We learn how The Fire spread across the city and how the Lord Mayor, Samuel Pepys and King Charles II were all involved alongside the people of London.
Writing things down ina diary helps peopleto rememberimportant things.I'd write down whatI wanted to eat every day.I learnt about diariesfrom my mum,who learnt from her mum,who learnt from?you get the idea,all the way back in history?… all the way backover 350 years ago,to 1666, the year of theGreat Fire of London.In those days whenpeople wrote diaries,instead of using pens theydipped feather tips in inkand wrote with that instead.
Oh, there's my ancestor!
The Great Fire of London startedat a bakery in Pudding Lane,when everyone was asleep.It spread quickly. Newsof the fire spread too,and it reached a mancalled Samuel Pepys -who worked for the kingand liked to write in his diary
Dear diary, today is Sunday.Hmm. What else can I say?
Excuse me Mr Pepys sir,I bring bad news.
Excellent, somethingto put in my diary!I mean, ahem,'what? bad news?'
I've heard that more than 300 houseshave been burned by a fire,Sir, and it's still going.
I'll take a closer look.
"Dear diary, today I decidedto go and look at a big fire."People were escapingfrom the fire andcarrying their favouritethings to safety."
Samuel Pepys wanted towarn King Charles II.So he took his boat downthe river to the palace.Here the king lived with lots ofdogs that looked a bit like him.
Your Majesty! I've come to tellyou that London's on fire!
What's up, Shmookums?Hmm. We mustcommand the Lord Mayorto pull down all thehouses in front of the fire,so it has no fuel to burn,then the fire will die down.
Good boy!
Why thank you, your highness.
Not you Pepys.
So, Pepys went tocommand the Lord Mayorto pull down the houses,while King Charles IIfollowed up the Thamesin his royal barge to seethe fire for himself.
I thought I commanded theLord Mayor to put this fire out.Why is it still here?Hmm. We'll get thearmy in to helppull down the houseswith those big hooks.When the fire hasn'tgot wood to burn,it will soon fizzle out.
They used the fire hooks.But they didn't stop the fire.
Over the next 2 days,the fire doubled in size,and destroyed halfthe city of London.
People escaped tooutside of the city,trying to save theirmost precious possessions.Some people storedthings in churcheswith thick stone walls,like St. Paul's Cathedral.But then even thatburned down too.It seemed there wasnowhere safe from the fire,so everyone wasreally worried -including the diarywriter Samuel Pepys.
Dear Diary, I'm so worried.I have the most deliciouscheese but it might meltHow can I keep itsafe from the fire?
He dug a hole to bury his preciouscheese and wine in his garden.Then he went to bed.
Suddenly, the windchanged directionand the fire started movingtowards Pepys's house.Many more people left,including Samuel Pepys.He took his diary and his gold,but he left his cheese and wine.
Farewell London, I'll be back.Take good care of my cheese!
Poor Samuel Pepysleaving his cheese behind.
I'm not sure I've much-roomfor any more of this.
How much of London willbe left when Pepys returns
- and what about his cheese?
2. What happened during The Great Fire of London?
Pupils are introduced to Samuel Pepys, who wrote about The Fire in his famous diary and also reported on it to King Charles II.
The king commanded Pepys to go to the Lord Mayor and order him to pull down the buildings in an effort to halt the fire.
Many people left London, taking their possessions with them. Others buried items to keep them safe, including Pepys who buried his cheese and wine in his garden.
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
Teachers’ notes
Before the video
Show pupils some cheese, wine, gold and a diary and ask what they think these might have to do with the next part of the story.
Ask them to make a prediction.
During the video
Who was Samuel Pepys? (A politician and administrator of the navy.)
Why is he significant? (He kept a diary which describes in detail two important events - The Plague of 1665 and The Great Fire of London.)
Who was Charles II? (The monarch at the time. He is known as the ‘Merry Monarch’ because he enjoyed a busy social life, especially going to the theatre. He ruled from 1660 - 1685.)
What did people do during the fire? How did they respond? (Some stayed in London and helped to put it out. Some took their possessions and escaped.)
What did Samuel Pepys bury? (Cheese and wine.)
Why did he do this? (They were expensive items and valuable to him.)
After the video
Write an extract from Samuel Pepys’ diary and explain your worries about The Fire.
Look at an image of The Fire - list the reasons you can see that show why The Fire spread so quickly.
Write a letter to the Lord Mayor to plead with him to use fire-hooks to tear down buildings, thus creating firebreaks .
Class debate - Who was to blame for The Fire? Look at different roles and what people did during The Fire. Is there somebody to blame? Children share ideas based on evidence.
This film is relevant for teaching History at KS1 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and 1st Level in Scotland.
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.
More from this series
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.
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.
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View the main characters in The Great Fire of London
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.
