24. The Great Fire of London – 350th Anniversary

In 1666 the mainly timber built City of London was ravaged by a now famous fire, that left 100,000 residents homeless.

Thomas Farriner's Pudding Lane bakery has been blamed for the Great Fire. A spark from his oven is thought to have started the inferno that obliterated 350 acres. From Pudding Lane off Eastcheap, it spread until just one fifth of the walled city remained. The Monument (which is well worth a climb for a spectacular City view) was built to commemorate the event, and is located near to Pudding Lane – indeed, the height of the Monument is the same as the distance to where the fire is believed to have started.

A number of celebrations to mark the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire were held over the first weekend in September. The most spectacular was a 120m long timber model of the 1666 skyline which was ceremoniously burnt on a large barge on the River Thames. See photograph.