‘The Royal Exchange, Dublin’, by James Malton c. 1792.

View of the Royal Exchange, from Lord Edward Street looking down to Dame Street, Dublin. It was one of the first buildings in the city to be built in the neoclassical style. It is considered to be one of Dublin’s finest buildings and was designed by Thomas Cooley. James Gandon was runner-up in the architectural competion with another popular design. The building was to serve as the Royal Exchange for the prosperous Dublin merchant population between 1769-1779. In the early 1850s, Dublin City Corporation bought the Royal Exchange and converted it for use by city government.