The Great Fire of 1666: What was lost and what survived?

This plaque marks the spot from where the fire began.

Everyone knows the story of the Great Fire of 1666, from where it began to where it was extinguished. Children even sing a nursery rhyme about it.

History records the devastation, loss of life and the rebuilding, but many notable historic places survived the devastation and because of this are often overlooked.

The Golden Boy of Pye Corner.

Brief History.

The fire started on Sunday September 2, 1666 and burned for four days.

The Great Fire of 1666, began at the shop of Thomas Farriner, in Pudding Lane, and was finally brought under control in the west, at Pie Corner (now the junction of Cock Lane and Giltspur Street), near Smithfield.

A small gilded statue of a boy, called the 'Golden Boy of Pye Corner', marks the spot where the fire reached.

Although the fire was said to be extinguished some isolated fires continued to break out.

The fire's advance was finally stopped for two main reasons: 

1. The strong easterly wind, which had driven the fire, finally subsided.
2. King Charles II had ordered the widespread use of gunpowder to blow up rows of houses, creating wide, empty gaps that the flames could not jump. These firebreaks, combined with the wind dying down, proved the ultimate stopping factor at places like Pie Corner.

How many people died?

The official number of people recorded to have died in the Great Fire of 1666 is only six to eight named people. However, the actual death toll is believed to have been much higher, potentially in the hundreds or even thousands. 

The Bills of Mortality at the time largely failed to account for the deaths of the poor, middle-class citizens, or the homeless, as a substantial portion of the population was displaced and not properly documented.

It is important to remember that the fire was a firestorm, with temperatures reaching 1,700°C, which is enough to completely cremate bodies, leaving no recognisable remains to be counted.

Plus, the official count only includes direct deaths from the fire itself. Many more people likely died in the cold winter months that followed due to disease, exposure and starvation in the makeshift camps set up outside the city walls.

The scale of destruction within the City of London.

What was lost?

Over 13,000 homes were either destroyed by the fire, or pulled down or blown up to create firebreaks.

Old St Paul's Cathedral was completely gutted and later demolished to make way for Sir Christopher Wren's masterpiece.

The Royal Exchange, on Threadneedle Street, was completely destroyed.

Some 87 medieval churches were lost in the Great Fire.

'The Golden Boy of Pye Corner'

"This boy is

in Memory Put up

for the late FIRE of

LONDON

Occasion'd by the

Sin of Gluttony

1666."

At the corner of Cock Lane and Giltspur Street you will find this unassuming golden statue. Once you have seen and understood the meaning of the statue, you will never look at it the same way again.

Back in 1666 it was close to this spot, on Pye Corner, that the Great Fire of 1666 was finally extinguished.

A newspaper cutting.

At some point, possibly in the Victorian era, a fig leaf was added to the statue, due to complaints from passersby. This newspaper cutting tells some of the story.

But why a golden statue of a chubby boy?

An inscription, below the statue, reads as follows:

The boy at Pye Corner was

erected to commemorate 

the staying of the Great

Fire which, beginning at

Pudding Lane, was ascribed

to the sin of Gluttony

when not attributed to

the Papists, as on the

Monument. And the boy was

made prodigiously fat to

enforce the moral. He was

originally built into the

front of a public house

called 'The Fortune of War',

which used to occupy

this site and was pulled

down in 1910.

'The Fortune of War' was

the Chief House of Call, 

north of the river, for

Resurrectionists in body

snatching days. Years ago.

the landlord used to show

the room where, on benches

round the walls, the bodies

were placed, labelled

with the snatchers'

names, waiting till the

surgeons at Saint

Bartholomew's could run

round and appraise them.

So, this statue represents God punishing the sin of gluttony, as the fire started at Pudding Lane and ended at Pie Corner. 

'Settlers Monument', Virginia Quay

Not exactly hidden away, but not exactly on a main walking route, is the Virginia Quay Settlers Monument, standing proud on what was once Virginia Quay.

It was from near this spot, back on December 19-20 1606, that the first settlers of the Colony of Virginia departed for the New World. 

Led by Captain Christopher Newport and consisting of three ships: 'Discovery', 'Godspeed' and 'Susan Constant', 105 men and boys, plus 39 crew, set sail with a charter to establish a settlement in the Virginia territory. 

Unlike the later 'Mayflower' voyage, which took just ten weeks, this Virginia expedition took 21 weeks to find land suitable for colonisation. They named their colony Jamestown, in honour of King James I. Captain John Smith, Edward Maria Wingfield and Robert Hunt are credited with founding Jamestown, in April 1607. Captain John Smith, is best known for his association with the Native America Princess Pocahontas, who supposedly saved his life.

The settlement was, unfortunately, abandoned within three years, due, in part, to the settlers that were chosen for the expedition. Many were gentlemen, unused to working, while others were unused to farming. Famine and starvation brought an end to the settlement. 

Jamestown was later reoccupied but was abandoned again by 1699. Today, there is nothing left of the original settlement, besides a thriving tourist industry.

'Wellington Monument' by Richard Westmacott

As you enter Hyde Park, from the southeast entrance, you are soon confronted by this incredible statue, which towers over onlookers. It is the Wellington Monument and shows Achilles, with sword and shield.

It is a memorial to Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, and his victories in the Peninsular War and Napoleonic Wars.

