Remembering the Great Fire of London - Join us in remembering how our City survived and contintues to thrive - wathc out for details of the event later in the year.
What was it?
The Great Fire of London swept through the central parts of the city of London, from Sunday, 2 September to Wednesday, 5 September 1666. It consumed 13,200 houses, 87 parish churches, St Paul's Cathedral and most of the buildings of the City authorities. It is estimated to have destroyed the homes of 70,000 of the City's 80,000 inhabitants. The death toll is unknown but traditionally thought to have been small, as only six verified deaths were recorded. This reasoning has recently been challenged on the grounds that the deaths of poor and middle-class people were not recorded, while the heat of the fire may have cremated many victims leaving no recognisable remains. A melted piece of pottery on display at the Museum of London found by archaeologists in Pudding Lane, where the fire started, shows that the temperature reached 1700 °C.