Last week I noticed the scaffolding had been removed from the side section and I am sad to report that elements of the old hand-painted sign have been have scrubbed away:

The top two photos show the sign in 2008, and the bottom two snaps show how the sign is now thinner with many of the old white words removed; see how the word 'OF' that used to be in the middle has gone completely.
Note also the bad patching in of the bricks where modern machine-made ones have been used to replace the old London stocks.
Also gone is the decorative moulding on the front corner of a woman's face. Perhaps they intend to remove all the other ones along the whole front too? I hope not.
Below is a view of the whole Harpers building, taken earlier this year before the scaffolding went up, and a close up of the 1893 date stamp at the centre:

More news on this renovation when the full scaffold is removed.
