The Great Fire of London 1666 School Workshops

The fire was first discovered by Thomas Farriner in his bakery shop in Pudding Lane. Amazingly, he survived the fire by escaping through an upstairs window, but other people were less fortunate. Our workshops will discuss how the fire was able to spread and how the people in charge of fighting the fire, despite working together to try to save their neighbourhoods, were frustrated by lack of water and the technology available to them.

• Learn the key events and dates
• Discover how The Great Fire of London started
• Meet Thomas Farriner the baker and other important people
• Discuss why it spread so quickly through the city
• Learn about significant buildings that were affected by the fire
• Find out about the attempts and methods used to tackle the blaze
• Hear reactions from Samuel Pepys
• Think about how Londoners reacted to the fire
• How London changed to ensure the fire could never happen again

The fire was able to spread due to the overcrowded conditions in this part of London, and because popular building materials of wood and thatch were incredible flammable. As the fire developed over the following days, your children will learn how the King was involved, who was in charge of organising the response, and how rumour and blame spread every bit as fast as the fire itself!

Once the fire was extinguished thoughts turned to rebuilding the capital city. Children will learn about important characters like Christopher Wren and Robert Hooke, who brought ideas on how the development should take place. An Act of Parliament was passed a few years later and work began. This fascinating historical example of a world city being taken back to the drawing board can draw parallels with the development of other world cities, including themes such as urban planning.

Great Fire Workshops

We feature several workshops that focus on the Great Fire, each with their own unique way of delivering this fascinating event in a fun and engaging way. You can have an actor tell a first person account of their terrifying experience, or get your children involved in a series of activities and games that use problem-solving and teamwork, either to prevent the fire or to help rebuild the city.

These workshops can help you look back at the physical changes to a big area of central London, brought about by the Great Fire. How those changes affected the way people lived and worked in the area. Children will learn the historical context of the Great Fire of London, following the plague. And explore the cultural impact that still reverberates all these years later.

Why not link a Great Fire of London workshop to your curriculum topics in History, Events Beyond Living Memory, English creative writing, Citizenship and more.