The Royal Exchange in London was founded in the 16th century by the merchant Sir Thomas Gresham on the suggestion of his factor Richard Clough to act as a centre of commerce for the City of London. The site was provided by the City of London Corporation and the Worshipful Company of Mercers, who still jointly own the freehold. The original foundation was ceremonially opened by Queen Elizabeth I who granted it its "royal" title. The current neoclassical building has a trapezoidal floor plan and is flanked by Cornhill and Threadneedle Street, which converge at Bank junction in the heart of the city. It lies in the Ward of Cornhill.
The west façade of the Royal Exchange from the Bank junction
The original Royal Exchange in an engraving by Wenceslaus Hollar
The second Royal Exchange by Alain Manesson Mallet in 1683
The Royal Exchange from Corn Hill by Thomas Bowles in 1781
Sir Thomas Gresham the Elder was an English merchant and financier who acted on behalf of King Edward VI (1547–1553) and Edward's half-sisters, queens Mary I (1553–1558) and Elizabeth I (1558–1603). In 1565 Gresham founded the Royal Exchange in the City of London.
Portrait of Thomas Gresham, aged approximately 41. From the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
18th century engraving of Sir Thomas Gresham
Gresham's bust at Stowe School
Gresham's initials "TG" and date 1563 with his golden grasshopper emblem, serving as the sign of a bank in Lombard Street, the historic centre of banking in the City of London
