Event    From 2/9/1666  To 6/9/1666

Great Fire of London

Categories: Tragedy

Started on a Sunday morning. After 4 days the destruction included:
- an area of one and a half miles by a half mile
- 87 churches
- 13,200 houses
- only 6 people are recorded as having died (but see Londonist)
- the Great Plague of 1665 was also brought to an end by the fire, possibly.

The fire started in the house and shop of the baker Thomas Farynor in Pudding Lane. The site is now marked by the Monument. But at the time many suspected a Papist plot and Robert Hubert obligingly claimed to have started the fire. He was a Frenchman who was not even in the country at the time but that did not save him from the scaffold.

At the time of the fire England was at war with the French and the Dutch and, during the fire, some people thought it was the French invading, others attacked a Dutch baker blaming him. Rumours about the cause rumbled on for years. Thomas Farriner (spellings differ) swore it was not his fault. Was it God's punishment? Was it the Catholics? A great resource for this topic is The Great Fire of London

2016: a Telegraph article reports on an article in 'Country Life'. The exact location of the start of the fire has now been identified: "Those plans, combined with measuring 202 feet from the Monument itself, show that the oven was located on what is now the cobbled surface of Monument Street, 60 feet east of Pudding Lane."

The rebuilding of London used stone from the west, Oxfordshire/Berkshire, brought by river. Once unloaded the barges were filled with rubble which was taken back up river and dumped on the various islands in the river, including Monkey Island, raising the level of the ground and providing solid foundations for buildings.

In 2016, to mark the 350th anniversary, the artist David Best was commissioned to create a model of London and set it on fire.

Most of the memorials to the Great Fire refer to buildings that were lost; we have found only one that celebrates a building that survived. But quite a few survived - Spitalfields Life displays some lovely drawings of many buildings that survived until at least c.1800.

London has had other very big fires: Tooley Street and see Londonist for others. And Londonist drew our attention to this great article in The Guardian listing the buildings lost. And the buildings that survived? Londonist again.

September 2023: Londonist reported on new research which names Thomas Dagger (Farriner's employee) as the first person to raise the alarm.

2024: Historical researchers now believe the site of the start of the fire to be in Monument Street, amongst the parked vehicles on the south side of the street to the east of the Monument. And we learnt that wattle and daub, if well maintained is extremely resistant to fire, but very flammable if poorly maintained, as one might expect in many of the properties in the City at this time.

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This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Great Fire of London

Commemorated ati

Alienation Office

"Act 5 and 6 Will. IV.Cap.82" refers to a legal instrument created during the...

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Building survived the Great Fire

Londonist points out how important correct use of English can be: "This was n...

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Cannon Street Station

The Sir John Hawkshaw Cannon Street Station was officially opened by South Ea...

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Crosskey's Inn

Site of Crosskey's Inn, destroyed 1666. The Corporation of the City of London

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Cutlers' Hall

Site of Cutlers' Hall, 1416 - 1883, rebuilt after the Great Fire 1666. The C...

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Show all 55

Other Subjects

Luke Smith

Luke Smith

Role on the lost expedition: Petty officer on SS Terror. See John Franklin.

Person, Exploring, Tragedy

1 memorial
Samuel Honey

Samuel Honey

Role on the lost expedition: Petty officer on SS Terror. See John Franklin.

Person, Exploring, Tragedy

1 memorial
Mihaela Otto

Mihaela Otto

Mihaela Draganescu was born on 18 December 1958 in Romania who came to the UK in 1984. She was briefly married but when the marriage broke down she retained her married surname of Otto. Living in M...

Person, Tragedy, Romania

3 memorials
Joan Ellas
1 memorial

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Linda Eastman

Linda Eastman

Photographer, musician and animal rights activist and Paul McCartney's first wife, of 29 years. Mother of fashion designer Stella and musician James.

Person, Music / songs, Seriously Famous, USA

1 memorial
William Terriss

William Terriss

Actor-manager, owner of the Adelphi Theatre. Born in London as William Charles James Lewin. Terriss was murdered as he entered the theatre at a back door by a disgruntled/deranged former employee/...

Person, Theatre

1 memorial
Vernon Hall

Vernon Hall

It occupied the building that once was Bow Public Library. We can find find no further information about its function, nor who Vernon was.

Building, Community / Clubs

2 memorials
Dolores Moorhouse

Dolores Moorhouse

Widow of Peter. We think she was born Dolores Douglas and, with Peter, had children Francesca and Maximilian.

Person, Friend / family

5 memorials
Reverend Sydney Smith

Reverend Sydney Smith

Wit, for example "I never read a book before reviewing it; it prejudices a man so." Born Woodford, London. Died at home in Green Street, London.

Person, Literature

2 memorials