* Chequers has been the official country residence of British prime ministers since 1917. Built in the sixteenth century and renovated throughout the years, the mansion served as a convalescent home for British officers during World War I. Once again a private home after the war, Chequers was donated to Britain by Lord and Lady Lee of Fareham. The name Chequers is thought to derive from the coat of arms of a long-ago owner, which featured the checkerboard pattern associated with the crown’s chief financial figure, formally known as the Exchequer. Churchill himself was Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1924 to 1929.