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.

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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

Barber Beaumont

Barber Beaumont

Army officer, painter, philanthropist. Born John Thomas Barber and in 1812 for no known reason, he added the name of Beaumont. He specialised in historical and portrait miniatures, and displayed at...

Person, Armed Forces, Art, Commerce

3 memorials
Bostall Estate

Bostall Estate

In 1887 Bostall Farm was bought by the Royal Arsenal Co-operative Society and run to provide vegetables for the Co-op shops and food for the Society’s horses and pigs. By 1899 it had been decided t...

Place, Architecture, Commerce, Community / Clubs

1 memorial
Queen's Assurance

Queen's Assurance

Established sometime in the 1850s.

Group, Commerce

1 memorial
London Mint Office Limited

London Mint Office Limited

This seems to be a commercial organisation making and selling coins to collectors, with no connection to the Royal Mint.

Group, Commerce

1 memorial
Mohamed Al-Fayed

Mohamed Al-Fayed

Shop-keeper.  Born Egypt.  Arrived in London in the 70s and added the aristocratic "al" prefix to his name.  He owned Harrods, the Paris Ritz and Fulham Football Club. The drunk chauffeur of the ca...

Person, Commerce, Egypt

2 memorials

Previously viewed

Musical Heritage

Musical Heritage

Merged with the Heritage Foundation.

Group, History, Music / songs

5 memorials