And what if they escaped? BBC Teach > Primary Resources > KS1 History > The Great Fire of London, 1. [102] The mood was now so volatile that Charles feared a full-scale London rebellion against the monarchy. This article is about the 1666 fire of London. Museum of London registered charity number 1139250, Follow us on Twitter for news, views and conversation about London, Join us on Facebook and share your views on current London issues, Browse our YouTube videos of teaching resources, London history, fashion and more, See objects from our collection, snapshots of events and share your visits with us on Instagram. overnight, making bread, and somehow they caused a fire. Guy Fawkes Night. [55] The fire pushed towards the city's centre "in a broad, bow-shaped arc". [26], The high Roman wall enclosing the city impeded escape from the inferno, restricting exit to eight narrow gates. in charge. "[69], Suspicion soon arose in the threatened city that the fire was no accident. family and ran outside, as the shop burned down. The Fire! The sky was red with huge flames from the fire. The fire was fought by local people, and soldiers. In 1666, a huge fire that started in a tiny bakery burned down most of London. St. Margaret Church. Striking on 2 September 1666, it raged for nearly five days, during which time its destructive path exposed London's makeshift medieval vulnerability. Coordinated firefighting efforts were simultaneously getting underway. It was the worst fire in London's history. It has been written to meet the Year 2 expected standard and comes with a handy annotated version detailing the text-type specific features (red), grammar (green), punctuation (purple) and spelling (blue) teaching opportunities should you wish to use this text with your learners. As a result, economic recovery was slow. The chaos at the gates was such that the magistrates briefly ordered the gates shut, in the hope of turning the inhabitants' attention from safeguarding their own possessions to fighting the fire: "that, no hopes of saving any things left, they might have more desperately endeavoured the quenching of the fire. What could a poem inspired by the Great Fire look and sound like? Take a deep breath and take in the evocative scenes of the Great Fire of London in this painting. A thousand watchmen or "bellmen" who patrolled the streets at night watched for fire as one of their duties. Watch. What would it sound like if it was a piece of music? I wander thro' each charter'd street, Near where the charter'd Thames does flow. Charles's next, sharper message in 1665 warned of the risk of fire from the narrowness of the streets and authorised both imprisonment of recalcitrant builders and demolition of dangerous buildings. By the Saturday after the fire "the markets were operating well enough to supply the people" at Moorfields. One-third of London was destroyed and about 100,000 people were made homeless. His maid was not so Much of it was left in the homes of private citizens from the days of the English Civil War. It took some time until the last traces were put out: coal was still burning in cellars two months later. A firehook was a heavy pole perhaps 30 feet (9m) long with a strong hook and ring at one end, which would be attached to the roof trees of a threatened house and operated by means of ropes and pulleys to pull down the building. [131], A special Fire Court was set up from February 1667 to December 1668, and again from 1670 to February 1676. The family was trapped upstairs but managed to climb from an upstairs window to the house next door, except for a maidservant who was too frightened to try, thus becoming the first victim. But the most remarkable thing about this literature of loss is that almost as soon as it saw the light of day it evolved into a literature of renewal. [151][120] The Royalist perspective of the fire as accidental was opposed by the Whig view questioning the loyalties of Catholics in general and the Duke of York in particular. Versions of the report that appeared in print concluded that Hubert was one of a number of Catholic plotters responsible for starting the fire. From what began as a tiny spark in the hush of night, the 'story' of the Great Fire is incredible. Read about DIY fashion, music and punk lifestyle. Food production and distribution had been disrupted to the point of non-existence; Charles announced that supplies of bread would be brought into the City every day, and markets set up round the perimeter. He hoped that the River Fleet would form a natural firebreak, making a stand with his firemen from the Fleet Bridge and down to the Thames. You need to be signed in to place a review. google_ad_client="pub-0482092160869205";google_ad_slot="5105652707";google_ad_width=120;google_ad_height=600; Copyright 2014 history-for-kids.com [148] Charitable foundations experienced significant financial losses because of direct fire-related costs as well as loss of rental income. London is the capital of the United Kingdom. The Great Fire of London - A Paul Perro Poem Paul Perro 91 