What caused the Great Fire of London, and how did it change the city?

The fire started early on Sunday 2 September 1666 in the Pudding Lane shop of the king's baker, Thomas Farriner (also spelled Farynor). It spread because London was crowded, built largely of wood and dried out by a long summer, and a strong wind fanned the flames. Afterwards the City was rebuilt with brick and stone under new laws, though its old street plan largely survived. [1] [2]

According to the National Archives, Farriner did not put out the fire that heated his oven when he went to bed, and sparks fell on dry flour sacks. The London Fire Brigade says he claimed to have extinguished it, but three hours later his house was ablaze. The National Archives adds that the fire was most likely an accident rather than a deliberate act. [1] [2]

About 350,000 people lived in London, in tightly packed timber houses whose upper floors almost touched across the streets. The London Fire Brigade notes a drought after a dry summer, and yards full of hay and straw. When the flames reached riverside warehouses stocked with oil and tallow, they spread further. The BBC reports that Lord Mayor Sir Thomas Bloodworth was so unconcerned that he went back to bed, since fires were common. [2] [3]

On Tuesday King Charles II ordered houses and shops pulled down to stop the spread, and the fire was under control by Wednesday. The Science Museum says four-fifths of the city within the walls was destroyed, including over 13,000 homes, 87 churches, the Royal Exchange and St Paul's Cathedral. The National Archives says 100,000 people were left homeless. The Science Museum records few human casualties, while the London Fire Brigade says many people later died from disease in temporary housing and the harsh winter. [1] [4] [2]

The 1667 Rebuilding Act required houses to be built of brick or stone, on pain of demolition, and ended jutting upper floors, according to the BBC. Main streets were to be wider, and the Science Museum says some roads were widened and alleyways removed. Christopher Wren also contributed recommendations on building heights and less flammable materials. A 1668 regulation added plugs to water pipes so people could reach water, described by the BBC as the beginnings of a hydrant system. [3] [1] [4]

Wren, Evelyn and Hooke proposed grand new plans, some inspired by Baroque continental cities. None was carried out, partly because of cost and partly because citizens wanted to keep their property boundaries. The street layout therefore stayed mostly the same. The BBC says the burned area was rebuilt within ten years and that Wren oversaw 52 churches, 36 company halls and the Monument, while the London Fire Brigade says the full rebuilding took over 30 years. [4] [3] [2]