September 2 - The Great Fire of London Begins

This Day in History: 2 September 2020

 

2 September 1666

 

354 years ago, today, the Great Fire of London broke out in the house of King Charles II's baker. Sometime around midnight, smouldering embers ignited firewood lying beside the oven, quickly engulfing the house in flames. The sparks from the bakery set fire to a nearby inn, and spread to Thames Street, with warehouses packed full of flammable materials, transforming the fire into an uncontrollable blaze. Strong winds worsened the flames, causing people to flee into the Thames River with their possessions. The fire finally relaxed on September 5 and was brought under control the next day.

 

The Great Fire of London destroyed 13,000 houses, as well as many historic landmarks, such as the old St. Paul's Cathedral. Within days, King Charles II began to rebuild the capital, starting with a new design of St. Paul's Cathedral. To prevent future fires, most new houses were built of brick or stone, narrow alleyways were forbidden, and streets were made wider. More than three centuries later, in 1986, London's bakers finally apologised to the lord mayor for setting fire to the city. A plaque was unveiled where the fire began that acknowledged the king's baker, Thomas Farrinor, as guilty of causing the Great Fire of London.

 

Want to find out more about the Great Fire of London? Click here for more information, or here for more about the pandemic London was facing at the same time as the fire.

The Great Fire of London

Here is a fascinating article about the Great Fire of London, which was the subject of a Channel 4 documentary yesterday. Most people are familiar with the basic story -that the fire began in Thomas Farriner's bakery in Pudding Lane and was then spread rapidly across the city by a strong wind after a hot summer. However, the context is less known. England was at war with France and the Netherlands at the time and only weeks earlier the Royal Navy had deliberately set alight the Dutch city of West Terschelling. The majority of the people in London therefore assumed the Great Fire was a deliberate act of arson, and angry mobs sought out foreigners in the city to seek their revenge - a Frenchwoman was attacked because people thought the baby chicks she carried in her apron were fireballs.

The authorities believed the fire was an accident, but in September a French watchmaker confessed to starting the fire with 23 conspirators. His confession was deeply flawed but he was eventually hanged. Later it was discovered he was at sea at the time and people returned to the theory it was an accident. This did not stop the London Monument to the fire (Still standing close to London Bridge - see map below) from carrying a plaque blaming the Catholics for the fire. This was eventually removed in the 19th Century. Meriel Jeater, curator at the Museum of London, suggests that the paranoia shown after the Fire must have been very similar to how people must have felt after terrorist outrages like 9/11 and 7/7, and that human nature has changed very little in the meantime...

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Restoration?

Should the Monarchy have been restored in 1660? Join the debate today in the library at 1.20. There is more information about the English Restoration here and some of the arguments for and against the monarchy here. There is also a chance to show your opinion in our poll!

PS: Don't forget the film after school: "To Kill a King" at 3.20 in the Sixth Form Common Room. Coming up tomorrow: The Stuart Quiz and the Battle of Naseby (1.20 in Room 104)