In September 1666 the City of London was almost destroyed by what became known as The Great Fire. The fire started in Pudding Lane and this programme was recorded there with the help of James Clare who is the Historic Buildings Architect for the City of London.

In the programme we discover more about the fire, its effects and the rebuilding of London after it. Before you listen to the programme, look at these comprehension questions. You'll hear the answers during the programme. Test your understanding by trying the questions in the 'Extras' section below. You can also download the programme and the transcript.

According to the information in the programme:
1: How did the fire start?
2: What made the fire take hold so strongly and make it difficult to fight?
3: How long did the fire burn for?
4: What happened to the population who weren't wealthy?
5: How many homes were destroyed?
6: What happened to the City after the fire?

Listen
	The Great Fire of London

Vocabulary on the topic of fire

to fan the flames
to make a fire stronger by providing a moving source of air, for example, wind

a blaze
a dramatic word for a fire which causes damage

a conflagration
a large destructive fire

to extinguish a fire
to stop a fire from burning

to put out a fire
a phrasal verb with the same meaning as 'to extinguish a fire'

the fire brigade
the emergency service whose job is to put out fires

a fire extinguisher
a device which contains water, foam, carbon dioxide or other substance which is used to put out fires

a fire break
an area which is cleared of things that can burn to stop a fire from spreading

an arsonist
a person who deliberately starts a fire for criminal reasons

Programme script (pdf - 21k)

Download this programme (mp3 - 1.7mb)