This multimedia tour explores the history of the Great Fire of London and can be downloaded onto a mobile phone or handheld media device, such as an iPod.
During this tour, you will walk the area that, in 1666, was consumed by the flames and the ground that was covered in ashes and rubble. You will also have a chance to discover how a fire of this scale happened, why it spread so quickly and how London was rebuilt after the disaster.
The tour is divided into nine parts, including an introduction and then eight separate videos for each stop. Each section begins with a map and description of where to stand and ends with directions to the next stop and a map of where to go next.
The tour stops
Introduction
This provides a brief overview of the Great Fire of London and the tour highlights.
- Download Introduction in .3gp format (3.26MB)
- Download Introduction in MP4 format (8.7MB)
- View introduction on YouTube (external link)
Stop 1 Thames Path by London Bridge (Grant’s Quay Wharf)
The Tour begins by the River Thames next to London Bridge. You can reach this spot by taking the stairs down on the North Eastern side of the Bridge down to the River Thames Path, or by walking down to the Thames Path from Upper Thames Street just behind the Church of St Magnus the Martyr. Here you will hear about the role played by the river in 1666 and what it was like here during the Great Fire.
- Download Stop 1 in .3gp format (6.47MB)
- Download Stop 1 in MP4 format (12.84MB)
- View Stop 1 on YouTube (external link)
Stop 2 - Church of St Magnus the Martyr
The tour then moves on to the church of St Magnus the Martyr which was the second church to be destroyed by the fire.
- Download Stop 2 in .3gp format (5.15MB)
- Download Stop 2 in MP4 format (10.31MB)
- View Stop 2 on YouTube (external link)
Stop 3 - Pudding Lane
The third stop is on Pudding Lane at the spot where the fire began in the bakery of Thomas Farrinor.
- Download Stop 3 in .3gp format (7.01MB)
- Download Stop 3 in MP4 format (12.48MB)
- View Stop 3 on YouTube (external link)
Stop 4 - The Monument
Stop four is at the Monument, built by Sir Christopher Wren to commemorate the Great Fire.
- Download Stop 4 in .3gp format (3.93MB)
- Download Stop 4 in MP4 format (13.37MB)
- View Stop 4 on YouTube (external link)
Stop 5 - Leadenhall Market
The tour stops at Leadenhall Market which helped to stop the spread of the fire and was one of the first markets to begin trading after the fire.
- Download Stop 5 in .3gp format (4.5MB)
- Download Stop 5 in MP4 format (13.31MB)
- View Stop 5 on YouTube (external link)
Stop 6 - St Michael’s Alley
From there the tour will take you through the lanes which are as narrow as many of the London streets were in 1666, stopping at St Michael’s Alley.
- Download Stop 6 in .3gp format (7.21MB)
- Download Stop 6 in MP4 format (20.21MB)
- View Stop 6 on YouTube (external link)
Stop 7 - The Guildhall
Stop seven is at The Guildhall, the only stone building other than a church to survive the Great Fire.
- Download Stop 7 in .3gp format (7.15MB)
- Download Stop 7 in MP4 format (21.39MB)
- View Stop 7 on YouTube (external link)
Stop 8 - St Paul’s Cathedral
The tour ends at St Paul’s Cathedral, whose predecessor was destroyed by the fire, a symbol of London re-built after the Great Fire.
The tour will last about an hour and half, but it could last all day as there are plenty of other things to see on the way.
Safety precautions: Please take care and cross all roads in marked pedestrian crossings and without watching your handheld device.
- Download Stop 8 in .3gp format (6.88MB)
- Download Stop 8 in MP4 format (22.91MB)
- View Stop 8 on YouTube (external link)
About the project
This tour was produced as part of a project funded by the Transformation Fund, a new £20m fund formed out of the Learning Revolution scheme. The free eight-week course ran throughout November and December 2009 with twelve Londoners. The course provided opportunities to learn multimedia skills and explore how to interpret the museum’s collection and the City’s history, utilising the tools and technology in the Museum’s new state-of-the-art Clore Learning Centre.
The course participants devised the walking tour route, selected relevant objects and images from the Museum of London’s collection and produced much of the multimedia tour content.
Special thanks:
Course Participants
Mary Best
Lara Bonici
Richard Hannell
Peter Hayes
Lester Hillman
Toni Jaskel
Sara Kurikka
Jim McSharry
John Morgan
Brian Taggart
Susie Watchcorn
David Willoughby
Mary Best
Lara Bonici
Richard Hannell
Peter Hayes
Lester Hillman
Toni Jaskel
Sara Kurikka
Jim McSharry
John Morgan
Brian Taggart
Susie Watchcorn
David Willoughby
Museum of London Julie Carr
Hazel Forsyth
Jenny Hall
Meriel Jeater
Mariruth Leftwich
Hazel Forsyth
Jenny Hall
Meriel Jeater
Mariruth Leftwich
Ballista MediaNatalie Barb
Tom Clifford
Ed Willson
Tom Clifford
Ed Willson