Three short animations exploring The Great Fire of London of 1666 - the causes of The Fire, what happened during The Fire and how the city was rebuilt afterwards.
1. Why did The Great Fire of London happen?
We go back in time to find out the causes of The Fire, meet key individuals involved and witness how Londoners responded to The Fire.
2. What happened during The Great Fire of London?
We learn how the fire spread across the city and how the Lord Mayor, Samuel Pepys and King Charles II were involved alongside ordinary citizens.
3. What happened after The Great Fire of London?
We discover what happened to the city after The Fire, the role of Christopher Wren in rebuilding the city and how we remember The Fire today.
Our friendly presenter for these animations is a rat called Maureen. In each episode Maureen recounts the stories passed down through her family, from generation to generation.
Maureen's ancestors are all-seeing and all-hearing: they have access-all-areas passes to the dirtiest, darkest corners of history!
We’ll discover the causes of The Great Fire of London and the roles played by the Lord Mayor and King Charles II during The Fire. We'll encounter Samuel Pepys and learn how he documented The Fire in his famous diary. And we'll meet Christopher Wren, a key figure in the design and building of a new city.
Further resources
Download / print the notes including activities templates and worksheets (pdf)
Be the news reporter – interview a character and find out what happened! (pdf)
Design your own dream city on this London map (pdf)
Image gallery. image
A gallery of images showing artefacts and paintings connected to The Great Fire of London
Songs
Consolidate pupils' learning about The Great Fire of London with these three catchy songs from our Music pages.
1. Here in Pudding Lane
Life in the busy streets of London before The Great Fire.
2. Fire, fire, everywhere!
A fast tempo song as The Great Fire rages through London.
3. Let’s get building!
A song about rebuilding London following The Great Fire.
Additional songs about The Great Fire of London - including 'London's burning!' sung as a round.
See also...
The Gunpowder Plot. collection
Three short animations exploring The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 - why it happened, the main events of the Plot, and the consequences for Guy Fawkes and the other plotters.
The Great Fire of London: Music, Dance and Drama activities (audio) audio
The audio programmes in this series explore The Great Fire of London and its aftermath through Music, Dance and Drama activities.
Castles and Knights. collection
A series of six animations exploring the topic 'Castles and Knights' with additional photos, illustrations and worksheets.
