Free walking tour London to learn facts about the Great Fire of London

Great Fire of London gallery at the Museum of London

We started with a visit to the Museum of London to visit the gallery – War, Plague and Fire. My boys enjoyed watching the 6 minute video which gives a good overview of the event, including insights by eye witnesses.

We then filled in the family activity sheet (free from the reception) whilst walking around the gallery and viewing some objects left over from the devastating fire. Before we left we picked up a fab children’s book from the gift shop featuring the Great Fire of London main events.

Guided walk exploring the Great Fire of London sites

With a little research we found it easy to put together our own walk to take in the major Great Fire of London sites.  There is  however a guided interactive walk with museum staff that you can book here.  Apparently the walk is appropriate for young kids from 5+ and covers whether Thomas Farriner, the baker of Pudding Lane, was to blame and what Samuel Pepys buried in his garden.  It sounds fun with a few mini challenges to complete as a family whilst on the 45 minute history walk.

**Note – Older children may prefer a more realistic experience of the Great Fire of London.  Check out the Escape Rooms at the London Dungeons (as featured in the Best things to do in London with Kids). 

Facts about Great Fire of London and the plague we learnt whilst at the Museum of London

When was the Great Fire of London?

Fire started 2 September 1666 and continued until 6 September 1666

How did the Great Fire of London start?

Thomas Farriner, a baker on Pudding Lane closed his bakery on the evening of Saturday September 1 1666. He raked the coals in the hearth, as he did every night, and went to bed. Unfortunately those coals ignited something, and Farriner’s servant, who slept downstairs, woke after midnight to find smoke filling the ground floor of the bakery.

How many people died during the Great Fire of London?

The experts don’t know for sure as surprisingly less than ten deaths were officially recorded. It is however thought that over 13,200 houses, 87 churches, 52 livery company halls were all destroyed plus 80% of the City of London’s medieval buildings including St Paul’s Cathedral.

How did the Great Fire of London stop?

The fire raged through the City’s densely packed wooden buildings for 5+ days and was eventually it was brought under control by soldiers from the Tower of London barracks. They took advantage of lighter winds and created fire breaks by blowing up buildings.

It was clear that the museum are keen to dispel the myths and only share real facts on the Great Fire of London. Three of the major myths they are keen to tackle are…

Myth #1: The Great Fire stopped the Great Plague. 

This myth often features in children’s story books.  Although it’s a nice idea that there was a silver lining to the tragedy of the fire, it is incorrect.  The great plague swept across the city from 1665-66. It was the last major outbreak of the bubonic plague in London, killing 100,000 Londoners – which was about 20% of the city’s population.

The Great Fire is supposed to have wiped out all London’s rats and fleas that spread the plague and burnt down the insanitary houses but this is simply not true.  One of the major reasons is because only about a quarter of the urban metropolis was burnt down, so it could not have purged the plague from the whole city.

Myth #2: The Great Fire spread due to the thatched roofs of houses in London.

In actual fact thatch was banned within the City of London by building regulations which dating back to 1189.  They were reinforced after an awful fire in 1212 when an estimated 3,000 people died. By 1666, the vast majority of houses in the City of London would have been tiled.

Myth #3: London was rebuilt in brick & stone thanks to the Great Fire.

The February 1667 Rebuilding Act stated that ‘all the outsides of all Buildings in and about the said Citty be henceforth made of Bricke or Stone’.  There were however many brick buildings in London before this. Records show that there were even brick houses on Pudding Lane, the infamous street where the fire began, before 1666.

Click here for more myths and facts of the Great Fire of London.

Museum of London address & details

Museum of London address – 150 London Wall, London EC2Y 5HN.
How to get to the Museum of London? Nearest tube stations – Barbican and St Paul’s (both 5 minutes walk).
Entry to the Museum of London – Free (donations welcomed).
Website – www.museumoflondon.org.uk
Hotels near the Museum of London – The Rookery Hotel (0.3 miles), Malmaison London (0.3 miles), Citadines Barbican London (0.4 miles). 

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St Paul’s Cathedral

From the Museum of London we walked to St Paul’s Cathedral. The site, the highest point in the City, has been home to a cathedral for over 1,400 years although it has been built and rebuilt five times.

