O tempora, o mores

My wife, Marianne, goes to a hairdresser in Fleet Street - so I sometimes see how the street that many of us knew and loved is changing.

This week I was shocked to see that the building beside Reuters old headquarters at 85 has been pulled down. 

I could not find out what was being put up in its place. The barman at The Old Bell said it was probably a row of shops with offices above. 

The pub is said to have been built by Sir Christopher Wren to house the stone masons working on St Bride’s Church, whose iconic wedding-cake spire can be seen in the picture. 

The Old Bell has happily changed little since it was the daily haunt of journalists, although it offers a wider range of drinks. 

I did wonder what a pornstar martini was - but guessed it would not have slaked the thirst of the stone masons, or World Desk staffers.

 ■