An early morning breakfast in the City allowed me to see the Royal Exchange building oddly and unusually without traffic in front. The original Royal Exchange by Queen Elizabeth I on 23 January 1571. It burnt down in the Fire and a replacement was designed by Edward Jarman. It burnt down in 1838. Its replacement was designed by William Tite who mainly designed railway stations, but won the second competition for a grand, classical building against Cockerell, Smirke and Barry:-
Beyond it is the Cheesegrater, the Gherkin and an as yet unnamed tower block currently under construction:-
And the Walkie-Talkie hovers in the early morning smoke:-
| Charles | Saumarez | Smith | 
For the London Architecture Guide Francis Pugh has designed a walk entitled ‘Architecture of Money’ which visits all these buildings, and others including the Port of London Authority building, Minster Court, Leadenhall Market, Lloyds of London, the National Provincial Bank banking hall and its HQ, and the Bank of England
http://londonarchitectureguide.org/architecture-of-money/