In London, 1666, the so-called Great Fire of London for all intents and purposes, demolished London as we knew it then. The fire began on Sunday, September 2, 1666 in a baker’s shop on Pudding Lane (some irony there, no?) The fire destroyed 13,200 houses, 87 churches, St Paul’s Cathedral, the Royal Exchange, and the revered and important Guildhall. There was no organized fire brigade in London at the time, so people used leather buckets, axes, and water squirts to fight the fire. They also tried to stop the fire from spreading by blowing up buildings to create firebreaks. Catastrophe only hints at the results.
But, London being London, even after that, there are still some remnants and reminders of that disaster. Yes, there are remnants of the Great Fire of London in 1666, including: St Paul’s Cathedral: Contains hundreds of charred blocks from the medieval cathedral, which are only sometimes accessible to the public St Alphage London Wall: A tall Roman wall that was incorporated into the City Wall St Dunstan’s-in-the-East Church: Severely damaged but not destroyed The Guildhall:
The undercoft withstood the fire Merchant Taylors’ Hall: Only its ancient walls and foundations remain London’s ancient livestock market: Largely escaped the blaze. St Olave Hart Street: The parish church of fire chronicler Samuel Pepys The Monument: Erected in 1677 to commemorate the fire, and positioned 202ft from where the fire started.
The Museum of London: Has items from the Great Fire on general display The Great Fire of London destroyed about four-fifths of the city, leaving only a small portion of the north east unscathed. The city took around 50 years to rebuild. Want to learn more and see the sites? Viator have walking tours for you. To book, click here.
Be smart. Take the train to London, and then enjoy the walk, The Tube and more. For rail with, Click here