The Great Fire Of London

by Gillian Clements

Brings alive some of the major events in British history..
In 1666 London is burning - a great fire sweeps through the city, destroying many buildings. Discover how the fire came about and read about its consequences. There are some moments in history that are so dramatic or important that people remember them forever.

In words and pictures, Gillian Clements tells the stories of these Great Events. These books are perfect for the emerging independent reader at upper Key Stage 1. Designed to encourage a sense of history, not just give the facts. Simple narrative text and lively, informative line illustrations.

48 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2001

About the author

Gillian Clements studied Illustration under Raymond Briggs at Brighton Polytechnic.

Reviews

[Gerry]

With many illustrations done by herself, Gillian Clements presents an excellent summary of the four days in which the Great Fire of London ravaged the city, aided by a strong easterly wind. This was the second tragedy that struck the city in two years with the Great Plague having struck the city in the summer of 1665.

Old St Pauls, burnt down in the fire, had already suffered the loss of its timber spire some years earlier when it was struck by lightning but this time the damage was more catastrophic. King Charles I, along with many other citizens, had departed London during the Plague and had only returned to the city in February 1666 to find himself helping out once the fire struck seven months later.

The diarist Samuel Pepys had written in his diary on 1 September a hot day in London, Everything is tinder-dry. The Thames is much too low. And there's a strong east wind too. Oh, dear.' Little did he realise how prophetic he was being. For baker Thomas Farynor went to bed in Pudding Lane on the night of 1 September after checking his ovens and he was later to comment, 'I woke up choking. It was two o'clock. My maid was coughing and there was smoke everywhere. That's when I rushed outside ...' One hour later his property was just smoke and ash.

It was not long before the surrounding area was an inferno. And it was a case of all hands, including those of Charles I, to the pump as the fire rapidly spread. Nothing could stop it as 87 churches, 13,000 houses, 44 Company Halls, St Paul's Cathedral, The Guildhall and the Royal Exchange were destroyed. The amazing statistic of the affair is that reportedly there were only six fatalities.

It all ended only when the east wind dropped, to be replaced by a gentle northerly breeze that the fire subsided. Charles surveyed the damage, decided on a new plan to rebuild the city and he called in Sir Christopher Wren to produce the necessary designs. He did not fulfil all Wren's proposals but he was responsible for 32 new churches and a new St Paul's Cathedral, every detail of which he did not see finished, his design and supervision were crucial to the cathedral's construction.

With a most useful timeline at the conclusion of the book, it proves to be an excellent short, succinct summary of the Great Fire; ideal for an introduction to the subject and encouraging for readers to want to know more detail in other histories.

[Marie]

My insomnia is keeping me awake, so I watched Horrible Histories and came straight here to this book after watching Mat Baynton perform “King of Bling”

[Heather]

This is a short and concise book telling the events of the London Fire in 1666. There are a lot of illustrations, some rather humorous. The text is interesting and easy to understand. Much of the information is taken from Samuel Pepys' diary which was fun because we've come across him several times already.

A quick read for the elementary or middle school crew.

[Colin]

A good, concise but interesting book. Nicely illustrated throughout. Ideal for teaching The Great Fire of London to primary school children.