Royal Exchange

The Royal Exchange, built between 1841 and 1844 by Sir William Tite, is a Grade I listed building located on the north side of Cornhill in London. This structure features two main storeys surrounding a formerly open arcaded courtyard, designed in a rich, heavy classical style using Portland stone. The west side boasts an eight-columned portico with a sculptural figure in the tympanum of the pediment, and behind it are three arched openings with barrel vaults above. The side elevations are pilastered, incorporating arcades that house shops beneath a mezzanine, with upper windows that have shaped heads. The three central bays are adorned with more elaborate carvings and a single recessed entrance. The north elevation includes two statues, while an attic storey is concealed behind a modelled parapet and balustrade. The building features pairs of chimney stacks connected by arches, curved corners at the rear, and a central portico supported by four engaged columns. Above, a pilastered tower is topped with a large statue of Sir Thomas Evesham, flanked by turrets with urns and a lantern, which is crowned by a cupola with diagonally set columns.

Inside, access is through decorative iron gates. The interior consists of two storeys, featuring arcading and orders of engaged Doric and Ionic columns. The first-floor windows are arched and pedimented, and a large bracketed cornice now supports a heavy roof made of cast iron and glass, complete with coving and a central dome that is richly decorated. The central area has patterned paving, while the cloister walls are plain and display a series of 19th and 20th-century historical paintings of varying quality. Notable statues include Queen Elizabeth from 1844 by M.L. Watson, Charles II (attributed to Gibbons), Queen Victoria by Sir William Hamo Thorneycroft from 1895, Prince Albert by J.G. Lough from 1841/42, and a bust of Abraham Lincoln by Andrew O'Connor from 1930.

The design of the Royal Exchange continues the general form of its predecessors from 1566 and 1667-69. It is listed as Grade I not only for its architectural quality but also as a symbolic centre of the commercial life of the City.