subscribers Subscribe Like Share Save 108K views 7 years ago A modern and lively poem for kids about The Great Fire of. [17] Building with wood and roofing with thatch had been prohibited for centuries, but these cheap materials continued to be used. 2. [52] King Charles II sailed down from Whitehall in the Royal barge to inspect the scene. He decided that he must help, Put on his boots and cloak,And he marched out of his palaceTowards the fire and smoke.He helped some fire-fighters whoHad started to despair,And everyone was really gladThat the good king was there. ", Records on the Great Fire of London 1666 from the UK Parliamentary Collections, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Great_Fire_of_London&oldid=1141001049, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia pending changes protected pages, Wikipedia indefinitely move-protected pages, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 22 February 2023, at 21:25. The fire that changed our city forever. A modern and lively poem for kids about The Great Fire of London, 1666. I was always just supposed to be a whisper, Londons breath, blending in, part of the clutter, but a lot of people like to chatter, and I. scattered like sparks from one mouth to another. [140] New public buildings were created on their predecessors' sites; perhaps the most famous is St Paul's Cathedral and its smaller cousins, Christopher Wren's 51 new churches. James and his life guards rode up and down the streets all Monday, "rescuing foreigners from the mob" and attempting to keep order. Matthew Russell tells us about a dragon smaller than a five pence coin from the collection. To view these you will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader. [71][72][73] There was a wave of street violence. The Great Fire itself is was such a huge moment in our history. Joseph Guillim, for example, ends his Dreadful Burning with the hope that from our Ruind City may arise, / Another, whose high Towers may urge the Skies. We are also going to use our topic of 'The Great Fire of London' to create diary entries and newspaper reports. Children and their families are exposed to the story, facts and figures of the Great Fire of London in a unique way, compared to many other visitors to the museum. lucky, and she did not escape. It had also pushed outwards beyond the wall into squalid extramural slums such as Shoreditch, Holborn, and Southwark, and had reached far enough to include the independent City of Westminster. Fire! [157] During the Bombay plague epidemic two centuries later, this belief led to the burning of tenements as an antiplague measure. exhibition ended in April 2017. We hope you enjoy it. - including 'London's burning!' [31] Self-reliant community procedures were in place for dealing with fires, and they were usually effective. Here in Pudding Lane Life in the busy streets of London before The Great Fire. Amazingly, only a few people are recorded as having died during the fire. [12] The City was traffic-clogged, polluted, and unhealthy, especially after it was hit by a devastating outbreak of bubonic plague in the Plague Year of 1665. On Tuesday, the fire spread over nearly the whole City, destroying St Paul's Cathedral and leaping the River Fleet to threaten Charles II 's court at Whitehall. The heat from the flames by then was too great for the remaining engines to get within a useful distance. The scaffolding caught fire on Tuesday night. On 2 September 1666, an event started that would change the face of London. Using marbling inks to make the back ground and then draw and cut out a skyline. Public buildings, like churches, were paid for with money from a new coal tax. The Great Fire of London 1666. BEST POEMS ABOUT LONDON. The Great Fire broke out from a baker's house in Pudding Lane. Some people say sixteen, other people say only six. The fire "caused the largest dislocation of London's residential structure in its history until the Blitz". Not just hand-me downs each strand threads a story with it. The fire as seen from a boat in vicinity of Tower Wharf. The old St. Paul's Cathedral was destroyed, as were many other historic landmarks. London has fallen like Troy; itburns like another Rome. And mark in every face I meet. And we'll meet Christopher Wren, a key figure in the design and building of a new city. I was the circus animal escaped from its cage. Farynor owned a bakery in Pudding Lane (near London Bridge), and a fire. Year 2 school project N nettzthreadz Great fire of London year 2 After his death, it became apparent that he had been on board a ship in the North Sea, and had not arrived in London until two days after the fire started. In 1666 there were no professional fire fighters. The prolonged absence of rains brought a lot of danger to the city's inhabitants. Discover how Londoners created the Christmas traditions we enjoy today. [107] The dramatist James Shirley and his wife are believed to have died in this way. Tinniswood, 72. London Bridge acted more like a fire break and stopped the fire from rampaging into the south of