Oh the depressing and calamitous spectacle! So wrote one eyewitness after the Nice Fireplace of London in 1666, when an opportunity spark from a baker’s oven led to a four-day conflagration which burned down 13,000 houses and left round 100,000 of London’s inhabitants homeless.
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The hearth, which noticed the King and his brother manning the buckets together with diarist Samuel Pepys, and cannon blasting homes all the way down to create firebreaks, modified the face of the town without end. However in the event you go to London at the moment, you possibly can nonetheless uncover a few of the Nice Fireplace of London areas – so with my daughter studying about it at school, we got here up with a Nice Fireplace of London stroll to go to them.
As a result of if seventeenth century London with its wood homes and slim streets is a world away from at the moment’s metropolis, there are nonetheless loads of historic corners to find within the metropolis’s streets.
Nice Fireplace of London Stroll: Cease 1
The place else must you begin however Pudding Lane, house to the bakery the place the hearth itself started. Conspiracy theories have abounded through the years however the first spark got here from an oven belonging to Thomas Farynor or Farriner, whose household woke up to thick smoke in the course of the night time.
His maid was the primary casualty of the hearth when she refused to leap from the window – the ultimate dying toll was recorded at six, though it appears possible there have been much more.
As we speak Pudding Lane within the Metropolis of London is a reasonably unexciting little avenue however there’s nonetheless a plaque marking the spot the place the hearth started – or no less than ‘close to this web site’.
This specific one was added in 1986 though there may be an unique signal within the London Museum assortment.
Whilst you’re right here, hold a watch out for the concrete blocks marked with the strains of the kids’s track London’s Burning – ‘London’s burning, London’s burning. Fetch the engines, fetch the engines. Fireplace hearth! Fireplace hearth! Pour on water, pour on water’.
Bonus marks if there are sufficient of you to sing it as a spherical.
Take a look at my four-page mini information to the Nice Fireplace of London, together with quirky trivia and a few extra sudden websites
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Simply steps away is probably the most well-known spot commemorating the hearth – identified merely because the Monument.
On the junction of Monument Road and Fish Road Hill, it was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and completed in 1677. The most recent restorations had been completed in 2009, with new golf leaf on the flaming orb on the prime.
Standing 202 ft excessive, it’s 202 ft from the spot the place the hearth began on Pudding Lane – in the event you laid it down, it might attain proper to the bakery.
In addition to studying the plaque on the backside, you can too climb the 311 steps to the gallery on the prime to look out throughout the town, with a certificates for individuals who make it to the highest.
There are Latin inscriptions on three sides of the monument – and one phrase was faraway from the north panel in 1830 blaming the Catholics and ‘Popish frenzy’ for the hearth.
Nice Fireplace of London areas: Have to know
If you wish to climb the Monument, grownup tickets value £6, and £3 for kids aged 5 to fifteen and you should buy them on the day (take money to be on the protected aspect).
It’s open every day from 9.30am-1pm and from 2pm-6pm, with final entry half-hour earlier than the top of every session – attempt to keep away from time period instances between 10am and 11.30am on Monday-Thursday as there are sometimes college teams visiting so restricted numbers imply you’ll have to hold round.
It’s closed completely from December 24-26, however do examine on the web site earlier than you go to in case it’s pressured to shut due to the climate or another cause.
Solely 33 persons are allowed inside at any time, with a free certificates for these which make the climb. Evidently, it will get very chilly on the highest!
For extra nice views in London with youngsters, try my different prime picks
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Subsequent, head west from the Monument in direction of St Paul’s Cathedral – one of many symbols of the rebuilt London and one of many iconic landmarks of the town.
In your means, hold a watch out for a few of the different remnants of seventeenth century and medieval London, together with the shields on the livery halls.
The unique medieval St Paul’s was in a foul state of restore earlier than the hearth, broken by a lightning strike which hit the nave and used as a secure throughout the English civil battle.
Earlier than the hearth, no-one might agree whether or not to revive the unique, demolish it fully or a compromise between the 2… till the hearth took the choice out of everybody’s arms.
The warmth of the flames was so intense the stone cracked and exploded, even the lead on the roof melted. Some Londoners had taken shelter inside reasoning that stone wouldn’t burn as simply because the wood homes, however the warmth was too intense – to not point out the truth that the cathedral had a wood roof.
As we speak it’s exhausting to think about London’s skyline with out Christopher Wren’s well-known dome, one of many highest on the planet, and you’ll go to besides on Sundays or when it’s closed for particular providers – click on right here to e-book tickets.
Head to the Whispering gallery, the place a whisper on one aspect could be heard on the opposite – I keep in mind doing this with my dad and mom as a baby, and it looks as if magic that this must be attainable.
There are two extra galleries above with fabulous views in the event you’re comfortable to climb 528 steps. The Whispering Gallery is 259 steps, in the event you don’t fancy the whole climb.
It’s also possible to see tombs of well-known Britons within the crypt, together with Wren himself, Lord Wellington and Lord Nelson plus memorials to Florence Nightingale, Samuel Johnson and poet John Donne, the one one to have survived the hearth.
If you happen to don’t fancy going inside, you possibly can stroll across the outdoors to admire the dome, have a look at the statues and the churchyard – it’s additionally appeared in a number of movies, from Mary Poppins to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. There’s additionally a top level view of the unique cathedral so you possibly can think about what it’d as soon as have been like.
