Today We Will Be... Finding out About the Events of the Great Fire of London
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
The Great Fire of London Today we will be... Finding out about the events of the Great Fire of London. www.planbee.com In the summer of 1665 a terrible disease killed lots of people in London. This disease was known as the Great Plague. Nobody knew at the time how it started but it was probably spread by fleas. Nearly a quarter of all the people in London died. Just when London was recovering from the Great Plague, another disaster hit London...the Great Fire. www.planbee.com Where did the Great Fire start? The fire started in Pudding Lane in London. This picture shows The Monument. If you laid it down, it would reach the exact spot the fire started - in Thomas Farriner’s bakery. www.planbee.com How did the Great Fire start? Thomas Farriner was a baker who lived and worked in Pudding Lane in London. He baked for the king. His wife had died in the Great Plague but he and his family were starting to get back to their normal lives. On Sunday 2nd September 1666, Thomas put out the fire in his oven as usual but a few embers were left lit. By 2 o’clock in the morning, his bakery and home was on fire. Thomas and his family had to climb out of a window and onto a neighbour’s roof to escape. Sadly, his maid did not escape and was the first victim of the fire. www.planbee.com The fire spread quickly. In another part of London, Samuel Pepys was woken by his servant in the early hours and they watched the fire spreading from the window. In the morning, Pepys went to see the Lord Mayor of London, Sir Thomas Bloodworth, but he didn’t think anything needed to be done to stop the fire. But at 10am, King Charles II decided that they should start pulling houses down to try and stop the fire from spreading. He told Pepys to go and tell the Lord Mayor. After this, Pepys went home for lunch. King Charles II www.planbee.com After lunch, Pepys walked with a friend to St Paul’s Cathedral. They saw lots of people moving carts loaded with their possessions. In the evening, Pepys went home and moved his money box into the cellar to keep it safe. www.planbee.com The wind was blowing westwards and lots of London was now on fire. On 3rd September, at 4 o’clock in the morning, Pepys drove a cart of his belongings into the countryside to keep them safe. This picture shows London burning from a boat on the river. You can see the Tower of London on the right. Lots of people had now started to abandon their houses and take their belongings in boats across the River Thames. Thieves used the opportunity to loot abandoned houses. www.planbee.com The next day, Pepys took some of his more precious possessions to a friend’s house and buried them in his garden, including some Parmesan cheese! Meanwhile, King Charles II had been walking around giving money to the people who were fighting the fire with fire hooks and squirts. Eventually, he decided to order houses to be blown up in order to stop the fire. www.planbee.com On this day, 4th September, St Paul’s Cathedral caught fire. At this time, the cathedral was more than 1000 years old and an important part of Britain’s history. Can you spot St Paul’s Cathedral in the background of this picture? www.planbee.com This picture shows the remains of St Paul’s Cathedral after the fire had been put out. www.planbee.com That night, Samuel Pepys went home to have dinner with his friends. After dinner, they went out to see the whole sky lit up by the flames that were engulfing London. www.planbee.com At 2 o’clock that night, Samuel Pepys’ wife, Elizabeth, woke him up to tell him that the fire had reached the end of their road. He put his wife on a boat to Woolwich to make sure she would be safe then went back home to get some sleep. www.planbee.com In the morning, Pepys went Have a look at up the tower of Barking the map on the Church to see the flames and watch the fires being next slide. It put out. Eventually over shows you how the next two days, the fire much of London was brought under control was burnt by the until it was put out entirely Great Fire. on 7th September. www.planbee.com Can you see Samuel Pepys’ Can you see Pudding Lane where the home? fire started? www.planbee.com These panoramas were drawn from the South Bank of the River Thames before and after the fire. What differences can you spot? www.planbee.com How do you think you would have felt if you had been living in London at the time of the Great Fire? Think, pair, share your ideas. www.planbee.com Who will you be when you sit in the Hot Seat? www.planbee.com.