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Fleet Street

Fleet Street is a major street mostly in the City of London. It runs west to east from Temple Bar at the boundary with the City of Westminster to Ludgate Circus at the site of the London Wall and the River Fleet from which the street was named.

Fleet Street
Fleet Street in 2008
Location in Central London
Part ofA4
Maintained byTransport for London
Length0.3 mi (0.48 km)[1]
Postal codeEC4
Nearest train station Blackfriars
City Thameslink
Coordinates51°30′50″N 0°06′38″W / 51.5138°N 0.1105°W / 51.5138; -0.1105Coordinates: 51°30′50″N 0°06′38″W / 51.5138°N 0.1105°W / 51.5138; -0.1105

The street has been an important through route since Roman times. During the Middle Ages, businesses were established and senior clergy lived there; several churches remain from this time including Temple Church and St Bride's. The street became known for printing and publishing at the start of the 16th century, and it became the dominant trade so that by the 20th century most British national newspapers operated from here. Much of that industry moved out in the 1980s after News International set up cheaper manufacturing premises in Wapping, but some former newspaper buildings are listed and have been preserved. The term Fleet Street remains a metonym for the British national press, and pubs on the street once frequented by journalists remain popular.

Fleet Street has a significant number of monuments and statues along its length, including the dragon at Temple Bar and memorials to a number of figures from the British press, such as Samuel Pepys and Lord Northcliffe. The street is mentioned in several works by Charles Dickens and is the home of the fictional murderer Sweeney Todd.

Geography

 
Fleet Street road sign. The street numbering runs consecutively from west to east south-side and then east to west north-side.

Fleet Street is named after the River Fleet, which runs from Hampstead to the River Thames at the western edge of the City of London. It is one of the oldest roads outside the original city and was established by the Middle Ages.[2][3] In the 13th century, it was known as Fleet Bridge Street, and in the early 14th century it became known as Fleet Street.[4]

The street runs east from Temple Bar, the boundary between the Cities of London and Westminster, as a continuation of the Strand from Trafalgar Square. It crosses Chancery Lane and Fetter Lane to reach Ludgate Circus by the London Wall. The road ahead is Ludgate Hill. The street numbering runs consecutively from west to east south-side and then east to west north-side.[1] It links the Roman and medieval boundaries of the City after the latter was extended. The section of Fleet Street between Temple Bar and Fetter Lane is part of the A4, a major road running west through London,[1] although it once ran along the entire street and eastwards past St Paul's Churchyard towards Cannon Street.[5]

The nearest London Underground stations are Temple, Chancery Lane, and Blackfriars tube/mainline station and the City Thameslink railway station.[1] London Bus routes 4, 11, 15, 23, 26, 76 and 172 run along the full length of Fleet Street, while route 341 runs between Temple Bar and Fetter Lane.[6]

History

Early history

 
Fleet Street c. 1890

Fleet Street was established as a thoroughfare in Roman London and there is evidence that a route led west from Ludgate by 200 AD.[7] Local excavations revealed remains of a Roman amphitheatre near Ludgate on what was Fleet Prison, but other accounts suggest the area was too marshy for regular inhabitation by the Romans.[8] The Saxons did not occupy the Roman city but established Lundenwic further west around what is now Aldwych and the Strand.[9]

Many prelates lived around the street during the Middle Ages, including the Bishops of Salisbury and St Davids and the Abbots of Faversham, Tewkesbury, Winchcombe and Cirencester.[3] Tanning of animal hides became established on Fleet Street owing to the nearby river, though this increased pollution leading to a ban on dumping rubbish by the mid-14th century.[10] Many taverns and brothels were established along Fleet Street and have been documented as early as the 14th century.[2][a] Records show that Geoffrey Chaucer was fined two shillings for attacking a friar in Fleet Street,[8] though modern historians believe this is apocryphal.[11]

An important landmark in Fleet Street during the late Middle Ages was a conduit that was the main water supply for the area. When Anne Boleyn was crowned queen following her marriage to Henry VIII in 1533, the conduit flowed wine instead of water.[12] By the 16th century, Fleet Street, along with much of the City, was chronically overcrowded, and a royal proclamation in 1580 banned any further building on the street. This had little effect, and construction continued, particularly timber.[13] Prince Henry's Room over the Inner Temple gate dates from 1610 and is named after Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, eldest son of James I, who did not survive to succeed his father.[14][15]

 
A blue plaque marking the location of the Anti-Corn Law League headquarters on No. 67 Fleet Street

The eastern part of the street was destroyed by the Great Fire of London in 1666, despite attempts to use the River Fleet to preserve it.[16][17] Fire damage reached to about Fetter Lane, and the special tribunal of the 'Fire Courts' was held at Clifford's Inn, an inn of Chancery at the edge of the extent of the fire, to arbitrate on claimants' rights.[18] Properties were rebuilt in the same style as before the fire.[17]

During the early 18th century, a notorious upper-class gang known as the Mohocks operated on the street causing regular violence and vandalism.[3][8] Mrs Salmon's Waxworks was established at Prince Henry's Room in 1711. It had a display of macabre and black-humoured exhibits, including the execution of Charles I; a Roman lady, Hermonie, whose father survived a sentence of starvation by sucking her breast; and a woman who gave birth to 365 children simultaneously. The waxworks were a favourite haunt of William Hogarth, and survived into the 19th century.[19] The Apollo Society, a music club, was established in 1733 at the Devil Tavern on Fleet Street by composer Maurice Greene.[20]

In 1763, supporters of John Wilkes, who had been arrested for libel against the Earl of Bute, burned a jackboot in the centre of the street in protest against Bute.[3] It led to violent demonstrations and rioting in 1769 and 1794.[8]

Tanning and other industries declined sharply after the River Fleet was routed underground in 1766.[2] The street was widened during the late-19th century, when Temple Bar was demolished and Ludgate Circus was constructed.[21] The headquarters of the Anti-Corn Law League were based at No. 67 Fleet Street, and a blue plaque marks the location.[22]