London. Houses now had to be faced in brick instead of wood. While the most famous accounts of the Great Fire, bydiarists Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn, didnt see the light of day until the 19th century, broadside ballads with titles such as The Londoners Lamentation and London Mourning in Ashes began to appear on the blackened streets within weeks. Last updated [83] In this state of emergency, the King put his brother James, Duke of York, in charge of operations. What happened when Arthur Thistlewood and his men tried to murder the British PM on 23 Feb 1820? on Pudding Lane. refused to do this though, as he was worried about the cost of Charles' brother James, Duke of York, offered the use of the Royal Life Guards to help fight the fire. We tackle some common myths and misconceptions about this well-known disaster. Find out more about its history. Compare Hanson, who claims that they had wheels (76), and Tinniswood, who states that they did not (50). [30], Fires were common in the crowded wood-built city with its open fireplaces, candles, ovens, and stores of combustibles. Great Fire of London: September 1666 - Children's song with words by Al Start Go Kid Music - Al Start 6.74K subscribers Subscribe 1.8K 554K views 6 years ago Don't forget to subscribe to my. National curriculum objectives: KS1 History: Y1. The social and economic problems created by the disaster were overwhelming. Want to join our mailing list? [95][96], The wind dropped on Tuesday evening, and the firebreaks created by the garrison finally began to take effect on Wednesday, 5September. Flew, through every wooden door. [118] The official account of the fire in the London Gazette concluded that the fire was an accident: "it stressed the role of God in starting the flames and of the king in helping to stem them". As . It began on 2 September 1666 and lasted just under five days. It really shaped this City and so it still feels relevant. [164][161], Although it was never implemented, Wren's plan for the rebuilding of London has itself had a significant cultural impact. This increased the risk of fire and gave fires the opportunity to spread rapidly. The authors of these poems were as diverse as their literary output. Touch device users can . After By Monday, 300 houses had burned down. The battle to put out the fire is considered to have been won by two key factors: the strong east wind dropped, and the Tower of London garrison used gunpowder to create effective firebreaks, halting further spread eastward. What does Sam's silverware tell us about Pepys and his times? [76][77], The inhabitants, especially the upper class, were growing desperate to remove their belongings from the City. Surprisingly the death toll was six people. This novel deals with one of Ackroyd's great heroes, Charles Dickens, and is a reworking of Little Dorrit. [48] Jacob Field notes that although Bloodworth "is frequently held culpable by contemporaries (as well as some later historians) for not stopping the Fire in its early stages there was little [he] could have done" given the state of firefighting expertise and the sociopolitical implications of antifire action at that time. Contemporary maps record the site as 23 Pudding Lane. And what if they escaped? # The Great fire of London - A Poem [#Poem](https://gab.com/tags/Poem) [#Poetry](https://gab.com/tags/Poetry). [97][98] Pepys climbed the steeple of Barking Church, from which he viewed the destroyed City, "the saddest sight of desolation that I ever saw". Q2. Bonfire Night Crafts. [135] All were based on a grid system, which became prevalent in the American urban landscape. Poor souls they could not have imagined the new disaster that was to befall them in 1666. I was brave, I caught on like a Mexican wave. Hubert was convicted, despite some misgivings about his fitness to plead, and hanged at Tyburn on 29 October 1666. People loaded their things onto carts and tried to leave town. Enter Your E-mail Address here: London was a big city in 1666. Foreigners were immediately suspected because of the ongoing Second Anglo-Dutch War. What happened when Arthur Thistlewood and his men tried to murder the British PM on 23 Feb 1820? Five to six hundred tons of powder was stored in the Tower of London. [137], The Crown and the City authorities attempted to negotiate compensation for the large-scale remodelling that these plans entailed, but that unrealistic idea had to be abandoned. By William Blake. David Bests London 1666, a wooden replica of the city in the 17th century, which will be set alight on 4 September 2016. By the time large-scale demolitions were ordered on Sunday night, the wind had already fanned the bakery fire into a firestorm which defeated such measures. [28], The crucial factor which frustrated firefighting efforts was the narrowness of the streets. [144] Tenants who did remain in London saw a significant decrease in the costs of their lease. My London Story: Poems on the Buses Poetry Competition. [63][62] Several observers emphasise the despair and helplessness which seemed to