We discover what happened after The Fire was finally put out - how London was rebuilt and how we remember The Fire today.
Everyone knows that the best time of a BBQ is the end because of…… the leftovers! The crispy bits are the best bits.
My very very great grandmother who lived during the time of the Great Fire of London went back after the fire burned out and found lots of burnt crispy wood. That’s her there. Scoffing. Four days after a small fire began "in a bakery in Pudding Lane " a lot of London had burned to the ground. Not just buildings made of wood but buildings made of stone too like St Paul’s Cathedral.
When the wind changed direction it blew the fire towards the house of diary writer Samuel Pepys so he buried his favourite lump of cheese in the back garden and escaped to the other side of the river.
Dear Diary good news! The fire is finally dying down. Last night they used gunpowder to blow up lots of houses near where I live… …this stopped the fire from reaching my house …which means my favourite cheese will be safe.
The fire had blazed for 4 days and by the 5th day most of the fire had been put out. But London was sad. Only a small number of people had died but lots and lots of others were left without homes or belongings or jobs or… without anything really. More than 100 000 people were left homeless. But Pepys still had his cheese.
Your Majesty! I’ve come to tell you that the people of London have no homes.
Shmookums?
Hmm. I think we should build new houses and make them out of stone and bricks so they don’t burn as easily.
Who’s a clever boy?!
Thank you your highness!
Not you!
One reason the fire spread so easily was because the top floor of the houses all jutted out. So the new rules said that building like this was against the law.
So much of London had burned down that King Charles wanted everything rebuilt. Over 13 000 houses and nearly one hundred churches had been ruined including St Paul’s Cathedral. The man he chose to plan a lot of the rebuilding was called Christopher Wren.
Here’s the church here’s the steeple open the door see all the people. I am so bored of drawing churches! If I get asked to plan one more church…
Excuse me Christopher Wren sir the King has sent a message that he wants you to draw a um ch…
A Cherry? A Child? A Chicken? CHEESE?! I’m bored. Of. Drawing. Churches.
He wants you to build another ch… challenging project.
What does he want me to build?
A ch… achoo!
Ah. Bless you.
He wants to challenge you to build a new version of St Paul’s Cathedral.
But … isn’t a cathedral just a big… church? AghhhhhhhhhhhhHH! NO. MORE. STEEPLES.
It took Sir Christopher Wren 35 years to build St Paul’s. And he used a dome instead of a steeple. Sir Christopher Wren also helped design a tall stone column called ‘The Monument’. A Monument is something that helps us remember. You can still see The Monument in London today. It’s very tall and if it was laid on its side the tip would touch the place in Pudding Lane where the fire first started. But I don’t need to visit the Monument to remember the fire. I’ve got my grandma’s stories to remember. Oh and she even taught me a rhyme to remember the year it happened. In sixteen hundred and sixty six London burnt like rotten sticks’. Mmm I like rotten sticks…
3. What happened after The Great Fire of London?
The Fire blazed for four days but by the fifth day had mostly been extinguished. Only a small number of people died but around 13,000 houses and 87 churches were burnt down, including the original St Paul's Cathedral.
Much of the city was redesigned by Sir Christopher Wren, who rebuilt St Paul's with a dome instead of a steeple.
Wren also designed The Monument to The Great Fire of London, which was built close to Pudding Lane to commemorate The Fire and to celebrate the rebuilding of the city.
Further resources
Teacher's Notes. document
Download / print the notes including activities templates and worksheets (pdf)
Daily news: what happened today? document
Be the news reporter – interview a character and find out what happened! (pdf)
Redesigning London: my city. document
Design your own dream city on this London map (pdf)
Image gallery. image
A gallery of images showing artefacts and paintings connected to The Great Fire of London
Let's Move with Naomi and Nigel - The Great Fire of London
A fun dance session that's ideal for consolidating work on The Great Fire of London.
Teachers’ Notes
Before the video
Ask pupils what their favourite possession is.
What would they do if they lost it?
How do you think the people of London felt as their houses burned down?
During the video
Who is Christopher Wren? (A 17th century architect, designer, astronomer and mathematician.)
What is a 'monument'? (A statue, building, or other structure erected to commemorate a notable person or event.)
Why was The Great Fire a significant event? (London was a major city and The Fire destroyed a large part of it. The rebuilding of the city helped to shape modern London and building regulations across the country.)
After the video
Sequence the events of The Fire. This could be done using drama / freeze-framing.
Write from Maureen the rat’s point of view and explain what she sees.
Children to write to The King and show him their designs and persuade him to pick their vision of a rebuilt London.
Compare London – now and then activity, research images.
Make Tudor houses. Recreate The Fire - put the houses together and (safely!) burn to show how The Fire spread. See cross-curricular links.
Use De Bono hats to discuss all aspects of The Fire. Discuss the ‘cause and consequence’ of a historical event.
Create a new monument to commemorate this event. Explain your design.
Curriculum Notes
This film is relevant for teaching History at KS1 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and 1st Level in Scotland.
Songs
Consolidate pupils' learning about The Great Fire of London with these three catchy songs from our Music pages.
1. Here in Pudding Lane
Life in the busy streets of London before The Great Fire.
2. Fire, fire, everywhere!
A fast tempo song as The Great Fire rages through London.
3. Let’s get building!
A song about rebuilding London following The Great Fire.
Additional songs about The Great Fire of London - including 'London's burning!' sung as a round.
More from this series
1. Why did The Great Fire of London happen?
We go back in time to find out the causes of The Fire, meet key individuals involved and witness how Londoners responded to The Fire.
2. What happened during The Great Fire of London?
We learn how the fire spread across the city and how the Lord Mayor, Samuel Pepys and King Charles II were involved alongside ordinary citizens.
Image gallery. image
View the main characters in The Great Fire of London
See also...
The Gunpowder Plot. collection
Three short animations exploring The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 - why it happened, the main events of the Plot, and the consequences for Guy Fawkes and the other plotters.
The Great Fire of London: Music, Dance and Drama activities (audio) audio
The audio programmes in this series explore The Great Fire of London and its aftermath through Music, Dance and Drama activities.
Castles and Knights. collection
A series of six animations exploring the topic 'Castles and Knights' with additional photos, illustrations and worksheets.