If you happen to do go in, Harry Potter followers may see Wren’s Geometric Staircase within the south-west tower which appeared Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
Nice Fireplace of London areas: Have to know
Tickets to St Paul’s cathedral value from £26 for adults, and £10 for kids, and guests spend round two hours inside on common. Prebooking is really useful, with open-dated tickets accessible.
There are household excursions in addition to multimedia guides. If you happen to’re a UK taxpayer, you possibly can add present help to your buy and get free entry for the remainder of the yr.
Nice Fireplace of London Stroll: Cease 4
EDIT: The museum is now quickly closed till reopening in its new web site at Smithfield in 2026 – the London Museum Docklands continues to be open, though it doesn’t have the Nice Fireplace displays on show
Head north in direction of the London Museum close to Barbican on London Wall – a small a part of the unique Roman wall nonetheless stays close by, and you’ll monitor all of London’s historical past on this free museum, from the earliest settlements to modern-day.
Cease on the household desk close to the doorway and decide up the exercise sheets – there’s one on the plague and Nice Fireplace if you wish to head straight to the gallery devoted to this a part of historical past.
If you happen to’ve obtained time, there’s a separate fairly chilling video show in an earlier gallery on the primary look of the Black Dying within the 14th century.
However the Nice Fireplace displays alone are fascinating, with shows and one other video telling the story of the hearth plus unique artefacts.
Search for and also you’ll see a hearth hook suspended from the ceiling in addition to a hearth insurance coverage image which might have been displayed outdoors homes.
There are additionally pictures of the homes, slim on the backside however wider on the prime so neighbours might even shake arms by their home windows with out stretching (and which helped the flames leap from constructing to constructing) in addition to examples of leather-based buckets and helmets to strive on, and examine to extra fashionable equivalents.
There’s additionally the unique plaque which was displayed on Pudding Lane, and which places the blame squarely on the Catholics in a plot to destroy the town, to not point out studying in regards to the story of the Frenchman Robert Hubert who was hanged for beginning the hearth, after confessing to it… regardless of not having performed it.
It’s now accepted he was harmless, and was described as ‘not properly in thoughts’.
Nice Fireplace of London areas: Have to know
Entry to the London Museum is free – it’s value noting that there’s a separate Museum of London Docklands, with its personal attention-grabbing galleries and momentary exhibitions so don’t get the 2 blended up.
For extra particulars on visiting London’s free museums with youngsters, try this put up.
The museum shall be transferring to its new house with extra space in West Smithfield, with reopening deliberate in 2026.
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Head west to Chancery Lane for yet another remnant of medieval London which survived the good hearth – you possibly can stroll again all the way down to St Paul’s and take the tube one cease, or catch a bus, if legs are getting drained by this level.
Staple Inn is one in all solely 4 unique Tudor timber-framed buildings left within the Metropolis of London – you’ll spot the black and white timbered constructing not removed from the tube exit on Excessive Holborn, which dates again to the mid sixteenth century.
The hearth stopped simply earlier than it reached this level. The entrance was then hidden below fireproof plaster for hundreds of years earlier than being restored.
Nice Fireplace of London areas: Need extra?
Discover the survivors
For extra unique buildings, there’s additionally 41 Fabric Honest not removed from the Barbican and Museum of London, the oldest home within the Metropolis of London, constructed a while between 1597 and 1614, which survived because it was protected by the thick priory partitions of St Bartholomew’s close by.
Not distant is St Bartholomew’s Gatehouse which additionally dates from the sixteenth century, though the stone under is even older – one other survivor protected by the priory. It’s also possible to discover extra concepts scattered round London right here.
Or head east in direction of the Tower of London to All Hallows by the Tower, the oldest church within the Metropolis of London – initially based within the seventh century.
Samuel Pepys climbed its tower to look at how the hearth was spreading, recording his observations in his well-known diary – it survived solely due to the firebreaks created when surrounding buildings had been demolished. Fortunately the hearth didn’t attain the gunpowder saved within the close by Tower both.
Take a look at my four-page mini information to the Nice Fireplace of London, together with quirky trivia and a few extra sudden websites
Go to Samuel Pepys’ house
A lot of what we all know in regards to the Nice Fireplace comes from Pepys’ well-known diary – Seething Lane is the place he lived and wrote, famously burying a cheese within the again backyard to guard it from the flames.
He’s buried at close by St Olave’s Church close by. Buried together with his spouse in a vault below the nave, you possibly can see a memorial to him within the gallery the place he as soon as sat, in addition to a monument to his spouse Elizabeth, which he had erected reverse the gallery, so she would look down on him at any time when he took his customary place within the church.
Discover the bizarre Nice Fireplace hyperlinks
Discover the Golden Boy of Pye Nook. Though this was added after the hearth, it‘s value visiting as you discover. Set on the nook of Giltspur Road and Cock Lane in Smithfield, it marks the spot the place the Nice Fireplace supposedly stopped, fairly neatly working from Pudding to Pye…
If you happen to’re in central London, head over to Goodwin’s Courtroom, one of many outdated alleyways simply off St Martin’s Lane, the place you possibly can spot a hearth mark, a small gold and crimson crest excessive up on the wall.
Relationship from round 40 years after the Nice Fireplace, it was one in all a number of exhibiting your home was protected in case of fireplace, within the days earlier than hearth brigades.
Take a look at this put up for my prime free issues to do in London with youngsters, the very best Roman websites in London and extra uncommon issues to do in London with youngsters, in addition to my self-guided strolling tour of London’s landmarks
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Monument picture courtesy Depositphotos, all different pictures copyright MummyTravels
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