2012
ST5873 : Corn Street - BS1
taken 13 years ago, near to Bristol, England
This is 1 of 6 images, with title starting with Corn Street in this square

Corn Street - BS1
In this view of a section of the now pedestrianised Corn Street two of the legendary brass tables ("nails") can be seen in front of the railings that border The Exchange building. Opposite these are the premises that Lloyds Bank have used continuously since 1892. Christchurch-with-St-Ewens-and-St-George plus several shops also feature at the junction of Corn Street with Broad Street and High Street. Before the Corn Exchange was built in the 18th century, these bronze tables (“nails”), of which there are four, were located round the corner in Tolzey Walk along the south wall of nearby All Saints Church (a right turn behind the cafe tables). The nails, with their flat tops and raised edges to prevent coins from tumbling off them, were portable tables at which merchants could carry out their business. Deals were often closed by payment taking place on the top of one of these nails, hence the expression "to pay on the nail" or "cash on the nail", albeit that the origin of the term is disputed. The four nails were made at different times, this fact being reflected in their varying designs.