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.
Elizabeth I officially opened the Royal Exchange on 23 January 1571, conferring the 'royal' title and awarding it a licence to sell alcohol and valuable goods.
The first building was lost in the Great Fire but replaced by 1669 with a building designed by Edward Jerman. 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.
The site was enlarged, the portico added to the west face and the courtyard roofed over. If you want to know about the sculpture in the pediment, by Richard Westmacott, son of Richard Westmacott, then is the place to go.
Renovated in 2001, the Grade 1 listed building is now, it seems, mainly occupied by seriously expensive jewellery shops. has (illicit) photos. 2017: visited the building and didn't like it very much.
Murals inside painted in 1892 by Lord Leighton and Frank Brangwyn. 2016: reports that these are at risk.
2023: 's roving reporter found some statues from the building, the one destroyed in the 1838 fire, in the garden of a hotel in Swanage.
2025: An information panel concludes: "Under one roof all that is beautiful and stylish is freely available to buy." Do those last 4 words make sense?
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