Great Fire of London map

Download Great Fire of London file:

The Great Fire of London file contains a single complete version of the map, including raised letter labelling and matching Braille labelling.

Map of part of London with the City of London marked out. A river labelled ‘THE RIVER THAMES’ runs along the bottom of the map. On the far right side of the map, next to the river, is a stone castle with a tower labelled ‘THE TOWER’ next to ‘Tower wharf’. Near the centre of the map is a cross-shaped building labelled ‘Paul’s Churchyard’. An illustration in the top left corner shows this part of London on fire.

Map showing London after the fire, 1667. ZMAP 4/18

This map shows London after the Great Fire of London in 1666. It was drawn by Wenceslaus Hollar. It reveals how much of the city was destroyed in the fire.

The fire began on early Sunday morning on the 2nd of September. It started in Pudding Lane in the shop of the king’s baker, Thomas Farrinor. Soon London was filled with smoke. The sky was red with huge flames from the fire. By Monday, 300 houses had burned down. London Bridge and St Paul’s Cathedral were both burnt. On Tuesday, King Charles II ordered that houses and shops be pulled down to stop the fire from spreading. By Wednesday, they had the fire under control. But by then, 100,000 people were homeless.

Questions:

  1. Can you find the following places on the map?
    • River Thames
    • Tower of London
    • St Paul’s Cathedral (Clue: from above it looks like a cross, not a dome)
  2. Why are there not many buildings shown in the white middle part of the map?

Image of the tactile model:

Tactile version of the map described above rendered in grey resin. The area of London that has been burnt is emphasised and the details of the map have been simplfiied.