LON 
The mod noble ornament of Cornhill is the Royal 
Exchange. The Bourje , as it is called in foreign countries, 
or meeting-place for merchants, was anciently fituated 
in Lombard-ftreet; but the inconvenience of this place 
had occafioncd frequent complaints among the merchants. 
At length, fir Thomas Grefham, in the years 1566 and 
1567, ereifted a fpacious and magnificent edifice far this 
purpofe, in Cornhill ; which was no fooner finifned, than 
queen Elizabeth honoured it with the title of the Royal 
Exchange. See Gresham, vol. ix. p. 19. and the arti¬ 
cles there referred to.—This ftately fabric being confutned 
in the fire of 1666, the foundation of the prelent magni¬ 
ficent edifice was laid in year 1667, and it was completed 
in 1669. But, the file of the Old Royal Exchange not 
being.capacious enough to receive the intended new fabric, 
the city and the Mercers’ Company, the truftees under 
Grefliam’s will, purchafed a piece of ground for enlarging 
it, at the expenfe of feven thoufand two hundred and fe- 
venteen pounds eleven (hillings, which, added to fifty- 
eight thoufand nine hundred and fixty-two pounds, the 
charge of building, makes the whole expenfe of the Royal 
Exchange amount to fixty-five thoufand nine hundred and 
feventy-nine pounds, eleven (hillings. 
The ground plot of this building is two hundred and 
three feet in length, and one hundred and feventy-one 
feet broad. The area in the middle contains fixty-one 
fquare perches, and is furrounded with a fubftantial and 
regular Itone building, wrought in rultic, with a fpacious 
piazza round it. In the centre of the principal fronts, 
which are north and fouth, are grand entrances into the 
area, under lofty and noble arches. The fouth front in 
Cornhill is the principal: on each fide of the entrance are 
Corinthian columns, 1 importing a compafs-pediment; and 
in the inter-columniation on each fide, in the front next 
the (freer, is a niche, with the figures of Charles I. and 
Charles II. in Roman habits, well executed. Over the 
aperture, on the cornice between the two pediments, are 
the king’s arms in relievo. On each fide of this entrance 
is a range of window s between demi-columns and pilalters 
of the Compofite order ; above which the building is de¬ 
corated with a 1 alufirade. From the centre, in this front, 
rifes a lanthorn and turret a hundred and feventy-eight 
feet high, on the top of which is a fane in the form of a 
grafs-hopper, that infeCt being the creft of fir Thomas 
Grefham’s arms: this fane is made of polifiied brafs, and 
is efteemed a very curious piece of workinanlhip. The 
north front in Threadneedle-ftreet is adorned with pi- 
lafters of the Compofite order, but has neither columns 
nor (latues on the outfide; and, inftead of the two com- 
pals-pediments, has a triangular one. 
The inner court, as hath been already obferved, is fur- 
rounded with a wide piazza, ferving to fhelter the mer¬ 
chants, who meet there, from the inclemency of the wea¬ 
ther. Over the arches of this quadrangular piazza is an 
entablature (landing round, and a compafs-pediment in' 
the middle of the cornice of each of the four (ides. On 
the north fide, under the pediment, are the king’s arms ; 
on the fouth, the city-arms; on the eaft, Grelham’s 
arms; and on the welt, the Mercers’ arms; with their re- 
fpethve enrichments. There are twenty-four niches in 
the intercolumns, in twenty of which are the Itatues of 
the kings and queens of England, in their royal robes, 
and with regalia, except three, which are in Roman 
habits. On the Couth fide are the ftatues of Edward I. 
Edward III. Henry V. and Henry VI. On the weft fide, 
Edward IV. Edward V. with the crown hanging over his 
head; Henry VII. and Henry VIII. On the north fide, 
Edward VI. Mary, Elizabeth, James I. Charles I. Charles II. 
and James II. On the ealt fide, William and Mary in one 
niche, queen Anne, George I. George II. and his prelent 
majefty George III. Under the piazzas, within the area, 
are twenty-eight niches, all vacant except that in which 
fir Thomas Grelham’s ftatue is placed in the north-weft: 
angle 5 and that in the fouth-welf, where the lfatue of 
fir John Barnard was placed in his life-time by his fellow- 
Vol. XIII. No. 520. 
