LONDON STATUES - BUSINESS AND PHILANTHROPY
BUSINESS & PHILANTHROPY Not all statues celebrate conquerors or kings. This penultimate group reflects a different kind of power: money, enterprise, and - at least in part - the impulse to give something back. As usual, t he accompanying portraits are courtesy of The National Portrait Gallery : For use in non-commercial projects (e.g. online in scholarly and non-profit publications and websites, blogs, local society newsletters and family history). THOMAS GRESHAM (c.1519-1579) Founder of the Royal Exchange , Thomas Gresham was the archetypal Tudor financier -royal agent, currency fixer, and unapologetic operator. His Exchange, opened in 1571, formalised London’s role as a trading hub to rival Antwerp. Gresham’s name lives on in economics via 'Gresham’s Law' (bad money drives out good), though he never actually wrote it down. He is also commemorated among the allegorical merchant worthies on Holborn...