The Great Fire of London - September 1666
- thedudleywomen
- Sep 2
- 4 min read
On 02 September in 1666, an accidental fire started in a bakery on Pudding Lane, within the City of London. The blaze was not properly extinguished, and so within hours grew into a blazing inferno, which devastated the city and became known as 'The Great Fire of London'.
In the early hours of the morning, a fire, possibly caused from a spark from one of the bread ovens, set alight a pile of a wood within the bakery located on the ground floor of a house on Pudding Lane, east of the city, located nearby the modern site of The Monument. Shortly after 1 o'clock in the morning, baker Thomas Farriner, his daughter Hanna and his servants, sleeping on the floor above, were woken by smoke. All, except his frightened maid, managed to escaped from an upper window onto a neighbour's roof.
The fire quickly engulfed the premises, and spread to neighbouring timber-built buildings, down Fish Street Hill, towards the Thames, fuelled by the tar, rope, oil and brandy stored within. Now out of control, the blaze burned for four days in total, with strong easterly winds contributing to the rapid spread of the conflagration. As early as the morning of the first day, orders were given for houses to be pulled down in an attempt to stem the flames; this was initially done with fire hooks. However, the fire spread too quickly for this to have any successful impact.
On 03 September, the fire spread east to St Dunstan-in-the-East; however, boys from Westminster School battled to save the church and nearby houses, armed only with buckets of water. The church was damaged but survived, standing until the Blitz in 1941.
On the evening of 4th September, the order was given for gunpowder to be used to blow up buildings and houses, successfully stopping the trajectory of the fire and creating gaps, enabling the firefighters to gain some control over the flames, and prevent further spread. This was done at strategic locations, including at Tower Street, in front of the Tower of London, preventing any damage to the Tower, as well as at Temple, Cripplegate, Fetter Lane and Holborn Bridge.
With the change in the wind, and successful strategic intervention, the fire eventually got under control by dawn on 06 September. It then became clear as to level of devastation that the fire had caused to this densely-populated city. Whilst accurate details could not be confirmed, it was believed that ten people had lost their lives during those four days, the first victim being the Farriner's maid, with many others falling victim to the long-term consequences over the following months.
The 'Great Fire' changed the landscape of the City of London forever, with many medieval and Tudor buildings significantly damaged or destroyed, including the City's Guildhall, Newgate Prison, Cheapside, the Royal Exchange, Baynard's Castle and St Paul's Cathedral. In the months after the fire, Wenceslaus Hollar, the prolific Bohemian artist, produced a map (1666-67) which confirmed the overall devastation of the fire: a total of over 430 acres, a quarter of the size of 17th century London had been 'ruined'. It was confirmed that over 13,200 homes had been destroyed, as well as destruction of 87 of the city's 109 churches.
The health and socio-economic consequences of the 'Great Fire' were also significant; ruined homes and businesses were ransacked, and those trying to protect their property assaulted. The fire also caused significant homelessness and displacement, with an estimated 100,000 people losing their homes in the fire, approximately one quarter of the city's population. Survivors of varying social standings were subsequently forced into unsanitary temporary accommodations, where they had faced disease and hunger, in addition to a harsh winter, a common occurrence at the time, as documented by diarist Samuel Pepys, who described the "cold", "dark" and "frost". A specialised 'Fire Court' was set up at Clifford's Inn, with the purpose of listening to disputes between tenants and landlords, and making quick judgements about who would be responsible for repairs or rebuilding of damaged property, and whether the tenant was required to continue paying rent regardless of its condition.
There were initially ambitious plans, submitted by Christopher Wren, who had been commissioned for the complete rebuild of the City of London; these plans were rejected as many owners insisted on keeping their original property sites. London, however, grew from the ashes, rebuilding on its old foundations, with Wren designing and rebuilding fifty new churches, including a new St Paul's Cathedral. In response to the fire, acts of parliament were passed, in an attempt to reduce any further future similar disasters, including mandatory guidelines for rebuilding with brick and stone.
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