Royal Mint plant for striking. This first phase of the mint was officially opened on 17 December 1968 by the royal attendance of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip and their son Prince Charles. Originally there were fears that the Royal family would face protests because of the Investiture of Prince Charles as the Prince of Wales; however, such protests failed to materialise. The second phase of construction began in 1973 and included the addition of a means to mint coins from virgin metals completing the full minting process. Upon completion the final cost for the land, buildings and plant came to £8
Royal Mint Court in between 1807-1812 by Robert Smirke after Johnson died, having never seen his design realised. In honour of both architects, the building was named the Johnson Smirke Building, a namesake of both their surnames. Aiming to increase mint production, the building was designed for multiple purposes including to house new mint machinery, act as a bullion store, the mint's office and apartments for mint officials. The long façade of the three-storey rectangular stone building has windows with Doric order running through the first and second floors. A broad central pediment sits above featuring the royal coat of arms engraved in