Tuesday 6 September 2016

1666 - The Great Fire of London

A chance spark from a baker's shop
The wind was up, the summer dry
A glowing ember, small hot spot
Soon flames were leaping in the sky.

Restoration London, narrow streets
September dawn brought panic, fear
An all-timber building quickly heats
Crowds gather on Thames river stair...

The inferno rages for three days
Before winds drop and dynamite;
Samuel Pepys, aghast, amazed
Records this, London's darkest night.

Near “Pudding Lane” - the Monument
Recalls old London's greatest fire;
350 years since the event
Wren's St. Paul's can still inspire.

(c) Poet in the woods 2016

The Great Fire raged from 2nd-5th September, 1666 and followed a 10-month drought ...



Constructed between 1671 and 1677, the monument was built on the site of St Margaret, New Fish Street, the first church to be destroyed by the Great Fire. Designed by Sir Christopher Wren.

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