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. 

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.

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.