Printing and journalism

 
The former offices of the Daily Telegraph Building at No. 135–141

Publishing started in Fleet Street around 1500 when William Caxton's apprentice, Wynkyn de Worde, set up a printing shop near Shoe Lane, while at around the same time Richard Pynson set up as publisher and printer next to St Dunstan's Church. More printers and publishers followed, mainly supplying the legal trade in the four Inns of Court around the area,[23] but also publishing books and plays.[24]

In March 1702 the first issue of London's first daily newspaper, the Daily Courant, was published in Fleet Street. It was followed by the Morning Chronicle.[24] The publisher John Murray was founded at No. 32 Fleet Street in 1762 and remained there until 1812, when it moved to Albemarle Street.[24] The popularity of newspapers was restricted due to various taxes during the early 19th century, particularly paper duty.[25] Peele's Coffee-House at No. 177–178 Fleet Street became popular and was the main committee room for the Society for Repealing the Paper Duty, starting in 1858.[8] The society was successful and the duty was abolished in 1861. Along with the repeal of the newspaper tax in 1855, this led to a dramatic expansion of newspaper production in Fleet Street. The "penny press" (newspapers costing one penny) became popular during the 1880s and the initial number of titles had consolidated into a few nationally important ones.[25]

By the 20th century, Fleet Street and the area surrounding it were dominated by the national press and related industries. The Daily Express relocated to No. 121–8 Fleet Street in 1931, into a building designed by Sir Owen Williams. It was the first curtain wall building in London. It has survived the departure of the newspaper in 1989 and was restored in 2001. The Daily Telegraph was based at No. 135–142.[24] These premises are both Grade II-listed.[26] In the 1930s, No. 67 housed 25 separate publications; by this time the majority of British households bought a daily paper produced from Fleet Street.[27]

In 1986 News International owner Rupert Murdoch caused controversy when he moved publication of The Times and The Sun away from Fleet Street to new premises in Wapping, East London. Murdoch believed it was impossible to produce a newspaper profitably on Fleet Street and the power of the print unions, the National Graphical Association (NGA) and the Society of Graphical and Allied Trades (SOGAT), was too strong (an opinion endorsed by the Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher). All Fleet Street print staff were sacked and new staff from the Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union were brought in to operate the presses at Wapping using modern computer-operated technology, rendering the power of the old unions obsolete. The resulting Wapping dispute featured violent protests at Fleet Street and Wapping that lasted over a year, but ultimately other publishers followed suit and moved out of Fleet Street towards Canary Wharf or Southwark. Reuters was the last major news outlet to leave Fleet Street, in 2005.[24] In the same year, The Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph announced they were returning to the centre of London from Canary Wharf to new premises in Victoria in 2006.[28]

Some publishers have remained on Fleet Street. The London office of D.C. Thomson & Co., creator of The Beano, is at No. 185.[29] The Secretariat of the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association is at No. 17,[30] as is Wentworth Publishing, an independent publisher of newsletters and courses.[31] The Associated Press has an office in Fleet Street[32] as did The Jewish Chronicle until 2013 when it moved to Golders Green.[33] The British Association of Journalists is based at No. 89[34] while Metro International are at No. 85.[35]

Though many prominent national newspapers have moved away from Fleet Street, the name is still synonymous with the printing and publishing industry.[24] In the adjacent St. Brides Lane is the St Bride Library, holding a specialist collection relating to the type and print industry and providing courses in printing technology and methods.[36] On the wall of Magpie Alley, off Bouverie Street, is a mural depicting the history of newspapers in the area.[37]

The last two journalists to work for the Dundee-based Sunday Post, left in 2016, as the paper closed its London offices.[38]

Modern history

 
Fleet Street pictured in 1953, with flags hung for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

Despite the domination of the print industry, other businesses were also established on Fleet Street. The Automobile Association was established at No. 18 Fleet Street in 1905.[39] Since the post-Wapping migration, Fleet Street is now more associated with the investment banking, legal and accountancy professions. For example, The Inns of Court and barristers' chambers are down alleys and around courtyards off Fleet Street itself and many of the old newspaper offices have become the London headquarters for various companies.[24] One example is Goldman Sachs, whose offices are in the old Daily Telegraph and Liverpool Echo buildings of Peterborough Court and Mersey House.[40]

C. Hoare & Co, England's oldest privately owned bank, has been operating in Fleet Street since 1672.[41] Child & Co., now a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Bank of Scotland, claims it is the oldest continuous banking establishment in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1580 and has been based at No.1 Fleet Street, adjacent to Temple Bar, since 1673.[42] The law firm Freshfields moved to No. 65 Fleet Street in 1990.[24]

Notable buildings

 
St-Dunstan-in-the-West on Fleet Street, pictured in 1842

In the High Middle Ages senior clergymen had their London palaces in the street. Place-names surviving with this connection are Peterborough Court and Salisbury Court after their respective Bishops' houses here; apart from the Knights Templars' establishment the Whitefriars monastery is recalled by Whitefriars Street[17] and the remains of its undercroft have been preserved in a public display area. A Carmelite church was established on Fleet Street in 1253, but it was destroyed during the Reformation in 1545.[43]

Today three churches serve the spiritual needs of the three 'communities' associated with the area of the street. Temple Church was built by the Knights Templar in 1162 and serves the legal profession.[44] St Bride's Church was established as early as the 6th century[3] and was later designed by Sir Christopher Wren in a style that complemented St Mary Le Bow further east in the City.[45] It remains the London church most associated with the print industry. St Dunstan-in-the-West also dates from the 12th century supplements these as the local parish (as opposed to guild church) and is the London home for the Romanian Orthodox church.[46]

To the south lies an area of legal buildings known as the Temple, formerly the property of the Knights Templar, which at its core includes two of the four Inns of Court: the Inner Temple and the Middle Temple. There are many lawyers' offices (especially barristers' chambers) in the vicinity.[47] The gatehouse to Middle Temple Lane was built by Sir Christopher Wren in 1684.[48] To the west, at the junction with Strand are the Royal Courts of Justice[49] whilst at the eastern end of the street the Old Bailey is near Ludgate Circus.[50]

