This Is London 23 September 2016

THE GREAT FIRE OF LONDON AT
ST PAUL’S CATHEDRAL
The year 1666 was catastrophic for
London and St Paul’s Cathedral. On
Tuesday 4 September, a combination of
factors caused the building to burn with
great ferocity. The catastrophic blaze
consumed the cathedral which had stood
at the heart of London life for over five
hundred years. Tens of thousands
around the city were made homeless.
As smoke rose from the ruins,
Londoners considered how to rebuild
their city - and bring their cathedral back
to use. Designs were submitted and
Christopher Wren emerged as the man
to help St Paul's rise like a phoenix from
the devastation.
A new exhibition ‘Out of the Fire’ and
a programme of walks, talks and tours,
special sermons and debates to mark the
350th anniversary of the Great Fire of
London is taking place at St Paul’s
between May 2016 and April 2017.
Visitors of all ages can learn about the
colourful life of one of London's great
lost building. Join a Fire Tour and hear
how raging fire made the Cathedral
stones ‘explode like grenades’, learn
more about how the fire tore through the
Cathedral and its subsequent redesign at
the The Great Fire: Revisited Conference.
Hear how various cities have coped in
the wake of subsequent catastrophes
with the Out of the Ashes: Sunday
Sermon Series; Follow a Family Trail to
learn fun fire facts and earn a Flame the
Phoenix badge; See objects that
survived the flames at the Great Fire
Exhibition; Visit the Cathedral after
visiting hours with St Paul’s Lates,
where visitors are encouraged to take
photos; or go along on a Triforium Tour
to see designs which introduced a
radical new architecture to the capital.
For more than 1,400 years, a
Cathedral dedicated to St Paul has stood
at the highest point in the City. The
present Cathedral is the masterpiece of
Britain's most famous architect
Sir Christopher Wren.
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