Events - January
Date: January 1 - December 31, 2009
Time: Mon - Sat (10:00 am - 5:30 pm), On Sun: 12:00 pm - 5:30 pm

London’s Burning is about the Great Fire of London which occurred on September 2, 1666 destroying 13,200 buildings. An exhibition at Museum of London displays the true story of this Great Fire and provides information on the fire-fighters who fought against the fire with primitive hand-pump machinery. The medieval London was set ablaze for 5 days and an area of 373 acres inside the city wall and 63 acres outside the city wall had turned into ashes. In the house and shop of Thomas Faynor, baker to King Charles II in Pudding Lane was where the fire first started. In the medieval period buildings in London were half timbered constructed and mostly had thatched roof which added in the spreading of fire. Also, strong easterly winds hindered the flames to be blown off. The foundation for organized firefighting was laid by the Great Fire in London and for the construction of houses and buildings, timber woods and thatched houses were replaced by bricks and stones.

You can be transported to the time of the Great Fire in London with the aid of archaeological findings and displays. The exhibition is divided into three sections which will continue until winter 2009. The medieval London city overcrowded with wood-built houses where people used candles and fire for light and warmth is explored in the first section. Video-based personal experiences of the fire based on the accounts of Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn is presented in the second section. The third and final section presents the legacy and aftermath of the Great Fire of London in 1666.

The exhibition displays shards of buckled glass, pieces of pottery and the bread oven very much like the one in Pudding Lane. Belongings such as bags, trunks, rocking horses and a keyboard instrument of the people who fled the burning city are showcased. The face of London was changed forever by the Great Fire of London in 1666.

The drawings, magnetic poetries and helmets at the exhibitions are a great hit among primary - school aged children.

Venue:
Museum of London
150 London Wall
London
EC 2Y 5HN

Access:
Nearest Tube Station: Barbican Tube