2-634-561 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

Interior of the Royal Exchange, City of London, c1910 (1911). Founded by the merchant Sir Thomas Gresham, the Royal Exchange was officially opened on 23 January 1571 by Queen Elizabeth I, who awarded the building its royal title and a licence to sell alcohol. Traditionally, the steps of the Royal Exchange is the place where Royal Proclamations, such as the dissolution of Parliament, are read out by a town crier. The current building, designed by William Tite, was built in the 1840s. From London - The City, by Sir Walter Besant. [Adam & Charles Black, London, 1911]