Great Fire of London: Difference between revisions
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The Great Fire of London took place on 2nd September 1666 in London | The Great Fire of London took place on 2nd September 1666 in London – just one year after the [[Great Plague]] hit London- in a huge part of London covering an area from the Tower in the East to Hollborn Hill in the western part of the city. The south was limited by the river [[Thames]] and in the North the fire stopped at Smithfields, Moorfields and Spitalfields. It first started in Thomas Farynor’s bakery as a small fire on Pudding Lane. Thomas Farynor was baker to the King [[Charles II]]. At first the danger of the fire was underrated (the Lord Mayor allegedly said that “A woman might piss it out”), but the fire quickly expanded due to strong winds and the fact that all houses and buildings were built very closely together and that they consisted of wood which supported the fire to spread around. | ||
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About 430 acres of the city were destroyed, among the destroyed buildings were 13,000 houses, 52 Guild Halls and 89 churches. Thousands of citizens lost their homes and money. St. Paul’s Cathedral also became a victim of the flames | About 430 acres of the city were destroyed, among the destroyed buildings were 13,000 houses, 52 Guild Halls and 89 churches. Thousands of citizens lost their homes and money. St. Paul’s Cathedral also became a victim of the flames. | ||
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Usually fires were stopped by cutting down houses in its way to prevent the fire from spreading, so called “fire-breaks”. However, afraid of the immense costs of rebuilding the houses, Lord Mayor [[Blundworth]] did not issue such a command early enough. By the time the command was carried out | Usually fires were stopped by cutting down houses in its way to prevent the fire from spreading, so called “fire-breaks”. However, afraid of the immense costs of rebuilding the houses, Lord Mayor [[Blundworth]] did not issue such a command early enough. By the time the command was carried out, the fire has already been out of control and the following demolition of the houses only supported the fire as the debris first had to be moved away. Samuel Pepys was Secretary of the Admiralty and observed the fire from a safe place. He described his observations in his diaries as follows: | ||
''"September 2nd: Jane (his maid) comes and tells us that she hears that above 300 houses have been burned down by the fire…..poor people staying in their houses as long as till the very fire touched them, and then running into boats or clambering from one pair of stairs by the waterside, to another… | ''"September 2nd: Jane (his maid) comes and tells us that she hears that above 300 houses have been burned down by the fire…...poor people staying in their houses as long as till the very fire touched them, and then running into boats or clambering from one pair of stairs by the waterside, to another… | ||
I saw a fire as one entire arch of fire above a mile long: it made me weep to see it. The churches, houses are all on fire and flaming at once, and a horrid noise the flames made and the cracking of the houses."'' | I saw a fire as one entire arch of fire above a mile long: it made me weep to see it. The churches, houses are all on fire and flaming at once, and a horrid noise the flames made and the cracking of the houses."'' | ||
Revision as of 17:37, 8 May 2009
Course of the Fire
The Great Fire of London took place on 2nd September 1666 in London – just one year after the Great Plague hit London- in a huge part of London covering an area from the Tower in the East to Hollborn Hill in the western part of the city. The south was limited by the river Thames and in the North the fire stopped at Smithfields, Moorfields and Spitalfields. It first started in Thomas Farynor’s bakery as a small fire on Pudding Lane. Thomas Farynor was baker to the King Charles II. At first the danger of the fire was underrated (the Lord Mayor allegedly said that “A woman might piss it out”), but the fire quickly expanded due to strong winds and the fact that all houses and buildings were built very closely together and that they consisted of wood which supported the fire to spread around.
Loss and casualties
About 430 acres of the city were destroyed, among the destroyed buildings were 13,000 houses, 52 Guild Halls and 89 churches. Thousands of citizens lost their homes and money. St. Paul’s Cathedral also became a victim of the flames.
End of the Fire
Usually fires were stopped by cutting down houses in its way to prevent the fire from spreading, so called “fire-breaks”. However, afraid of the immense costs of rebuilding the houses, Lord Mayor Blundworth did not issue such a command early enough. By the time the command was carried out, the fire has already been out of control and the following demolition of the houses only supported the fire as the debris first had to be moved away. Samuel Pepys was Secretary of the Admiralty and observed the fire from a safe place. He described his observations in his diaries as follows:
"September 2nd: Jane (his maid) comes and tells us that she hears that above 300 houses have been burned down by the fire…...poor people staying in their houses as long as till the very fire touched them, and then running into boats or clambering from one pair of stairs by the waterside, to another… I saw a fire as one entire arch of fire above a mile long: it made me weep to see it. The churches, houses are all on fire and flaming at once, and a horrid noise the flames made and the cracking of the houses."
Source: < http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/great_fire_of_london_of_1666.htm>
So the fire continued for three more days until the Duke of York and latter King James II had the Paper House torn down in order to create another fire break which in addition to a change of wind direction finally led to an end of the fire.
Aftermath
King Charles II ordered the city to be rebuilt. The buildings were to be refurbished with bricks and stone. It was Sir Christopher Wren who sent his plans to rebuild the city to the King and eventually it was him who was responsible for the restoration of about 50 churches including St. Paul’s Cathedral and it was him who was ordered to design and build The Monument (1671-1679) which still stands at the bakery where the fire broke out. The street is now called Monument Street.
320 years later, in 1986, the small bakery issued an apology for having caused the fire.
Books on the Great Fire of London
Hanson, Neil. The Dreadful Judgement: The True Story of the Great Fire of London. New York: Doubleday. 2001.
Roubard, Jacques. The Great Fire of London. Champaign: Dalkey Archive Press. 2006.
Pepys, Samuel. The Diary of Samuel Pepys. London: Random House. 2003.
Films
"History Bites" Great Fire of London (1998), directed by Rick Green
Plague, Fire, War and Treason: The Great Fire of London (2001), directed by James Runcie
External Links
<http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/great_fire_of_london_of_1666.htm>