As a principal route leading to and from the City, Fleet Street was especially noted for its taverns and coffeehouses. Many notable persons of literary and political fame such as Samuel Johnson frequented these, and journalists would regularly meet in pubs to collect stories.[51] Some, such as Ye Olde Cock Tavern at No. 22 and Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese at No. 145, have survived to the 21st century and are Grade II listed.[52] The El Vino wine bar moved to No. 47 in 1923, quickly becoming popular with lawyers and journalists. Women were not allowed in the bar until 1982, and then only because of a court order.[24] The Old Bank of England, which from 1888 to 1975 was a trading house for the country's central bank, is now a Grade II listed pub.[53]

Since 1971, the southern side of the street has been part of the Fleet Street Conservation Area, which ensures buildings are regularly maintained and the character of the street is preserved. The area expanded to the north side in 1981.[54]

Monuments and statues

 
The Temple Bar Marker, one of the boundary markers of the City of London.

The area around Fleet Street contains numerous statues and memorials to prominent public figures. At the north-eastern corner is a bust of Edgar Wallace,[55] and a full-length representation of Mary, Queen of Scots in a first-floor niche at No. 143–144 commissioned by John Tollemache Sinclair.[56] Above the entrance to the old school-house of St Dunstan's is a statue of Queen Elizabeth I provided for the then new Ludgate in 1586 by William Kerwin; it was moved to here following the gate's demolition in 1776.[57] Adjacent to this is a bust of Lord Northcliffe, the newspaper proprietor, co-founder of the Daily Mail and the Daily Mirror.[58] At No. 72 is a bust of the Irish journalist and MP TP O'Connor, constructed in 1934 by F. W. Doyle-Jones.[58][59]

On the southern side of the street nearby memorials and monuments include the Temple Bar marker where the Temple Bar (a gateway) used to stand until it was removed in 1878. The marker was designed by Sir Horace Jones in 1880.[45] It has a statue of a dragon at the top (sometimes called "the Griffin"), and a statue of Queen Victoria in a niche in the side.[60][61]

In the Inner Temple Gardens is a memorial to Charles Lamb.[56] In Salisbury Square there is an obelisk commemorating Robert Waithman, mayor of London between 1823 and 1833,[62] and a blue plaque commemorating the birthplace of diarist and naval secretary Samuel Pepys.[63]

Notable residents

Several writers and politicians are associated with Fleet Street, either as residents or regulars to the various taverns, including Ben Jonson, John Milton, Izaak Walton, John Dryden, Edmund Burke, Oliver Goldsmith and Charles Lamb.[4] The lexicographer Samuel Johnson lived at Gough Square off Fleet Street between 1748 and 1759; the building has survived into the 21st century.[45] The cartographer John Senex owned a map store, The Sign of the Globe, on Fleet Street between 1725 and his death in 1736.[64] Wynkyn de Worde was buried in St. Bride's Church in 1535, as was poet Richard Lovelace in 1657,[65] while Samuel Pepys was baptised there in 1633.[66]

The Royal Society was based in Crane Court from 1710 to 1782, when it moved to Somerset House on the Strand.[67]

Cultural references

The barber Sweeney Todd is traditionally said to have lived and worked during the 18th century in Fleet Street, where he would murder customers and serve their remains as pie fillings.[68] An urban myth example of a serial killer, the character appears in various English language works starting in the mid-19th century.[69] Adaptations of the story include the 1936 George King film,[69] the 1979 Stephen Sondheim musical,[70] and the 2007 Tim Burton film based on the musical, all titled Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.[71]

Fleet Street is mentioned in several of Charles Dickens's works. The eponymous club in The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, more commonly known as The Pickwick Papers, is set in the street, as is Tellson's Bank in A Tale of Two Cities.[72] The poet John Davidson wrote two works in the late 19th century titled the Fleet Street Eclogues.[73] Arthur Ransome has a chapter in his Bohemia in London (1907) about earlier inhabitants of the street: Ben Jonson, the lexicographer Doctor Samuel Johnson, Coleridge, Hazlitt and Lamb; and about Temple Bar and the Press Club.[74]

Fleet Street is a square on the British Monopoly board, in a group with the Strand and Trafalgar Square. One of the Chance cards in the game, "You Have Won A Crossword Competition, collect £100" was inspired by rival competitions and promotions between Fleet Street-based newspapers in 1930s, particularly the Daily Mail and Daily Express.[b][75]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ In 1339 a Fleet Street resident was found guilty of "harbouring prostitutes and sodomites".[2]
  2. ^ In 1931, the Daily Mail paid £125,000 (now £9,036,000) in crossword prizes.

