist who regards with awed surprise the two living equestrian statues posted in the improbably narrow gateways of the Horse Guards Parade, the two guardsmen who, in their helmets and red coats, sit on their horses motionless for hours. The Changing of the Guard, which takes place at 11 a.m. on weekdays, and 10 a.m. on Sundays, is also a remarkable show. By the way, the two sentries are not purely decorative; they are also there to guard the two gateways, which lead to the parade ground where, on the King’s birthday, the colourful ceremony of the Trooping of the Colour is held. None but privileged personages, whose names appear on a special list kept by the Lord Chamberlain, may use these gateways. Thus all this, though actually in Whitehall, still belongs to the Royal side of London.
No. 10 Downing Street
    But a few hundred yards further along Whitehall is a small and far from impressive street called Downing Street.This street contains but few houses, but those few represent Great Britain. It is always a pleasure to conduct a foreign visitor to Downing Street, point out No. 10 to him, and watch the amazed expression on his face. The building looks so simple, so unassuming, and, from the outside at any rate, so small, that it is difficult to realise that this is the official residence of the Prime Minister of Great Britain. Nor is there any indication to that effect on the door. The name plate only says, “First Lord of the Treasury,” though that is the traditional designation of the Premier. There is no uniformed doorkeeper, or a guard of honour, or even a policeman.
No. 11 Downing Street
    There is a cheerful looking bell on the door which almost seems to invite one to ring. It has often been suggested that the Prime Minister should receive a more impressive residence, but nothing has come of it so far. No. 10 Downing Street, which was originally built for a very different purpose, has been made into a symbol by the great figures of British parliamentary democracy who directed the destinies of their country from this house, and it will probably remain so in the future.
    The next house, No. 11, is no less simple. It is the residence of the Chancellor of the Exchequer; or England’s Minister of Finance. The closeness of the two official residences may have been a coincidence at first, but it has proved extremely useful, as Chancellors of the Exchequer have frequently succeeded to the Premiership, and in such cases the cost of moving has not been very considerable. No. 11, also contains the offices of the Whips, or parliamentary chiefs of the government party, whose task it is to see that the Government should always have the necessary voting strength in the House.
    The whole of the opposite side of Downing Street is occupied by the Foreign Office, from where England’s foreign policy is directed.
Royal United Services Museum
    All the other Ministries are situated close-by, in more or less beautiful buildings, some of which, particularly those of recent origin, may be described as palaces. The face ofWhitehall would have changed in the near future, had the Government decided to carry out the project for re-building it.
    The Whitehall which gave its name to the street, was once part of the Royal Palace of Westminster, which was built in 1622, and burned down 70 years later. Only the great Banquet Hall escaped destruction, and to-day constitutes the finest part of the Royal United Services Museum. The most interesting exhibits at the Museum are the reconstruction of historical events, such as the Battle of Trafalgar, the Indian Rebellion, and even the Battle of the Somme in the Great War.
    There are many other things in Whitehall that provide an impulse to the imagination. There is the huge building of the Admiralty, with its wireless mast. The Admiralty is in constant touch by radio with all ships of the navy, in whatever part of the world they may