There have been buildings on the Corn Exchange site since the early 16th century, when a building called the Gainsborough contained shops and a dungeon. The present Grade II* listed classical building in stuccoed brick was built in 1850-1856 and is very much the focal point of Leicester’s 700 year old market. As the name suggests The Corn Exchange was originally where farmers and merchants traded cereal grains. This was operated as a pub by Watney-Manns in the 1980s. It was reopened as a Lloyds No.1 bar in July 1998 by Mansfield Brewery, after extensive refurbishment; then acquired by Wetherspoons in 2000. The pub consists of one enormous room with a central bar and a mezzanine first floor. There are TVs and musak, which tend to be relatively quiet during the day, when the pub is popular with market shoppers. In the evening, the music volume is turned up, and a younger clientele is attracted.