DON. 405 
citizens, to exprefs their fenfe of his merit as a merchant, 
a magiltrate, and a faithful reprefentative of the city of 
London. In the centre of the area is erefled, on a mar¬ 
ble pedeftal, about eight feet high, another ltatue of 
Charles II. in a Roman habit, executed by Gibbon, 
and encompalfed with iron rails. On the fouth fide of 
the pedeftal, under an imperial crown, a fceptr.e, palnr- 
branches, and other decorations, is a flattering infcription 
in Latin. On the weft fide of the pedeftal, is cut in re¬ 
lievo, a Cupid refting his hand on a Ihield, containing 
the arms of France and England quartered, and holding 
in his left a role. On the north fide are the arms of Ire¬ 
land on a Ihield, fupported by a Cupid. On the eaft fide 
are the arms of Scotland, with a Cupid holding a thiftle. 
And, on the bale of the pedeftal, on the fouth, is the fol¬ 
lowing infcription : “ This ftatue was repaired and beau¬ 
tified by the Company of Merchant-Adventurers of Eng¬ 
land anno 1730 ; John Hanbury, Efq. governor.”—In this 
area, and under the furrounding piazza, the merchants, 
and other perfons engaged in mercantile connexions, meet 
every day to tranfafr bufinefs, between the hours of 
twelve and three o’clock; and, for mutual conveni- 
ency, thole engaged in the fame branches of trade afiemble 
in diftinct parts, or, as they are called. The Walks. 
Under the north and fouth fronts are fpacious ftair- 
cales, which lead to a gallery that extends round the four 
fides of the building, and in which were formerly about 
two hundred (hops, occupied by milliners, haberdalhers, 
&c. but thole (hops have been long deferted ; and the gal¬ 
leries are now occupied by the Royal Exchange Alfurance 
Office, the Lord Mayor’s Court Office, the Merchants’ 
Seamen’s Office, Lloyd’s Snbfcription Coffee-houles, the 
rooms appropriated for the Grefham Lectures, and a num¬ 
ber of counring-houfes for merchants and underwriters. 
The (hops in the lower part of the building are moftly 
ufed as counting-houfes by ftock-brokers. Under the 
whole are vaults, kept by the Eaft-India conpany, as ma¬ 
gazines for pepper. In the turret is a good clock, which 
goes with chimes at the hours of three, fix, nine, and 
twelve ; it has four dials, and is fo regulated as to become 
a flandard of time to all the mercantile parts of the town. 
A little to the fouth-well of the Royal Exchange is the 
Mansion House, a building of confiderable magnificence; 
though, from its confined and low lituation, it has an ap¬ 
pearance of heavinefs, which on an elevated fpot, in an 
area proportionate to its magnitude, it would be free from. 
It is fubftantiaily built of Portland-ftone; and has a por¬ 
tico of fix lofty columns of the Corinthian order in the 
front, the pilttliers under the pediment, and on each fide, 
being of the fame order. The bafement-itory is very maffy, 
and built in rultic. In the centre of this ftory is the en¬ 
trance to the kitchen, cellars, and other offices; and on 
each fide rifes a (light of fteps, of very confiderable extent, 
leading up to theportico, in the middle of which is the door 
that opens to the’apartments and offices where bufinefs is 
tranfaded. The (tone baiulirade cf the ftairs is continued 
along the front of the portico; and the columns, which 
are wrought in the proportions of Palladio, fupport a large 
angular pediment, adorned with a very noble piece of 
fculpture, reprefenting the dignity and opulence of the 
city of London; finely defigned, and well executed by 
Mr. Taylor. The principal figure reprefents the genius 
of the city, in the drefs of the goddefs Cybele, clothed 
with the imperial robe, alluding to her being the capital 
of this kingdom, with a crown of turrets on her head ; 
holding the praetorian wand in her right hand, and lean¬ 
ing with her left on the city-arms. She is placed between 
two pillars, or columns, to exprefs the liability of her 
condition ; and on her right hand Itands a naked boy, with 
the falces and axe in one hand, and the l word, with the 
cap of liberty upon it, in the other; to (how, that autho¬ 
rity and juftice are the true fupports of liberty, and that, 
while the former are exerted with vigour, the latter will 
continue in a ftate of youth. At her feet lies a figure, 
rep relenting Faction, as it were in agony, with inakes 
6 C twining 
