The Royal Exchange

The building of the Royal Exchange (the old London Stock Exchange) stands in an important crossroads of the city of London (Poultry, Threadneedle, Cornhill, King William, Prince's and Cripplegate streets). The current building is actually the third version of the Exchange. The original building was actually built by Sir Thomas Gresham in 1563. He was an English merchant with important businesses in Antwerp. London was missing a stock that at that time the Flemish city already owned and actually served as the inspiration for the design of the original construction. Queen Elizabeth I (of the Armada) inaugurated the Stock market in 1571, which is how it got it’s “Royal” name.