The Exchange is considered the finest Georgian building in Bristol. It was the work of Bath architect John Wood the Elder and opened in 1743. Wood was asked to design a grand structure around an open court where merchants could meet for business. Deals could be closed by payment on brass tables called nails - the origin of the saying ’pay on the nail’. The nails now stand outside in Corn Street. The court was later roofed over and now houses part of St. Nicholas Market.