Opened by Queen Victoria in 1844, the Grade I-listed Royal Exchange is situated opposite the Bank of England at the heart of one of the world’s busiest financial centres. Arranged around a dramatic covered courtyard, the Royal Exchange is now home to 40 exclusive shops units, with tenants including Tiffany & Co, Paul Smith, Gucci , Mont Blanc and Prada.

The Grand Café and Bar, designed by Conran & Partners, forms the centre-piece of this redevelopment, taking its inspiration from elegant early twentieth century Viennese coffee houses. Dominating the centre of the courtyard, once the trading floor of the Exchange, is an island bar of gleaming pewter with a dramatic high-level central display, surrounded by café-style seating.

The cocktail bar on the mezzanine floor, provides a relaxed club-room environment. Comfortable sofas and armchairs clad in deep red and brown leather and velvet are combined with subtle lighting, bespoke rugs and Black American Walnut parquet flooring, to create an air of intimacy in this otherwise glittering space.