Perhaps one of the very first shopping malls in the world! The first Royal exchange building with its boutique shops stood here in 1571. It burnt down in the 1666 great fire. The current building is the third one, built by the Victorians.
However this spot has been significant for a lot longer than the middle ages. The cross roads on which it stands is the meeting of five major roads that all lead out to the various parts of England. These roads were built by the Romans and now all feed into the main arterial routes that exist today.