The previous cathedral, Old St Paul’s, was one of the many casualties of the Great Fire of London. Unfortunately, many people believed their belongings were safe from the fire and placed them in the Cathedral crypt.  Sadly, they were lost when the building was ravaged by the flame.
The present Cathedral, a Grade I listed building, was designed by Britain’s most famous architect Sir Christopher Wren, who has been laid to rest in a tomb in the Cathedral.  It was built between 1675 and 1710.

We didn’t enter St Paul’s as we were tight for time however inside there is an exhibition focusing on the Cathedral, before, during and after The Great Fire of London. It’s a great place to visit if you wish to see a collection of scorched pre-fire artefacts, (and if you have the energy to climb 528 steps for spectacular views across London!)

St Paul’s Cathedral address & details

St Paul’s Cathedral address – St. Paul’s Churchyard, London EC4M 8AD

How to get to St Pauls Cathedral? – Nearest tube station St Paul’s, two minute walk. 

Entry to St Paul’s Cathedral – 2019 *online prices Adults £17, kids 6-17 £7.20, family ticket £41.20.  *Save money by booking online. Included in the ticket price are multi-lingual multimedia guides and / or a tour led by one of the Cathedral guides. 

Website – https://www.stpauls.co.uk
Hotels near St Paul’s Cathedral – The Rookery Hotel (0.5 miles), Malmaison London (0.5 miles), Citadines Barbican London (0.6 miles). 

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Monument to the Great Fire of London

After taking a few photos of St Paul’s we headed to the Monument, again designed by Sir Christopher Wren (and his fellow architect Dr Hooke).  This memorial is the tallest free-standing stone column in the world. It is exactly 61.5 metres high which is the same distance from the spot on Pudding Lane where the fire of London is known to have started.

The top of the Portland stone column is topped with a gild-bronze flaming urn, Wren’s original idea was to place a statue of King Charles II on top, but Charles is said to have objected stating ‘I did not start the fire’.

This was both of my boys favourite part of the day.  They counted every one of the 311 steps to the top. (At the top of their voices, much to the amusement of everyone climbing up behind us!).

The 360 degree views from the top of the tower over London, the River Thames and the Tower Bridge are definitely worth the effort. And I say this even though we visited on a rather wet, miserable day in January…

My father in law chose not to join us to the top, as he is not quite as mobile as my mother in law.  There are several coffee shops near the Monument so worth keeping in mind if not all members of your party wish to climb to the top of the Monument.

We thought the £4.50 entry fee was definitely worthwhile, particularly as we were all awarded with certificates for our efforts.  (My boys loved theirs and took them into school to show their class mates).

As you exit the Monument look out for the stone blocks inscribed with the word’s to the well known children’s song – London’s Burning: ‘London’s burning, London’s burning. Fetch the engines. Fetch the engines. Fire fire! Fire fire! Pour on water.  Pour on water.’

Monument to the Great Fire of London address & details

Monument address – The Monument stands at the junction of Monument Street and Fish Street Hill. 

How to get to the Monument? – Nearest tube station Monument or London Bridge. 

Entry to the Monument – 2019 prices Adults £4.50, Children (aged 5-15) £2.30.  Discounted joint tickets to the
 Tower Bridge Exhibition and the Monument also available.

Website – www.themonument.info
Hotels close to the Monument – Shangri-La Hotel At The Shard (0.4 miles), Malmaison London (0.9 miles), Citadines Barbican London (0.9 miles). 

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Pudding Lane London

Of course we couldn’t go all the way to London and not take a photo of the Pudding Lane road sign, located close to the Monument.  The only other reminder of the great tragedy is a plaque about the event on one of the buildings.  Unfortunately, there isn’t a bakers on Pudding Lane anymore. Perhaps this would be seen as tempting fate?

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Other Great Fire of London sites worth checking out

All Hallows by the Tower is the oldest church in London. Thought to be built in AD 675 and located next to the Tower of London.  This is the church where Samuel Pepys climbed up the tower to view how the great fire was spreading across London.

The church survived the Great Fire due to buildings around it being taken down which created firebreaks and spared it from the intense flames and heat.

All Hallows by the Tower address & details

All Hallows by the Tower address – Byward Street, London EC3R

How to get to the All Hallows by the Tower? – Tower Hill

Entry to the Church – Free included free guided tours.

Website – www.allhallowsbythetower.org.uk
Hotels near the All Hallows by the Tower church – CitizenM London Bankside (0.1 miles), Mercure London Bridge (0.2 miles).

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Looking for more quirky things to do in London?

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