Royal Exchange
London EC3

The Royal Exchange was founded by Sir Thomas Gresham in 1565.  The Elizabethan merchant and courtier established the Exchange as a centre for commerce. 

At the centre of the original building was a vast courtyard where merchants and tradesmen did business.  Queen Elizabeth I bestowed its Royal title and to this day the Royal Exchange is one of the sites from which new monarchs are announced. 

The present Royal Exchange, with its neo-classical portico, overshadows the Bank of England, and was designed by William Tite and opened by Queen Victoria in 1844. 

A statue over the entrance in Exchange Buildings honours Gresham and his grasshopper emblem can be seen on the bell tower. 

The forecourt of the Royal Exchange was first place in Britain to have public lavatories, built in 1855 for male use only. 

After a two-year renovation the Royal Exchange reopened in December 2001, as a high-class shopping complex.