Fleet Street

Fleet Street is a street in London, England. It runs west to east from Temple Bar at the boundary of the cities of London and Westminster to Ludgate Circus at the site of the London Wall and the River Fleet from which the street was named. The street has been an important through route since Roman times. During the Middle Ages, businesses were established and senior clergy lived there; churches from this time include Temple Church and St Bride's. The street became known for printing and publishing at the start of the 16th century and by the 20th century, most British national newspapers operated here. Much of the industry moved out in the 1980s after News International set up cheaper manufacturing premises in Wapping. Some former newspaper sites are Listed buildings and have been preserved. The term Fleet Street is a metonym for the British national press, and pubs on the street once frequented by journalists are popular. Monuments and statues along its length include 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.