References

  1. ^ a b c d "3, Fleet Street to 100, Fleet Street". Google Maps. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d Moore 2003, p. 185.
  3. ^ a b c d e Weinreb et al 2008, p. 298.
  4. ^ a b Rines, George Edwin, ed. (1920). "Fleet Street" . Encyclopedia Americana.
  5. ^ Ten Mile Map of Great Britain (London Four Mile Insert) (Map). Ordnance Survey. 1932. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
  6. ^ (PDF). Transport for London. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 March 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
  7. ^ City 1996, p. 4.
  8. ^ a b c d e Thornbury, Walter (1878). "Fleet Street: General Introduction". Old and New London. London. 1: 32–53. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
  9. ^ Wood, Eric Stuart (1997). Historical Britain: A Comprehensive Account of the Development of Rural and Urban Life and Landscape from Prehistory to the Present Day. Harvill Press. p. 157. ISBN 978-1-860-46214-6.
  10. ^ Brooke 2010, p. 8.
  11. ^ Minnis, Alastair (2014). Historians on Chaucer: The "General Prologue" to the Canterbury Tales. Oxford University Press. p. 161. ISBN 978-0-19-968954-5.
  12. ^ Brooke 2010, p. 16.
  13. ^ Brooke 2010, p. 15.
  14. ^ Weinreb et al 2008, p. 639.
  15. ^ . City of Londonc. Archived from the original on 1 April 2016. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  16. ^ Weinreb et al 2008, pp. 340–341.
  17. ^ a b c City 1996, p. 5.
  18. ^ Thornbury, Walter (1878). "Fleet Street: Northern tributaries (continued)". Old and New London. London. 1: 92–104. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  19. ^ Weinreb et al 2008, pp. 820–1.
  20. ^ Herissone, Rebecca; Howard, Alan (2013). Concepts of Creativity in Seventeenth-century England. Boydell & Brewer Ltd. p. 190. ISBN 978-1-843-83740-4.
  21. ^ City 1996, p. 7.
  22. ^ McCord, Norman (2013). The Anti-Corn Law League: 1838–1846. Routledge. p. 140. ISBN 978-1-136-58447-3.
  23. ^ Weinreb et al 2008, p. 299.
  24. ^ a b c d e f g h i Weinreb et al 2008, p. 300.
  25. ^ a b Hampton 2004, p. 32.
  26. ^ "Listed Buildings in City of London, Greater London, England". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  27. ^ Moore 2003, pp. 186, 188.
  28. ^ "Telegraph moves to Victoria". The Daily Telegraph. 22 December 2005. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  29. ^ "About Us". D.C. Thomson & Co. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  30. ^ Liz Paren, Caroline Coxon, Cheryl Dorall (2003). The Commonwealth: A Family of Nations. Commonwealth Secretariat. p. 111. ISBN 978-0-85092-753-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  31. ^ . Wentworth Publishing. Archived from the original on 28 June 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  32. ^ Jefkins, Frank William (2012). International Dictionary of Marketing and Communication. Springer Science+Business Media. p. 390. ISBN 978-1-4684-1523-0.
  33. ^ . Property Week. 21 February 2014. Archived from the original on 6 November 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  34. ^ . British Association of Journalists. Archived from the original on 31 December 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  35. ^ "Metro International office move means print returns to Fleet Street". Press Gazette. 7 November 2007. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  36. ^ "St Bride Library". British Letter Press. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  37. ^ "Magpie Alley Crypt". thelondonphile. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
  38. ^ "Last newspaper journalists leave Fleet Street as Sunday Post retreats". The Guardian. 15 July 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  39. ^ Brooke 2010, p. 6.
  40. ^ Moore 2003, p. 192.
  41. ^ Moore 2003, p. 193.
  42. ^ "Child & Co". Royal Bank of Scotland. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  43. ^ Brooke 2010, pp. 13–14.
  44. ^ Weinreb et al 2008, p. 910.
  45. ^ a b c City 1996, p. 8.
  46. ^ "St Dunstan in the West | Fleet Street, London, EC4". St Dunstan-in-the-West. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  47. ^ Weinreb et al 2008, pp. 431, 433, 546.
  48. ^ Bellot 1902, p. 269.
  49. ^ Weinreb et al 2008, p. 716.
  50. ^ Weinreb et al 2008, pp. 141–142.
  51. ^ Moore 2003, pp. 191–2.
  52. ^ City 1996, pp. 12–13.
  53. ^ "City Diary: all change at the Bank". The Times. 12 December 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  54. ^ City 1996, p. 3.
  55. ^ Weinreb et al 2008, p. 875.
  56. ^ a b Weinreb et al 2008, p. 872.
  57. ^ Weinreb et al 2008, p. 870.
  58. ^ a b Weinreb et al 2008, p. 873.
  59. ^ Ward-Jackson, Philip (2003). Public sculpture of the city of London. Liverpool University Press. p. 140. ISBN 978-0-85323-967-3.
  60. ^ Bellot 1902, p. 267.
  61. ^ "The Temple Bar Memorial". The Victorian Web. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  62. ^ City 1996, p. 13.
  63. ^ . Blue Plaque Places. Archived from the original on 1 May 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  64. ^ "John Senex". British Museum. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  65. ^ "St Bride's: History Chapter IV – 1500–1665". St Bride's Church. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  66. ^ Olson, Donald (2004). Frommer's London from $90 a Day. Wiley. p. 175. ISBN 978-0-7645-5822-1.
  67. ^ Thornbury, Walter (1878). "Fleet Street: Tributaries (Crane Court, Johnson's Court, Bolt Court)". Old and New London. London. 1: 104–112. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
  68. ^ "Sweeney Todd and Fleet Street | The Sweeney Todd Story". knowledgeoflondon.com. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  69. ^ a b Moore 2003, p. 194.
  70. ^ . Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Archived from the original on 18 April 2008. Retrieved 27 June 2008.
  71. ^ "Sweeney Todd – The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (18)". Warner Bros. British Board of Film Classification. 18 December 2007. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
  72. ^ . Dickens and London. Archived from the original on 24 October 2008. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
  73. ^ "Mr Davidson's Fleet Street Eclogues". The Spectator. 14 March 1896. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
  74. ^ Ransome, Arthur (1907). "Old and New Fleet Street". Bohemia in London.
  75. ^ Moore 2003, pp. 176, 189.

Citations

Further reading

  • John Timbs (1867), "Fleet-Street", Curiosities of London (2nd ed.), London: J.C. Hotten, OCLC 12878129
  • Herbert Fry (1880), "Fleet Street", London in 1880, London: David Bogue. (bird's eye view)
  • Wilfred Whitten (1913), "Street of the Ready Writers", A Londoner's London, London: Methuen & Co., OL 7070324M. (about Fleet Street)
  • "Fleet Street". London. Let's Go. 1998. p. 174. ISBN 9780312157524. OL 24256167M.

