Building    From 1566 

Royal Exchange

Categories: Commerce

The Royal Exchange was established by Thomas Gresham in 1566, following his, and his father's, favourable experiences of the Antwerp Bourse as a place where merchants could arrange credit and loans and so trade effectively.

The first building was lost in the Great Fire but replaced by 1669. A fire insurance company, Royal Exchange Assurance, was based in this building which is depicted on their insignia. Despite this, another, more localised, fire destroyed the second Royal Exchange building in 1838. Prince Albert laid the foundation stone of the third (and last, as of 2007) on 17 January 1842 and two years later Queen Victoria presided at the opening ceremony. This building is by Sir William Tite. If you want to know about the sculpture in the pediment, by Richard Westmacott, son of Richard Westmacott, then Ornamental Passions is the place to go.

Renovated in 2001, the Grade 1 listed building is now, it seems, mainly occupied by seriously expensive jewellery shops. IainVisits has (illicit) photos. 2017:Londonist visited the building and didn't like it very much.

Murals inside painted in 1892 by Lord Leighton and Frank Brangwyn. 2016: Londonist reports that these are at risk.

2023: Londonist's roving reporter found some statues from the building, the one destroyed in the 1838 fire, in the garden of a hotel in Swanage.

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Royal Exchange

Commemorated ati

Prince Albert - Holborn

Prince Albert, dressed as a field marshal, doffs his hat to the passing traff...

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Other Subjects

Freemasons' Tavern

Freemasons' Tavern

The first, 1775, building (in the picture) was replaced by a four storey building in 1803. It was rebuilt again in 1864 by the Freemasons who, in 1909, renovated it and changed its name to the Conn...

Building, Commerce, Food & Drink

2 memorials
Baron Herman de Stern

Baron Herman de Stern

Born Frankfurt, moved to London by the 1840s where he joined his brother David. There were other brothers in Paris and Berlin so their banking business covered Europe and was extremely successful. ...

Person, Commerce

1 memorial
General Post Office

General Post Office

The first general post office in London opened in 1643, after King Charles I legalised use of the royal posts for private correspondence. It was possibly located on Cloak Lane near Dowgate Hill, in...

Building, Commerce

5 memorials
Bank of England

Bank of England

Londonist have an interesting post about animals at the Bank of England. The Guardian, 16 April 2022, reporting on an exhibition at the Bank of England, informed that the Bank once owned 599 slave...

Group, Commerce, Politics & Administration, Race Issues

1 memorial
Hiram Shorey

Hiram Shorey

Merchant tailor and co-founder of Rotary International. Born Hiram Elroy Shorey in Litchfield, Kennebec, Maine.

Person, Commerce, Community / Clubs, USA

1 memorial