Exhibition marks 350th anniversary of Great Fire

July 25, 2016

oil painting, fire, great fire, great fire of london, london, museum of londo — An oil painting of the Fire of London. Credit: Museum of London

Fire! Fire! is a fascinating interactive exhibition at the Museum of London which looks at the history of Great Fire of London to mark the blaze of 1666.

A new immersive, interactive exhibition at the Museum of London marks the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London which focuses on the blaze through the eyes of people who were there at the time.

The exhibition travels the route of the fire, beginning in the infamous Pudding Lane, where a baker left the oven on resulting in the devastating fire that changed the face of the city. Step into Pudding Lane and see what life was like for ordinary Londoners in the 17th-century, visit the bakery and see how the flames spread across the city.

museum, london, museum of london, great fire, great fire of london — A map of London in 1666. Credit: Museum of London

The capital is recreated from accounts and maps that survived the fire and are being brought to life in theatrical exhibition with displays consisting of a variety of sights, sounds and smells.

The exhibition includes household object that have survived – scarred and charred – from fire which raged for several days. However, the pride of the exhibition is the fire engine from the late 1660s which has been recreated using traditional techniques and materials – the kind of device people would have used to try to put out the blaze.

Great Fire, London, museum of london, fire — The *Fire! Fire!* exhibition at the Museum of London about the Great Fire. Credit: Museum of London

In another thought-provoking display containing embroidery, a burnt Geneva Bible and a pair of bed hangings aims to make visitors think about what they would rescue, if faced with the same fate. The exhibition also looks at the aftermath of the fire, and what steps the ruling party took to avoid another disaster.