External links

  Media related to Fleet Street at Wikimedia Commons

  • Farewell, Fleet Street. Bill Hagerty, BBC News Online. 14 June 2005.
  • Fleet Street's finest. Christopher Hitchens, The Guardian Review. 3 December 2005.

fleet, street, other, uses, disambiguation, major, street, mostly, city, london, runs, west, east, from, temple, boundary, with, city, westminster, ludgate, circus, site, london, wall, river, fleet, from, which, street, named, 2008location, central, londonpart. For other uses see Fleet Street disambiguation Fleet Street is a major street mostly in the City of London It runs west to east from Temple Bar at the boundary with the City of Westminster to Ludgate Circus at the site of the London Wall and the River Fleet from which the street was named Fleet StreetFleet Street in 2008Location in Central LondonPart ofA4Maintained byTransport for LondonLength0 3 mi 0 48 km 1 Postal codeEC4Nearest train stationBlackfriars City ThameslinkCoordinates51 30 50 N 0 06 38 W 51 5138 N 0 1105 W 51 5138 0 1105 Coordinates 51 30 50 N 0 06 38 W 51 5138 N 0 1105 W 51 5138 0 1105The street has been an important through route since Roman times During the Middle Ages businesses were established and senior clergy lived there several churches remain from this time including Temple Church and St Bride s The street became known for printing and publishing at the start of the 16th century and it became the dominant trade so that by the 20th century most British national newspapers operated from here Much of that industry moved out in the 1980s after News International set up cheaper manufacturing premises in Wapping but some former newspaper buildings are listed and have been preserved The term Fleet Street remains a metonym for the British national press and pubs on the street once frequented by journalists remain popular Fleet Street has a significant number of monuments and statues along its length including the dragon at Temple Bar and memorials to a number of figures from the British press such as Samuel Pepys and Lord Northcliffe The street is mentioned in several works by Charles Dickens and is the home of the fictional murderer Sweeney Todd Contents 1 Geography 2 History 2 1 Early history 2 2 Printing and journalism 2 3 Modern history 3 Notable buildings 4 Monuments and statues 5 Notable residents 6 Cultural references 7 See also 8 Notes 9 References 10 Citations 11 Further reading 12 External linksGeography Edit Fleet Street road sign The street numbering runs consecutively from west to east south side and then east to west north side Fleet Street is named after the River Fleet which runs from Hampstead to the River Thames at the western edge of the City of London It is one of the oldest roads outside the original city and was established by the Middle Ages 2 3 In the 13th century it was known as Fleet Bridge Street and in the early 14th century it became known as Fleet Street 4 The street runs east from Temple Bar the boundary between the Cities of London and Westminster as a continuation of the Strand from Trafalgar Square It crosses Chancery Lane and Fetter Lane to reach Ludgate Circus by the London Wall The road ahead is Ludgate Hill The street numbering runs consecutively from west to east south side and then east to west north side 1 It links the Roman and medieval boundaries of the City after the latter was extended The section of Fleet Street between Temple Bar and Fetter Lane is part of the A4 a major road running west through London 1 although it once ran along the entire street and eastwards past St Paul s Churchyard towards Cannon Street 5 The nearest London Underground stations are Temple Chancery Lane and Blackfriars tube mainline station and the City Thameslink railway station 1 London Bus routes 4 11 15 23 26 76 and 172 run along the full length of Fleet Street while route 341 runs between Temple Bar and Fetter Lane 6 History EditEarly history Edit Fleet Street c 1890 Fleet Street was established as a thoroughfare in Roman London and there is evidence that a route led west from Ludgate by 200 AD 7 Local excavations revealed remains of a Roman amphitheatre near Ludgate on what was Fleet Prison but other accounts suggest the area was too marshy for regular inhabitation by the Romans 8 The Saxons did not occupy the Roman city but established Lundenwic further west around what is now Aldwych and the Strand 9 Many prelates lived around the street during the Middle Ages including the Bishops of Salisbury and St Davids and the Abbots of Faversham Tewkesbury Winchcombe and Cirencester 3 Tanning of animal hides became established on Fleet Street owing to the nearby river though this increased pollution leading to a ban on dumping rubbish by the mid 14th century 10 Many taverns and brothels were established along Fleet Street and have been documented as early as the 14th century 2 a Records show that Geoffrey Chaucer was fined two shillings for attacking a friar in Fleet Street 8 though modern historians believe this is apocryphal 11 An important landmark in Fleet Street during the late Middle Ages was a conduit that was the main water supply for the area When Anne Boleyn was crowned queen following her marriage to Henry VIII in 1533 the conduit flowed wine instead of water 12 By the 16th century Fleet Street along with much of the City was chronically overcrowded and a royal proclamation in 1580 banned any further building on the street This had little effect and construction continued particularly timber 13 Prince Henry s Room over the Inner Temple gate dates from 1610 and is named after Henry Frederick Prince of Wales eldest son of James I who did not survive to succeed his father 14 15 A blue plaque marking the location of the Anti Corn Law League headquarters on No 67 Fleet Street The eastern part of the street was destroyed by the Great Fire of London in 1666 despite attempts to use the River Fleet to preserve it 16 17 Fire damage reached to about Fetter Lane and the special tribunal of the Fire Courts was held at Clifford s Inn an inn of Chancery at the edge of the extent of the fire to arbitrate on claimants rights 18 Properties were rebuilt in the same style as before the fire 17 During the early 18th century a notorious upper class gang known as the Mohocks operated on the street causing regular violence and vandalism 3 8 Mrs Salmon s Waxworks was established at Prince Henry s Room in 1711 It had a display of macabre and black humoured exhibits including the execution of Charles I a Roman lady Hermonie whose father survived a sentence of starvation by sucking her breast and a woman who gave birth to 365 children