The Great Fire of London began by accident in the house of King Charles II’S baker at pudding lane, near London Bridge, on September 2, 1666.
Although it was the worst fire in London’s history, it performed a great service, for it cleansed the city after the Great Plague, which had rampaged through the country since 1664. During the Plague more than 75,000 Londoners died and many thousands more fled the city, leaving parts of it deserted.
The fire raged for four days and burned the whole city except for the north-eastern and extreme western parts. The Royal Exchanges, St Paul’s Cathedral, nearly all civic buildings, 87 churches and about 13,000 houses were destroyed. Schemes were put forward for reconstruction, notably one by the great architect Sir Christopher Wren; but there was not enough money to replan the city entirely.
However, many improvements were made, streets were widened, many houses were built of brick, markets were enlarged or recited, and Sir Christopher Wren’s genius created the beauty of a more splendid St Paul’s and 49 new churches.
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