23 July 2016 – 17 April 2017
Marking the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London, this exhibition explores life in the city immediately before, during and after the disaster.
Shortly after midnight on 2 September 1615 fire broke out at a bakery on Pudding Lane and spread rapidly across the City Of London. For four days it raged on, devastating 70,000 out of the 80,000 homes in the area and destroying important landmarks such as St Paul's Cathedral. The streets descended into chaos as rumours emerged that the fire had been started by foreigners, and immigrants were subject to violence and lynchings.
The Museum of London brings together flame-scarred archaeological objects with documents of eye witness accounts in order to explore this monumental event in the capital's history. As well as investigating how and why the fire started, it addresses the myths that surround it and the subsequent social and economic problems it left in its wake.
A terracotta ceramic roof tile appears blackened and melted in half, revealing that temperatures must have reached over 1500ºc.