seize Londoners on this second day,[64] and the lack of efforts to save the wealthy, fashionable districts which were now menaced by the flames, such as the Royal Exchangecombined bourse and shopping centre[65]and the opulent consumer goods shops in Cheapside. They created firebreaks by blowing up houses on a large scale in the vicinity, halting the advance of the fire. . Hiring a cart had cost a couple of shillings the week before the fire; on Monday, it rose to as much as 40,[79] a fortune equivalent to roughly 133,000 in 2021. At 3 a.m. they woke their master and mistress "to tell us of a great fire they saw in the . King [115], The Court of Aldermen sought to quickly begin clearing debris and re-establish food supplies. The fears of the homeless focused on the French and Dutch, England's enemies in the ongoing Second Anglo-Dutch War; these substantial immigrant groups became victims of street violence. By dawn on Thursday the fire was out. These plans are detailed in Tinniswood, 196210, six in a set commemorating the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire, List of buildings that survived the Great Fire of London, "England and the Netherlands: the ties between two nations", "Calendar of State Papers Relating To English Affairs in the Archives of Venice Volume 35, 16661668", "How London might have looked: five masterplans after the great fire of 1666", "The long after-life of Christopher Wren's short-lived London plan of 1666", Financing the rebuilding of the City of London after the Great Fire of 1666, "Why Grenfell Tower burned: regulators put cost before safety", "3 myths you probably believe about the Great Fire of London", "The Golden Boy of Pye Corner(Grade II) (1286479)", "Building Consensus: London, the Thames, and Collective Memory in the Novels of William Harrison Ainsworth", "The Great Fire; The Knick review One period drama takes a while to warm up, the other is deliciously gory", "The Great Fire of London, 350th anniversary: How did it start and what happened? It commemorated 1665-1666, the "year of miracles" of London. People did not know about the dangers of fire. What happened to convicts who were transported to penal colonies instead of being executed? For 37 years, The Backstreet was an iconic part of Londons leather and gay bar scene. [37], The use of water to extinguish the fire was frustrated. My London Story: Poems on the Buses Poetry Competition. [9][10], By the late 17th century, the City properthe area bounded by the city wall and the River Thameswas only a part of London, covering some 700 acres (2.8km2; 1.1sqmi),[11] and home to about 80,000 people, or one quarter of London's inhabitants. [120] Allegations that Catholics had started the fire were exploited as powerful political propaganda by opponents of pro-Catholic Charles II's court, mostly during the Popish Plot and the exclusion crisis later in his reign. The Great Fire of London began in the early hours of the 2nd of September 1666. A communal toilet seat from the 12th century reveals the underside of life in medieval London. As the Museum of London prepares to mark the 350th anniversary of. As well as reporting the big, important events during the Great Fire of London, Pepys also documented smaller details that would have otherwise been forgotten: pigeons falling from the sky, people throwing their belongings in the river, and the ground feeling like hot coals. The cathedral was quickly a ruin. The fire started at 1 am and ended on the evening of September 5. by Ksutherland. Numbers vary according to sources, but The Great Fire, as it would come to be called, destroyed roughly 13,000 homes, 85 churches, and 50 company halls. It's a fun poem, but educational too. They used buckets of water, water squirts and fire hooks. [40] This did not happen, as inhabitants panicked and fled. There were around 350,000 people in London before the Great Fire. Can you help us find iconic pieces of fashion history? [126][127] In Italy, a pamphlet circulated comparing London "to Lucifer in its proud arrogance and its spectacular fall". The Great Fire of London 1666. Thomas wasn't your average baker, though - he was King Charles II 's baker. [66][67] John Evelyn, courtier and diarist, wrote: The conflagration was so universal, and the people so astonished, that from the beginning, I know not by what despondency or fate, they hardly stirred to quench it, so that there was nothing heard or seen but crying out and lamentation, running about like distracted creatures without at all attempting to save even their goods, such a strange consternation there was upon them. We showcase five lovely stories from our collection. Within half an hour, the lead roof was melting, and the books and papers in the crypt were burning. [94], Everybody had thought St. Paul's Cathedral a safe refuge, with its thick stone walls and natural firebreak in the form of a wide empty surrounding plaza. 