The Great Fire of London: The Story of 1666 And The City That Rose From The Ashes
Paperback
Series: Half Hour History
General World HistoryBritish History
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Aug 13 2026
Pages: 120
Weight: 0.34
Height: 0.30 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
our days. More than 13,000 homes destroyed. One of the greatest cities in Europe reduced to ruins.
In the early hours of 2 September 1666, a fire broke out in a bakery on Pudding Lane. London had seen countless fires before. This one would be different.
Driven by powerful winds through narrow streets packed with timber houses and combustible warehouses, the flames rapidly escaped control. Thousands fled with whatever they could carry. The Royal Exchange burned. Old St Paul's Cathedral was consumed. And as panic swept through the capital, frightened Londoners searched for someone to blame.
The Great Fire of London tells the remarkable story of the four days that transformed the city, from the first flames in Thomas Farriner's bakery to the desperate battle to stop the inferno and the extraordinary rebuilding that followed.
Discover:
Why London was dangerously ready to burn
How a small bakery fire became an unstoppable inferno
Why crucial opportunities to contain the flames were lost
Samuel Pepys's unforgettable eyewitness account
How Charles II and the Duke of York joined the fight to save the City
The dramatic destruction of old St Paul's Cathedral
Why an innocent Frenchman was executed for starting the fire
The truth behind the surprisingly low recorded death toll
Whether the Great Fire really ended the Great Plague
How Christopher Wren helped create a new London from the ruins
Written as an entertaining and accessible introduction rather than a dense academic history, this book gives you the essential story, characters, drama and legacy of the Great Fire in a short, engaging read.
Perfect for history lovers, curious readers, travellers to London, and anyone who wants to understand one of the most famous disasters in British history without reading a huge textbook.
A bakery. A spark. A powerful wind. Four days that changed London forever.
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