The Monument, City of London

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In the early morning of 2 September 1666, a fire started and soon ran out of control at a small bakery in Pudding Lane, City of London. There was no fire brigade, and residents did their best to contain the fast-spreading blaze with leather buckets of water, hastily gathered and refilled. At points they ripped down wooden buildings to try to stop the fire in its path. It was to no avail and for 4 days and 4 nights, London was consumed by a blaze which destroyed much of the fabric of this great city. The fire is known to have destroyed 13,200 houses, 87 churches, St. Paul's Cathedral, and a large number of official City buldings. It is thought that 70,000 homes of the 80,000 in total were consumed by the fire.

The Monument to the Great Fire of London was designed by Christopher Wren (architect of the 'new' St. Paul's Cathedral) and was erected close to Pudding Lane. The Monument is 61 metres high and offers commanding views over the City of London. Tourists now can climb the 311 steps to the top and take photos of the views. Thankfully, this is now the only entertainment at the top - in the 18th Century a live eagle was kept in a cage by the balcony railings. In 1750, William Green, a weaver, lost his balance whilst reaching to get a better view of the eagle and fell to his death. Please click the thumbnail image below to view the Monument virtual tour.