Royal Exchange, City of London

This remarkable building, surrounded by the Bank of England, Mansion House and the Stock Exchange, was founded as 'a comely bourse for merchants to assemble upon' by the wealthy London mercer Sir Thomas Gresham.

The City of London Corporation and the Worshipful Company of Mercer provided the land, both of whom still jointly own the freehold.

Richard Clough, who designed the building, oversaw the import of various materials from Antwerp, such as: glass, wood, slate and stone, which he paid for out of his own pocket.

So impressed was Queen Elizabeth I by Gresham's achievement that, on January 23, 1571, she visited it and declared, "It must be called the Royal Exchange."

In addition to its trading floor and offices, the original building also enjoyed an upper floor of over one hundred popular and lively small shops, modelled after the New Exchange in Antwerp.

After the Great Fire of 1666 the Royal Exchange was twice rebuilt. In 1667, King Charles II laid the foundation stone for a building designed by Edward Jerman. This building, opened in 1669, had a tall wooden tower built over the south entrance. Unfortunately, this fell into disrepair and, 1821, was replaced with a stone tower, designed by George Smith. On January 10, 1838, this building was also destroyed by fire. The blaze was so bright that it could be seen from Windsor, some 24 miles (39 km) away.

Walking with Erin: British Film Institute to Crossbones Graveyard... and beyond

A 'Small Car Big City' Mini Cooper.

Saturday October 18, 2025.

It had been a while since Erin and I had taken a trip to London, so we needed to plan something. Erin found out about 'A Wicked Celebration' taking place at the British Film Institute, on the Southbank, so we decided that that would be our starting point.

We left home and made the short walk to Watford Metropolitan station and boarded a train for Baker Street. We changed at Finchley Road, where we boarded a Jubilee line train to Waterloo. 

Paddington Bear mural.

As we had plenty of time before the exhibition opened, we took a slow walk from Waterloo station, along Concert Hall Approach, and passed a great mural to Paddington Bear on the way. We then  explored the various external floors of the Southbank Centre. I have walked along the Southbank before, but never visited the various raised plazas that make up the Southbank Centre.

Water feature sculptures at the Southbank Centre.

The views from these raised walkways offered nice views of the River Thames, while different sculptures were dotted around, too.

Once we had seen enough we made our way down to street level and Theatre Road. For an exhibition about the phenomenon that is 'Wicked', there were no advertising signs or posters to say that it was on, which was a surprise. 

Vickers (Charlize Theron) EVA Suit, from Prometheus (2012).

We made our way into the BFI, via the Cinema and Box Office entrance, and climbed the stairs and joined a small queue of about twenty people.

Ozian coins.

After about ten minutes we were climbing the stairs to the Mezzanine Gallery and exploring 'A Wicked celebration'. Large panels, containing photographs and snippets of information, lined the wall, detailing the behind-the-scenes making of the movie. 

Erin with Glinda's costume.

Then there were the four small glass cabinets that held replica props, such as Ozian coins and Glinda's wand. At the end of the gallery were Elphaba and Glinda's dresses, protected behind glass, that allowed people to see the intricacy of their design.

Once we had seen everything, which didn't take long, we headed outside and sat and ate our lunch by the National Theatre.

Once we had eaten we decided to head towards London Bridge, by following The Queen's Walk. As Erin doesn't enjoy walking, as much as Keilyn, I thought that it would be easier if we walked towards underground stations, should she suddenly tire. Wooden huts, selling their wares, were already open and decorated for Christmas. 

Blackfriars Station commemorative plaque.

We passed Gabriel's Wharf, Thames Beach, Oxo Wharf and Sea Containers House, before we turned down Marigold Avenue onto Upper Ground. We then turned south, onto Blackfriars Road, passing the original entrance to Blackfriars station, heading to The Cut, where we stopped at a Tesco Express for some more snacks.

The Mint & Gospel Lighthouse Mission Shaftesbury Society.

From here we headed along Union Street, passing the London Fire Brigade Headquarters, an original tram shelter, which is now a 'Heard' burger restaurant, that looks rather nice. We then passed the old Ragged School building and, opposite, discovered that Crossbones Graveyard and Garden of Remembrance was open. So, we went in. 

La Catrina, donated by the Mexican Ambassador to the United Kingdom.

Besides a few volunteers, and a handful of other visitors, the place was remarkably empty. While Erin picked up an information booklet I made a donation and, soon, we were exploring this historic place. As we walked slowly around I told Erin about its history.

More Than Just a Statue to a Great Man

Greathead's tunnelling shield in action.

Across the road from the Bank of England, on Cornhill, there is a statue of a man, atop a tall plinth, which allows him to gaze down on to the street below. The man is wearing a fedora and appears to be holding some sort of map, giving him a kind of 'Indiana Jones' appearance. The man is James Henry Greathead, who was born in South African in 1844. 

So what is it about him that demands a statue on such a large plinth in this area of the City of London? 

Well. James Henry Greathead moved to England in 1859, where he studied under the civil engineer Peter W. Barlow. This was a great era for tunnel diggers, what with Marc Brunel and his son, Isambard, having tunnelled beneath the River Thames and created the first tunnel beneath a navigable waterway, in 1843.

Brunel had designed and patented an 'Iron Shield', for his tunnelling, which Greathead, along with Barlow, greatly improved upon. Their project would be London's second tunnel beneath the River Thames and was called, unsurprisingly, the Tower Subway, as it would carry 12 passengers along a narrow-gauge railway from Tower Hill to Tooley Street.

The tunnelling shield was an immediate success, considering that the majority of London's underground lines had been built with the 'cut-and-cover' method, up to this point.