Royal Exchange, London

The Royal Exchange was founded in 1565 in the City of London. The first building was destroyed by fire in 1666 and the same fate awaited the second one, shown in this illustration, on the year following the publication of this issue of Le Magasin Pittoresque.

The ground floor was used by stockbrokers and various shops with streetside entrances: bookshops, opticians, tobacco shops, etc. Above were the business offices of merchants, insurance companies, and of the Society of Lloyd’s, which had two suites of flats. In the square inner courtyard stood the statue of King Charles II.

The original caption reads: Vue intérieure de la bourse de Londres, the Royal Exchange