The People’s Story of the Great Fire of London: The Destruction of England’s Capital City

The Great Fire of London which destroyed much of England’s capital city in the autumn of 1666 was one of those seminal events that stand out in history, enthralling, fascinating and yet repulsive in the damage and destruction it caused.

The story of the fire, which began in the early hours of Sunday 4th September, has been told many times. Phil Carradice’s new re-telling of the disaster is different in focusing mainly on the people involved. From Thomas Bloodworth, the inept Lord Mayor, to diarists Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn, from the supposed arsonist Robert Hubert to Puritan foretellers of disaster like Humphrey Smith, these people witnessed the Great Fire first-hand. Their views and descriptions make compelling reading.

The book does not necessarily give reasons and causes for the fire. Rather it explores how people responded to what was, in reality, the greatest challenge they had faced in their lives. Heroes, cowards and villains are presented in illuminating fashion. King Charles and his brother James, the Duke of York, emerge with nothing but credit, leaving you to wonder how and why James switched from hero of the hour to a position of villain once he became king on the death of his brother.

The upsurge of anti-Dutch and French emotion, the panic which seized the population as they tried to flee the stricken city, the breadth and width of the disaster, along with the gradual re-building of London, are all dealt with in Phil Carradice’s easy and elegant style. Historical facts and individual characterisation make this book a compelling and accurate read.