The Great Fire of London

What was London like in 1666? We will be visiting Kent Life to immerse ourselves in the lives of people during 1666. We will look at paintings of London and suggest ways in which life was different, including modes of transport, clothing and the lifestyles of children. 

• I can name and identify some historic landmarks in London, including the River Thames and the Tower of London. 

• I know where London is in relation to Benenden.

• I can explain the differences between life now and life in 1666, including travel by horse and cart. 

What happened on 2nd September 1666? We will have a visit from a local baker and talk about what their job is and what the dangers could be in a kitchen. We will then start to sequence the events of the Great Fire of London and will be able to identify where and how it started. 

• I know that the Great Fire of London started in a bakery on Pudding Lane. 

• I can identify reasons why the fire started and who it involved. 

• I can start to put the events of the Great Fire of London in chronological order. 

How did the Great Fire spread? We will be linking this lesson to our DT, looking at materials and terraced houses back in 1666. We will explore a selection of sources to suggest ideas about dangers to homes in 1666. 

• I know what a terraced house is.

• I can use my knowledge of London in 1666 to make predictions about why the fire started. 

• I can use a selection of sources to ask questions about fire safety in 1666. 

How do we know the Great Fire happened? In this lesson, we will be building a character profile for Samuel Pepys and will identify who he was and how he was significant in what historians know about the Great Fire of London. We will also look at diaries as a source of information and talk about how they can help historians before the introduction of photos and videos. 

• I know who Samuel Pepys is. 

• I know that a diary is a way that historians can find out about the past. 

• I can use Samuel Pepys’ diary entries to discuss the past. 

What was left of London after the Great Fire? We will spend this lesson looking at how the fire was extinguished by using leather buckets and basic fire fighting measures. We will use different sources to draw our own pictures of what we think London looked like just after the fiore before comparing it to actual paintings. We will then talk about how London’s landscape  was different after the fire. 

• I know what a leather bucket is and how it was used during the fire. 

• I can draw a picture of what I think London looked like after the fire, based on my understanding from sources. 

• I can say what is the same and different about London pre and post fire. 

How was London rebuilt? We will talk about what it means to build and rebuild and how long it took to rebuild London. We will talk about how people’s lives had to change during this time and write our own diary entries in the style of a child living near Pudding Lane. We will finish by looking at how London was rebuilt to ensure that a fire like this didn’t happen again. 

• I know what it means to rebuild. 

• I can talk about how London was rebuilt and how long it took. 

• I can talk about changes that were made when rebuilding London and how these helped prevent a future fire. 

How do we protect ourselves from fire today? For this lesson, we will be visited by the local fire safety team and will discuss fire safety measures we have at home and at school to protect us. We will then write an explanation of how the Great Fire of London impacted our lives today. 

• I know what fire safety means. 

• I can talk about fire safety measures that we have today (smoke alarms, fire engines, firefighters, fire engines). 

• I can explain how the Great Fire impacted our lives today.