The Royal Exchange

Bank London EC3V 3LR

Founded in 1565 by Sir Thomas Gresham as a trading centre, and officially opened by Queen Elizabeth I, who awarded the building its regal title on 23 January 1571, the Royal Exchange was considered the pinnacle of City tradition for centuries, a centre for merchants and tradesmen to meet and conduct business. (Interestingly it once excluded stockbrokers due to their rude manners.) But the original building was destroyed in the Great Fire and then its successor burnt down in 1838. This third Royal Exchange closed down in 1939 and reopened in 2001 as a luxury shopping and restaurant complex with the same layout as the original; the large central courtyard now has the Grand Café, which offers all day dining including afternoon tea. Like so much of the city, it’s only open during the week, but makes a good place to come for a coffee or a cocktail while pondering a purchase from one of the numerous luxury brands that have outlets here – from Hermès to Tiffany and Jo Malone. Stockbrokers, whose manners have improved a bit, are naturally very much welcome these days.

Best Places to stay near The Royal Exchange

What Customers say about Cool Places

Everything I needed for a stay

I'm already looking forward to going again and would highly recommend this hotel to anyone visiting the area. It definitely deserves a five star rating!

Nathan, Verified Customer

6 out of 5!!!!

This place was amazing… I could not recommend this place enough, I’ll be singing their praise for many years to come and we are going to book again soon.

Barbara, Verified Customer

Easy to navigate

Great site that offers a really broad range of places to stay across the UK. Easy to navigate and book holidays.

Patrick, Verified Customer

Such a great variety of properties

Found this website when looking to book a staycation for later in the year. Such a great variety of properties and the website is really easy to use. Already shared with my family and friends.

CT, Verified Customer

Great, simple, straightforward

Great, simple and straightforward. I will definitely be using Cool Places again.

SM, Verified Customer