The Exeter Exchange (signed and popularly known as Exeter Change) was a building on the north side of the

Strand Strand may refer to: Topography *The flat area of land bordering a body of water, a: ** Beach ** Shoreline * Strand swamp, a type of swamp habitat in Florida Places Africa * Strand, Western Cape, a seaside town in South Africa * Strand Street ...

in London, with an

arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware ** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board * Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games * ...

extending partway across the carriageway. It is most famous for the

menagerie A menagerie is a collection of captive animals, frequently exotic, kept for display; or the place where such a collection is kept, a precursor to the modern Zoo, zoological garden. The term was first used in 17th-century France, in reference to ...

that occupied its upper floors for over fifty years, from 1773 until the building was demolished in 1829.

Its first century

Exeter Exchange was built in 1676, on the site of the demolished

Exeter House Exeter House was an early 17th-century brick-built mansion, which stood in Full Street, Derby until demolished in 1854. Named for the Earls of Exeter, whose family owned the property until 1757, the house was notable for the stay of Charles ...

(also known as Burghley House and Cecil House, following the naming conventions of British aristocracy), London residence of the

Earls of Exeter Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...

. Around the same time, the nearby Burleigh Street and Exeter Street were laid out. The Exeter Exchange originally housed small shops (

milliner Hat-making or millinery is the design, manufacture and sale of hats and other headwear. A person engaged in this trade is called a milliner or hatter. Historically, milliners, typically women shopkeepers, produced or imported an inventory of g ...

draper Draper was originally a term for a retailer or wholesaler of cloth that was mainly for clothing. A draper may additionally operate as a cloth merchant or a haberdasher. History Drapers were an important trade guild during the medieval period ...

hosier Hosiery, also referred to as legwear, describes garments worn directly on the feet and legs. The term originated as the collective term for products of which a maker or seller is termed a hosier; and those products are also known generically as h ...

s) on the ground floor, and rooms above which were let to the Land Bank. Over time, the traders on the ground floor were replaced by offices, and the upper rooms were used for storage. The management began to re-purpose the upper rooms. In April 1770,

Giovanni Battista Gervasio Giovanni Battista Gervasio (c. 1725 - c. 1785) was an Italian musician and composer. Born in Naples he was one of the first generation of virtuoso- mandolinists who left Italy and played the mandolin in Europe in the 18th century. He was a compo ...

, an Italian mandolinist who toured Europe, gave a concert in "the room over the Exeter Exchange." It was the first time it had been used for that purpose.

The final half-century

From 1773, the upper rooms were let to a series of

impresario An impresario (from the Italian ''impresa'', "an enterprise or undertaking") is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, plays, or operas, performing a role in stage arts that is similar to that of a film or television producer. Hist ...

s who operated a

in competition with the Royal Menagerie at the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...

. The menagerie at the Exeter Exchange at various times included lions, tigers, monkeys, and other exotic species, all confined in iron cages in small rooms. The roaring of the big cats could be heard in the street below, occasionally scaring horses that passed by. The menagerie was established by Thomas Clark and was purchased in 1793 by Gilbert Pidcock. It subsequently passed into the ownership of

Stephani Polito Stephen Polito (also known as Stephano, Stephani and Stephanus Polito) (1763/4–1814) was a menagerie owner of Italian descent in Georgian England. Polito was born in Italy. He owned a menagerie which he toured around England in the late 18t ...

. Both Pidcock and Polito were operators of

travelling circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicycl ...

es, who used the Exeter Exchange as winter quarters for their animals. The menagerie was a popular visitor attraction, visited by

Wordsworth William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication ''Lyrical Ballads'' (1798). Wordsworth's ' ...

and

Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and Peerage of the United Kingdom, peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and h ...

Edwin Landseer Sir Edwin Henry Landseer (7 March 1802 – 1 October 1873) was an English painter and sculptor, well known for his paintings of animals – particularly horses, dogs, and stags. However, his best-known works are the lion sculptures at the bas ...

and

Jacques-Laurent Agasse Jacques-Laurent Agasse (April 24, 1767 – December 27, 1849) was an animal and Landscape art, landscape Painting, painter from Switzerland. Born at Geneva, Agasse studied in the public art school of that city. Before he turned twenty he w ...

were among the artists who drew and painted the animals. Polito died in 1814, and the menagerie was acquired by one of his former employees, Edward Cross. Cross renamed the collection the ''Royal Grand National Menagerie'' and employed a doorkeeper who was dressed as a

Yeoman of the Guard The King's Body Guard of the Yeomen of the Guard is a bodyguard of the British monarch. The oldest British military corps still in existence, it was created by King Henry VII in 1485 after the Battle of Bosworth Field. History The ki ...

. His bad-tempered elephant,

Chunee Chunee (or Chuny) was an Indian elephant who was brought to Regency London in 1811. Three elephants were brought to England in East India Company ships between 1809 and 1811. The third of these was Chunee. He travelled on the East Indiaman, , fro ...

, was shot there in March 1826 by soldiers from

Somerset House Somerset House is a large Neoclassical complex situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadrangle was built on the site of a Tudor palace ("O ...

. When the Exeter Exchange was demolished in 1829, as part of general improvements to the Strand, the animals were dispersed to the new

London Zoo London Zoo, also known as ZSL London Zoo or London Zoological Gardens is the world's oldest scientific zoo. It was opened in London on 27 April 1828, and was originally intended to be used as a collection for science, scientific study. In 1831 o ...

Regent's Park Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies of high ground in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the Borough of Camden (and historically betwee ...

and Cross's new enterprise at

Surrey Zoological Gardens Royal Surrey Gardens were pleasure gardens in Newington, Surrey, London in the Victorian period, slightly east of The Oval. The gardens occupied about to the east side of Kennington Park Road, including a lake of about . It was the site of Sur ...

Afterwards

Exeter Hall Exeter Hall was a large public meeting place on the north side of the Strand in central London, opposite where the Savoy Hotel now stands. From 1831 until 1907 Exeter Hall was the venue for many great gatherings by promoters of human bettermen ...

was built on the site, opening in 1831 and surviving until 1907. The site is now occupied by the

Strand Palace Hotel The Strand Palace Hotel is a large hotel on the north side of the Strand, London, England, positioned close to Covent Garden, Aldwych, Trafalgar Square and the River Thames. History The hotel was built after Exeter Hall was demolished in 1907 ...

(opened 1909), almost opposite the

Savoy Hotel The Savoy Hotel is a luxury hotel located in the Strand in the City of Westminster in central London, England. Built by the impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte with profits from his Gilbert and Sullivan opera productions, it opened on 6 August 188 ...

(1889).

References

External links

*
History
of

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...

, In And Around Covent Garden, 2004.
Destruction of a Furious Elephant
(Lithographic print, 6 March 1826)
Destruction of the Noble Elephant
(Hand-coloured print, c.1826)

{{coord, 51.511, N, 0.121, W, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title, format=dms Entertainment in London Buildings and structures completed in 1676 Former buildings and structures in the City of Westminster Retail buildings in London Buildings and structures demolished in 1829 Demolished buildings and structures in London 1676 establishments in England Strand, London Zoos in the United Kingdom