As the fire was spreading so quickly most Londoners concentrated on escaping rather than fighting the fire. They rescued as many of their belongings as they could carry and fled. Thomas Farriner and his family had to climb out of an upstairs window and onto their neighbour’s roof to escape the fire in their bakery.
Where did people go to escape the Great Fire of London?
People fled into the Thames River dragging their possessions, and the homeless took refuge in the hills on the outskirts of London. Light from the Great Fire could be seen 30 miles away.
How did the fire stop in the Great Fire of London?
The fire reached its peak on 4 September 1666, spreading from the Temple in the west to near the Tower of London in the east. Gunpowder was used to blow up houses. It successfully stopped the fire around the Tower of London and Cripplegate.
How long did it take to put out the Great Fire of London?
The fire ravaged through London for four days, finally ending on Wednesday 5 th September 1666.
Does Pudding Lane still exist?
Today Pudding Lane in the City of London is a fairly unexciting little street but there’s still a plaque marking the spot where the fire began – or at least ‘near this site’.
What survived the Great Fire of London?
The Staple Inn
Having only just escaped the Great Fire by a few metres, Staple Inn stood intact until a Luftwaffe bombing in 1944 which damaged some of the structure. Due to its historic value it was subsequently restored, and is now a listed building and home to the Institute of Actuaries.
What was the King doing when the Fire of London broke out?
The King joined the fire fighters, passing buckets of water to them in an effort to quell the flames, but the fire raged on. By the time the Royal command came to create fire breaks, the fire was out of control. The Duke of York (later King James II) ordered the demolition of Paper House which created a fire break.
Could the Great Fire of London happen again?
The aftermath
People were still clearing the area for years to come, and a lot of dedicated time went into planning new street layouts and drawing up new regulations for buildings so it wouldn’t happen again. By the end of 1667, only 150 new houses had been built to replace the 13,200 homes that were destroyed.
Who buried cheese in the Great Fire of London?
Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys was stationed at the Navy Office on Seething Lane and from 1660 lived in a house attached to the office. It was in the garden of this house that he famously buried his treasured wine and parmesan cheese during the Great Fire of 1666.
How hot was the Great Fire of London?
approximately 3092 degrees Fahrenheit
Archaeologists studying damaged artifacts from the Great London Fire determined that the blaze reached temperatures around 1700 degrees Celsius, approximately 3092 degrees Fahrenheit.
What was the worst day of the Great Fire of London?
Tuesday 4 September 1666
When they woke on Tuesday 4 September 1666, Londoners must have felt like they had spent the last two days in hell.
What did London look like before the great fire?
The City of London was full of narrow streets and wooden houses. While brick and stone houses did exist, many houses were made of wood and leaned over into the narrow streets. Most people lived in the same buildings as their businesses so homes often included shops, workshops, industrial premises and stores.
Why did the Great Fire of London spread so quickly?
The fire spread easily because London was very dry after a long, hot summer. The area around Pudding Lane was full of warehouses containing highly flammable things like timber, rope and oil. A very strong easterly wind blew the fire from house to house in the narrow streets.
What percentage of London was destroyed in the Great Fire?
50% – the approximate amount of the City of London destroyed by the fire by the Monday evening.
Is there a plaque on Pudding Lane?
The site was paved over when Monument Street was built in 1886–7, but is marked by a plaque on the wall of nearby Farynors House, placed there by the Bakers’ Company in 1986.
What did the homeless people do after the Great Fire of London?
While the rich found new accommodation, the poor, Jeater said, fled to improvised shelters in fields on the outskirts, where they were stranded. Initially there were subscriptions to help the homeless, and the monarch gave army tents as emergency housing, but as months passed the poorest had no hope of escape.
Who witnessed the Great Fire of London?
In September 1666, a fire destroyed much of the city of London. The diarist, Samuel Pepys, and a schoolboy called William Taswell witnessed what happened.
Who was the first victim of the Great Fire of London?
According to records, the first person to die in the Great Fire was a maid employed by Thomas Farriner, a baker in whose Pudding Lane establishment the fire began. While Farriner, his daughter and a manservant were able to escape the blaze, the unnamed maid was not.
Who stopped the fire of London?
So how did they put out the Great Fire of London? Pepys spoke to the Admiral of the Navy and agreed they should blow up houses in the path of the fire. The hope was that by doing this they would create a space to stop the fire spreading from house to house.
Is the Great Fire of London still burning?
There were many separate fires still burning, but the Great Fire was over.
Who helped rebuild London after the Great Fire?
Christopher Wren
The rebuilding of London was orchestrated by a Rebuilding Commission composed of six men—three appointed by the Crown, including Christopher Wren, and three chosen by the City, including Robert Hooke. All were experienced in either surveying, building or architectural design.