4 September 1666, around 11pm. Three courtiers were put in charge of each post, with authority from Charles himself to order demolitions. [46] The neighbours tried to help douse the fire; after an hour, the parish constables arrived and judged that the adjoining houses had better be demolished to prevent further spread. His ovens were on It took ten years to rebuild. A series of six animations exploring the topic 'Castles and Knights' with additional photos, illustrations and worksheets. However, unlike the useful firehooks, these large pumps had rarely proved flexible or functional enough to make much difference. and I blew. [128], On 5 October, Marc Antonio Giustinian, Venetian Ambassador in France, reported to the Doge of Venice and the Senate, that Louis XIV announced that he would not "have any rejoicings about it, being such a deplorable accident involving injury to so many unhappy people". On 2 September 1666, an event started that would change the face of London. Q1. He rescued his [149] Despite these factors, London retained its "economic pre-eminence" because of the access to shipping routes and its continued central role in political and cultural life in England. Gunpowder was used to blow up houses. The householders protested, and Lord Mayor Sir Thomas Bloodworth was summoned to give his permission. For 37 years, The Backstreet was an iconic part of Londons leather and gay bar scene. I pulsed like blood through the citys veins. [137], English economist Nicholas Barbon illegally reshaped London with his own rebuilding schemes, which developed the Strand, St. Giles, Bloomsbury and Holborn. by Meadruth21. fire started on Sunday 2nd September in the baker's shop of Thomas The section "Wednesday" is based on Tinniswood, 101110, unless otherwise indicated. Download the latest version from Adobe Reviews This resource has not been rated yet. The typical multistory timbered London tenement houses had "jetties" (projecting upper floors). Our friendly presenter for these animations is a rat called Maureen. And could our visitors help us shape it? Some streets were widened and two new streets were created. It took nearly 50 years to rebuild the burnt area of London. Some places still smouldered for months afterwards. [75] Suspicions rose to panic and collective paranoia on Monday, and both the Trained Bands and the Coldstream Guards focused less on fire fighting and more on rounding up foreigners and anyone else appearing suspicious, arresting them, rescuing them from mobs, or both. Paul Perro's poem, written in 2009, is fun and easy to read. St Paul's Cathedral was not completed until 1711. Three short animations exploring The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 - why it happened, the main events of the Plot, and the consequences for Guy Fawkes and the other plotters. A very strong easterly wind blew the fire from house to house in the narrow streets. The Great Fire of London 1666. Describe the effects of the Great Fire of London on the people and on London. The use of the major firefighting technique of the time, the creation of firebreaks by means of removing structures in the fire's path, was critically delayed due to the indecisiveness of the Lord Mayor, Sir Thomas Bloodworth. Samuel Pepys was fast asleep when, at three in the morning of Sunday 2 September 1666, one of his maids, Jane Birch, banged on the door with the news that there was a . Eventually, the wind died down - The fire died down too.London would have to be rebuiltThere was much work to do. Bloodworth is generally thought to have been appointed to the office of Lord Mayor as a yes man, rather than by possessing requisite capabilities for the job. The first, in 1633, severely damaged the structure and weakened it to some degree. During the first couple of days, few people had any notion of fleeing the burning city altogether. It was standard practice at that time to demolish Various schemes for rebuilding the city were proposed, some of them very radical. Read Poem. Explore. [85], On Monday evening, hopes were dashed that the massive stone walls of Baynard's Castle, Blackfriars would stay the course of the flames, the western counterpart of the Tower of London. This meant that buildings, most of which were made out of wood, were very dry and caught fire quickly! [167] More recent cultural works featuring the Great Fire include the 1841 novel Old St. Paul's[168] (and the 1914 film adaptation),[169] the 2006 novel Forged in the Fire,[170] the 2014 television drama The Great Fire,[171] and the musical Bumblescratch, which was performed as part of the commemorations of the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire.[172]. Find out more about its history. The Great Fires of London. The great fire of London was a terrible tragedy that destroyed a lot of homes and properties in the city of London. It successfully stopped the fire around the Tower of London and Cripplegate. A lot of people in London died from the Great Plague. See results. This Year 3 Great Fire of London Comprehension is in the form of an original acrostic poem with rhyming couplets which tells the story of the Great Fire of London. The Great Fire of London - Put the events into order Rank order.