London Stock Exchange

The London Stock Exchange traces back to 1698, when the stock brokers were run out of the Royal Exchange for being to rude and rowdy.

The trading floor of the Stock Exchange Tower became less of a flurry when computerized systems started to take precedence over the old auction style of trading. This was brought about with the Big Bang in 1986, which deregulated many of the stock exchange’s activities. Fixed commissions on security trades were eliminated, allowing brokers to act as their own dealer.

An IRA bomb exploded in the men’s restroom, behind the visitor’s gallery in 1990. No one was injured, and the gallery did reopen at the time. The advent of computerized trading, however, reduced its charm as a tourist attraction and the gallery was closed in 1992.

Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, opened the new home for the LSE in July, 2004. Still within the confines of the Square Mile, the LSE moved from Threadneedle Street to Paternoster Square, near St Paul’s Cathedral