simultaneously The waxworks were a favourite haunt of William Hogarth and survived into the 19th century 19 The Apollo Society a music club was established in 1733 at the Devil Tavern on Fleet Street by composer Maurice Greene 20 In 1763 supporters of John Wilkes who had been arrested for libel against the Earl of Bute burned a jackboot in the centre of the street in protest against Bute 3 It led to violent demonstrations and rioting in 1769 and 1794 8 Tanning and other industries declined sharply after the River Fleet was routed underground in 1766 2 The street was widened during the late 19th century when Temple Bar was demolished and Ludgate Circus was constructed 21 The headquarters of the Anti Corn Law League were based at No 67 Fleet Street and a blue plaque marks the location 22 Printing and journalism Edit See also History of British newspapers and List of United Kingdom newspapers The former offices of the Daily Telegraph Building at No 135 141 Publishing started in Fleet Street around 1500 when William Caxton s apprentice Wynkyn de Worde set up a printing shop near Shoe Lane while at around the same time Richard Pynson set up as publisher and printer next to St Dunstan s Church More printers and publishers followed mainly supplying the legal trade in the four Inns of Court around the area 23 but also publishing books and plays 24 In March 1702 the first issue of London s first daily newspaper the Daily Courant was published in Fleet Street It was followed by the Morning Chronicle 24 The publisher John Murray was founded at No 32 Fleet Street in 1762 and remained there until 1812 when it moved to Albemarle Street 24 The popularity of newspapers was restricted due to various taxes during the early 19th century particularly paper duty 25 Peele s Coffee House at No 177 178 Fleet Street became popular and was the main committee room for the Society for Repealing the Paper Duty starting in 1858 8 The society was successful and the duty was abolished in 1861 Along with the repeal of the newspaper tax in 1855 this led to a dramatic expansion of newspaper production in Fleet Street The penny press newspapers costing one penny became popular during the 1880s and the initial number of titles had consolidated into a few nationally important ones 25 By the 20th century Fleet Street and the area surrounding it were dominated by the national press and related industries The Daily Express relocated to No 121 8 Fleet Street in 1931 into a building designed by Sir Owen Williams It was the first curtain wall building in London It has survived the departure of the newspaper in 1989 and was restored in 2001 The Daily Telegraph was based at No 135 142 24 These premises are both Grade II listed 26 In the 1930s No 67 housed 25 separate publications by this time the majority of British households bought a daily paper produced from Fleet Street 27 In 1986 News International owner Rupert Murdoch caused controversy when he moved publication of The Times and The Sun away from Fleet Street to new premises in Wapping East London Murdoch believed it was impossible to produce a newspaper profitably on Fleet Street and the power of the print unions the National Graphical Association NGA and the Society of Graphical and Allied Trades SOGAT was too strong an opinion endorsed by the Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher All Fleet Street print staff were sacked and new staff from the Electrical Electronic Telecommunications and Plumbing Union were brought in to operate the presses at Wapping using modern computer operated technology rendering the power of the old unions obsolete The resulting Wapping dispute featured violent protests at Fleet Street and Wapping that lasted over a year but ultimately other publishers followed suit and moved out of Fleet Street towards Canary Wharf or Southwark Reuters was the last major news outlet to leave Fleet Street in 2005 24 In the same year The Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph announced they were returning to the centre of London from Canary Wharf to new premises in Victoria in 2006 28 Some publishers have remained on Fleet Street The London office of D C Thomson amp Co creator of The Beano is at No 185 29 The Secretariat of the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association is at No 17 30 as is Wentworth Publishing an independent publisher of newsletters and courses 31 The Associated Press has an office in Fleet Street 32 as did The Jewish Chronicle until 2013 when it moved to Golders Green 33 The British Association of Journalists is based at No 89 34 while Metro International are at No 85 35 Though many prominent national newspapers have moved away from Fleet Street the name is still synonymous with the printing and publishing industry 24 In the adjacent St Brides Lane is the St Bride Library holding a specialist collection relating to the type and print industry and providing courses in printing technology and methods 36 On the wall of Magpie Alley off Bouverie Street is a mural depicting the history of newspapers in the area 37 The last two journalists to work for the Dundee based Sunday Post left in 2016 as the paper closed its London offices 38 Modern history Edit Fleet Street pictured in 1953 with flags hung for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II Despite the domination of the print industry other businesses were also established on Fleet Street The Automobile Association was established at No 18 Fleet Street in 1905 39 Since the post Wapping migration Fleet Street is now more associated with the investment banking legal and accountancy professions For example The Inns of Court and barristers chambers are down alleys and around courtyards off Fleet Street itself and many of the old newspaper offices have become the London headquarters for various companies 24 One example is Goldman Sachs whose offices are in the old Daily Telegraph and Liverpool Echo buildings of Peterborough Court and Mersey House 40 C Hoare amp Co England s oldest privately owned bank has been operating in Fleet Street since 1672 41 Child amp Co now a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Bank of Scotland claims it is the oldest continuous banking establishment in the United Kingdom It was founded in 1580 and has been based at No 1 Fleet Street adjacent to Temple Bar since 1673 42 The law firm Freshfields moved to No 65 Fleet Street in 1990 24 Notable buildings Edit St Dunstan in the West on Fleet Street pictured in 1842 In the High Middle Ages senior clergymen had their London palaces in the street Place names surviving with this connection are Peterborough Court and