The Great Fire of London
A fire that began in a Pudding Lane bakery spread across the densely built City of London during dry, windy weather. Over four days it consumed most of the medieval city, destroyed thousands of homes and major civic and religious buildings, and displaced roughly 100,000 people. Recorded deaths were few, but records almost certainly understate the full human cost.
- When
- 2–6 September 1666Date range
- Where
- Pudding Lane and the medieval City of LondonUnited Kingdom · Exact site
- Evidence
- VerifiedSources reviewed below
- Sensitivity
- Includes loss or traumaPresented with care
The place
Before
What existed before
London was still recovering from the plague year of 1665. Inside the old city walls, narrow streets held timber-framed buildings, warehouses, workshops, and combustible goods close together. Parishes kept hooks, ladders, buckets, and simple pumps, but there was no professional municipal fire brigade.
Cause
Trigger and conditions
The fire began around 1 a.m. at Thomas Farriner’s bakery. The precise ignition is unknown; a spark or ember from an oven is a plausible explanation. A dry summer, strong easterly wind, delayed firebreaks, and tightly packed wooden buildings transformed a local fire into a citywide disaster.
Sequence
Timeline
Fire discovered
Fire is discovered at Thomas Farriner’s bakery on Pudding Lane.
Fire crosses the City
Strong wind and combustible buildings carry the fire west; Old St Paul’s and the Royal Exchange burn.
Fire brought under control
The wind weakens and expanded firebreaks help stop the spread.
Most rebuilding completed
Much of the damaged area has been rebuilt, largely on its former street pattern.
After
Aftermath
Relief, temporary shelter, and the immense work of tracing property claims began immediately. Although ambitious plans proposed rebuilding London on a new grid, legal and financial realities meant that most streets followed their earlier routes.
Long-term consequences
Rebuilding rules favored brick and stone, streets were widened in places, and new institutions for fire insurance and organized firefighting developed. Christopher Wren’s St Paul’s Cathedral and the Monument became permanent landmarks of the reconstructed city.
Significance
The essential question
Why this still matters
The fire shows how building materials, street form, governance, weather, and emergency decisions combine to create urban risk. It also demonstrates that reconstruction can transform safety standards while preserving the underlying geography of a city.
What remains today
The Monument stands near Pudding Lane, and much of the City still follows medieval street alignments. Archaeological evidence, government papers, eyewitness accounts, churches, and the rebuilt St Paul’s make the event legible in today’s landscape.
Media
Historical media
Contemporary records of the Great Fire
A London Gazette report documenting the early spread of the fire.
The National Archives · Linked archival record; rights remain with The National Archives.View at sourceEvidence
Sources
Sources support specific claims; inclusion does not imply that every source is equally authoritative on every question.
- 01The Great Fire of London
London Museum
Overview of the fire, its contested details, displacement, and rebuilding.Open source - 02Great Fire of London: Examine the Evidence
The National Archives
Primary documents and contextual analysis of the fire and contemporary blame.Open source