The statue is cast from captured cannon from his victories at Salamanca, Toulouse, Waterloo and Vittoria, and stands at 18 feet (5.5 metres). It was designed by the sculptor Richard Westmacott. 

The statue, along with the Dartmoor granite base and the mound on which it stands, makes the entire monument 36 feet (11 metres) in height.

The statue cost £10,000 and was funded by donations from British women. 

When it made its way to Hyde Park it was found to be too big to go through the Hyde Park entrance gates, so a hole had to be knocked into the adjoining wall.

The inscription reads:

"To Arthur Duke of Wellington

and his brave companions in arms

this statue of Achilles

cast from cannon taken in the victories

of Salamanca, Vittoria, Toulouse, and Waterloo

is inscribed

by their country women

Placed on this spot

on the XVIII day of June MDCCCXXII

by command of

His Majesty George IIII."

Battle of Britain Monument

"Scramble!"

Walking along the Victoria Embankment, near Whitehall, you will discover the Battle of Britain Monument, which stretches along the pavement.

This granite and bronze monument was built so that visitors can interact with it. This impressive monument has scenes from different aspects of the Battle of Britain. From Airmen 'scrambling' to women working in munitions factories to the ground crews who kept the aeroplanes serviced... and more.

"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."

I can happily look at this monument for hours, and still find something that I have never noticed before.

Pudding Lane Steps

These stairs lead to a viewing area looking out over the River Thames.

Exploring London, as I do, I invariably discover new shortcuts, pieces of history or some hidden gem that I knew nothing about.

So it was on this particular Bank Holiday as I, Keilyn and my friend Gary made our way from Aldgate, via a meandering route, towards Baker Street, taking in the sites along the way.

As we approached The Monument I remembered that there was a stairway that would lead to a viewing area, above the north bank of the River Thames, so we set about finding it.

The stairway was easy to find, being situated on the corner of Monument Street and Pudding Lane, so up it we climbed, with Keilyn going ahead and looking for fossils in the stone walls of the office building.

At the top of the stairway, with the offices to our right, we could look down on Pudding Lane on our left, while ahead was an information board and an engraved slab.

Roman London information board.

RAF Bomber Command Memorial

It was on my first visit to the memorial that I began to write more about London and its history, which led me to create this blog. 

The memorial, itself, is an amazing piece of work that inspired me to write a number of pieces about it. That is how much of an impact that it had on me.

Should you find yourself in London's fourth largest Royal Park, then you should definitely take in this huge memorial.

'National Windrush Monument' by Basil Watson

The National Windrush Monument.

Anyone travelling through Waterloo station, since late June of this year, will almost definitely have seen the 3.5 metre (11.5 feet) tall bronze National Windrush Monument. 

The Monument depicts a family (father, mother, daughter) dressed in their 'Sunday Best', while standing atop seven suitcases, which contain all of their worldly belongings from their Caribbean home. 

The monument is dedicated to all those who emigrated from the Caribbean to Britain between the arrival of the ship HMT Empire Windrush on 22 June 1948 and the Immigration Act 1971.

Trafalgar Square: Nelson's Column

Nelson's Column.

Whenever you visit Trafalgar Square it is impossible to miss Nelson's Column, on its pedestal, surrounded by four bronze lions. However, getting a good view of Lord Nelson, at the top of the column, is not so easy.

Nelson's Column.

It is strange, now, to think that when the square was being designed it was to be named for King George IV, in celebration of his ascension to the throne. When this was changed and it was decided to name it after Lord Horatio Nelson the plans still did not include a column, nor fountains.

Erin and Keilyn sitting with one of the bronze lions.

Viewing London

Sunset behind St. Paul's Cathedral, taken from One New Change.

With the Unfinished City constantly changing, as new buildings are added to its skyline on an almost yearly basis, it becomes increasingly difficult to find the perfect spots from which to see these remarkable buildings, from either up close and personal, or from an unobscured vantage point.

Thankfully, London has a number of great vantage points from which you can see some remarkable views, many of which are free, or fairly cheap.

Gallery

Monument to the Great Fire of 1666

A Monument and a Scientific Laboratory.

Sunday March 6, 2016.

The Monument, as it is known, once stood proud above the skyline of the Unfinished City, offering unparalleled views of the great city. 

Since its construction it has now been dwarfed by the newer buildings in the area, which has led me to wander past this icon, without even noticing it. Today was different, and I managed to grab a shot, whilst trying to avoid the hundreds of tourists and business types.

One of the engravings at the base of the Monument.

However, the views are still pretty spectacular and, for a small price, are worth climbing the steps for. Plus, as an added bonus, you receive a certificate to say that you have climbed it.

Queen Victoria Memorial

Vintage Victoria.

Tuesday June 26, 2012.

Considering how many visits I have made to the Unfinished City, there are very few photographs that I have taken of Buckingham Palace or the Victoria Memorial. I have visited the area on numerous occasions, but crowds always obscured, or prevented, me from obtaining the shot I wanted.

However, on this particular afternoon, the crowds were light, so I was able to grab some great shots. I took this shot with a sepia setting, before adding a distressed effect later on.

Battle of Britain Monument

A Monument to "The Few".

Wednesday May 2, 2012.

I have always been fascinated by the various statues, monuments and memorials dotted around London, including the temporary pieces that appear every now-and-again.

I also have a fascination with the Battle of Britain, so, when I found out about this monument, I had to visit it.

Gallery