Salisbury Court after their respective Bishops houses here apart from the Knights Templars establishment the Whitefriars monastery is recalled by Whitefriars Street 17 and the remains of its undercroft have been preserved in a public display area A Carmelite church was established on Fleet Street in 1253 but it was destroyed during the Reformation in 1545 43 Today three churches serve the spiritual needs of the three communities associated with the area of the street Temple Church was built by the Knights Templar in 1162 and serves the legal profession 44 St Bride s Church was established as early as the 6th century 3 and was later designed by Sir Christopher Wren in a style that complemented St Mary Le Bow further east in the City 45 It remains the London church most associated with the print industry St Dunstan in the West also dates from the 12th century supplements these as the local parish as opposed to guild church and is the London home for the Romanian Orthodox church 46 Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese To the south lies an area of legal buildings known as the Temple formerly the property of the Knights Templar which at its core includes two of the four Inns of Court the Inner Temple and the Middle Temple There are many lawyers offices especially barristers chambers in the vicinity 47 The gatehouse to Middle Temple Lane was built by Sir Christopher Wren in 1684 48 To the west at the junction with Strand are the Royal Courts of Justice 49 whilst at the eastern end of the street the Old Bailey is near Ludgate Circus 50 As a principal route leading to and from the City Fleet Street was especially noted for its taverns and coffeehouses Many notable persons of literary and political fame such as Samuel Johnson frequented these and journalists would regularly meet in pubs to collect stories 51 Some such as Ye Olde Cock Tavern at No 22 and Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese at No 145 have survived to the 21st century and are Grade II listed 52 The El Vino wine bar moved to No 47 in 1923 quickly becoming popular with lawyers and journalists Women were not allowed in the bar until 1982 and then only because of a court order 24 The Old Bank of England which from 1888 to 1975 was a trading house for the country s central bank is now a Grade II listed pub 53 Since 1971 the southern side of the street has been part of the Fleet Street Conservation Area which ensures buildings are regularly maintained and the character of the street is preserved The area expanded to the north side in 1981 54 Monuments and statues Edit The Temple Bar Marker one of the boundary markers of the City of London The area around Fleet Street contains numerous statues and memorials to prominent public figures At the north eastern corner is a bust of Edgar Wallace 55 and a full length representation of Mary Queen of Scots in a first floor niche at No 143 144 commissioned by John Tollemache Sinclair 56 Above the entrance to the old school house of St Dunstan s is a statue of Queen Elizabeth I provided for the then new Ludgate in 1586 by William Kerwin it was moved to here following the gate s demolition in 1776 57 Adjacent to this is a bust of Lord Northcliffe the newspaper proprietor co founder of the Daily Mail and the Daily Mirror 58 At No 72 is a bust of the Irish journalist and MP TP O Connor constructed in 1934 by F W Doyle Jones 58 59 On the southern side of the street nearby memorials and monuments include the Temple Bar marker where the Temple Bar a gateway used to stand until it was removed in 1878 The marker was designed by Sir Horace Jones in 1880 45 It has a statue of a dragon at the top sometimes called the Griffin and a statue of Queen Victoria in a niche in the side 60 61 In the Inner Temple Gardens is a memorial to Charles Lamb 56 In Salisbury Square there is an obelisk commemorating Robert Waithman mayor of London between 1823 and 1833 62 and a blue plaque commemorating the birthplace of diarist and naval secretary Samuel Pepys 63 Notable residents EditSeveral writers and politicians are associated with Fleet Street either as residents or regulars to the various taverns including Ben Jonson John Milton Izaak Walton John Dryden Edmund Burke Oliver Goldsmith and Charles Lamb 4 The lexicographer Samuel Johnson lived at Gough Square off Fleet Street between 1748 and 1759 the building has survived into the 21st century 45 The cartographer John Senex owned a map store The Sign of the Globe on Fleet Street between 1725 and his death in 1736 64 Wynkyn de Worde was buried in St Bride s Church in 1535 as was poet Richard Lovelace in 1657 65 while Samuel Pepys was baptised there in 1633 66 The Royal Society was based in Crane Court from 1710 to 1782 when it moved to Somerset House on the Strand 67 Cultural references EditThe barber Sweeney Todd is traditionally said to have lived and worked during the 18th century in Fleet Street where he would murder customers and serve their remains as pie fillings 68 An urban myth example of a serial killer the character appears in various English language works starting in the mid 19th century 69 Adaptations of the story include the 1936 George King film 69 the 1979 Stephen Sondheim musical 70 and the 2007 Tim Burton film based on the musical all titled Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street 71 Fleet Street is mentioned in several of Charles Dickens s works The eponymous club in The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club more commonly known as The Pickwick Papers is set in the street as is Tellson s Bank in A Tale of Two Cities 72 The poet John Davidson wrote two works in the late 19th century titled the Fleet Street Eclogues 73 Arthur Ransome has a chapter in his Bohemia in London 1907 about earlier inhabitants of the street Ben Jonson the lexicographer Doctor Samuel Johnson Coleridge Hazlitt and Lamb and about Temple Bar and the Press Club 74 Fleet Street is a square on the British Monopoly board in a group with the Strand and Trafalgar Square One of the Chance cards in the game You Have Won A Crossword Competition collect 100 was inspired by rival competitions and promotions between Fleet Street based newspapers in 1930s particularly the Daily Mail and Daily Express b 75 See also Edit Journalism portal London portal The Printworks Fleet Street of the North Holborn with a description of the surrounding area Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg in Delhi known as the Fleet Street of India Paternoster RowNotes Edit In 1339 a Fleet Street resident was found guilty of harbouring prostitutes and sodomites 2 In 1931 the Daily Mail paid 125 000 now 9 036 000 in crossword prizes References Edit a b c d 3 Fleet Street to 100 Fleet Street Google Maps Retrieved 28 December 2015 a b c d Moore 2003 p 185 a b c d e Weinreb et al 2008 p 298 a b Rines George Edwin ed 1920 Fleet Street Encyclopedia Americana Ten Mile Map of Great Britain London Four Mile Insert Map Ordnance Survey 1932 Retrieved 28 December 2015 Central London Bus Map PDF Transport for London Archived from the original PDF on 13 March 2017 Retrieved 28 December 2015 City 1996 p 4 a b c d e Thornbury Walter 1878 Fleet Street General Introduction Old and New London London 1 32 53 Retrieved 31 December 2015 Wood Eric Stuart 1997 Historical Britain A Comprehensive Account of the Development of Rural and Urban Life and Landscape from Prehistory to the Present Day Harvill Press p 157 ISBN 978 1 860 46214 6 Brooke 2010 p 8 Minnis Alastair 2014 Historians on Chaucer The General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales Oxford University Press p 161 ISBN 978 0 19 968954 5 Brooke 2010 p 16 Brooke 2010 p 15 Weinreb et al 2008 p 639 Prince Henry s Room City of Londonc Archived from the original on 1 April 2016 Retrieved 27 January 2015 Weinreb et al 2008 pp 340 341 a b c City 1996 p 5 Thornbury Walter 1878 Fleet Street Northern tributaries continued Old and New London London 1 92 104 Retrieved 30 December 2015 Weinreb et al 2008 pp 820 1 Herissone Rebecca Howard Alan 2013 Concepts of Creativity in Seventeenth century England Boydell amp Brewer Ltd p 190 ISBN 978 1 843 83740 4 City 1996 p 7 McCord Norman 2013 The Anti Corn Law League 1838 1846 Routledge p 140 ISBN 978 1 136 58447 3 Weinreb et al 2008 p 299 a b c d e f g h i Weinreb et al 2008 p 300 a b Hampton 2004 p 32 Listed Buildings in City of London Greater London England British Listed Buildings Retrieved 29 December 2015 Moore 2003 pp 186 188 Telegraph moves to Victoria The Daily Telegraph 22 December 2005 Archived from the original on 12 January 2022 Retrieved 30 December 2015 About Us D C Thomson amp Co Retrieved 30 December 2015 Liz Paren Caroline Coxon Cheryl Dorall 2003 The Commonwealth A Family of Nations Commonwealth Secretariat p 111 ISBN 978 0 85092 753 5 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint uses authors parameter link Contact us Wentworth Publishing Archived from the original on 28 June 2014 Retrieved 30 December 2015 Jefkins Frank William 2012 International Dictionary of Marketing and Communication Springer Science Business Media p 390 ISBN 978 1 4684 1523 0 Jewish Chronicle HQ to be recycled into serviced flats Property Week 21 February 2014 Archived from the original on 6 November 2018 Retrieved 8 May 2014 About us British Association of Journalists Archived from the original on 31 December 2015 Retrieved 1 January 2016 Metro International office move means print returns to Fleet Street Press Gazette 7 November 2007 Retrieved 1 January 2016 St Bride Library British Letter Press Retrieved 30 December 2015 Magpie Alley Crypt thelondonphile Retrieved 31 December 2015 Last newspaper journalists leave Fleet Street as Sunday Post retreats The Guardian 15 July 2016 Retrieved 7 August 2016 Brooke 2010 p 6 Moore 2003 p 192 Moore 2003 p 193 Child amp Co Royal Bank of Scotland Retrieved 29 December 2015 Brooke 2010 pp 13 14 Weinreb et al 2008 p 910 a b c City 1996 p 8 St Dunstan in the West Fleet Street London EC4 St Dunstan in the West Retrieved 8 November 2018 Weinreb et al 2008 pp 431 433 546 Bellot 1902 p 269 Weinreb et al 2008 p 716 Weinreb et al 2008 pp 141 142 Moore 2003 pp 191 2 City 1996 pp 12 13 City Diary all change at the Bank The Times 12 December 2013 Retrieved 26 March 2018 City 1996 p 3 Weinreb et al 2008 p 875 a b Weinreb et al 2008 p 872 Weinreb et al 2008 p 870 a b Weinreb et al 2008 p 873 Ward Jackson Philip 2003 Public sculpture of the city of London Liverpool University Press p 140 ISBN 978 0 85323 967 3 Bellot 1902 p 267 The Temple Bar Memorial The Victorian Web Retrieved 16 February 2021 City 1996 p 13 Samuel Pepys blue plaque in London Blue Plaque Places Archived from the original on 1 May 2018 Retrieved 2 January 2016 John Senex British Museum Retrieved 3 January 2015 St Bride s History Chapter IV 1500 1665 St Bride s Church Retrieved 2 January 2016 Olson Donald 2004 Frommer s London from 90 a Day Wiley p 175 ISBN 978 0 7645 5822 1 Thornbury Walter 1878 Fleet Street Tributaries Crane Court Johnson s Court Bolt Court Old and New London London 1 104 112 Retrieved 31 December 2015 Sweeney Todd and Fleet Street The Sweeney Todd Story knowledgeoflondon com Retrieved 8 November 2018 a b Moore 2003 p 194 Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Rotten Tomatoes Flixster Archived from the original on 18 April 2008 Retrieved 27 June 2008 Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street 18 Warner Bros British Board of Film Classification 18 December 2007 Retrieved 28 August 2013 Dickens and Fleet Street Dickens and London Archived from the original on 24 October 2008 Retrieved 31 December 2015 Mr Davidson s Fleet Street Eclogues The Spectator 14 March 1896 Retrieved 31 December 2015 Ransome Arthur 1907 Old and New Fleet Street Bohemia in London Moore 2003 pp 176 189 Citations EditBellot Hugh Hale Leigh 1902 The Inner and Middle Temple Legal Literary and Historic Associations Methuen amp Co Brooke Alan 2010 Fleet Street The Story of a Street Amberley Publishing ISBN 978 1 4456 1138 9 Hampton Mark 2004 Visions of the Press in Britain 1850 1950 University of Illinois Press ISBN 978 0 252 02946 2 Moore Tim 2003 Do Not Pass Go Vintage ISBN 978 0 09 943386 6 Weinreb Ben Hibbert Christopher Keay Julia Keay John 2008 The London Encyclopaedia Pan MacMillan ISBN 978 1 4050 4924 5 Fleet Street Conservation Area Character Study PDF Report Corporation of London 1996 Archived from the original PDF on 4 March 2016 Retrieved 29 December 2015 Further reading EditJohn Timbs 1867 Fleet Street Curiosities of London 2nd ed London J C Hotten OCLC 12878129 Herbert Fry 1880 Fleet Street London in 1880 London David Bogue bird s eye view Wilfred Whitten 1913 Street of the Ready Writers A Londoner s London London Methuen amp Co OL 7070324M about Fleet Street Fleet Street London Let s Go 1998 p 174 ISBN 9780312157524 OL 24256167M External links Edit Media related to Fleet Street at Wikimedia Commons Farewell Fleet Street Bill Hagerty BBC News Online 14 June 2005 Fleet Street s finest Christopher Hitchens The Guardian Review 3 December 2005 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Fleet Street amp oldid 1142127741, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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