The Great Fire of London (1666)

How a small bakery fire became a disaster that destroyed much of London

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Try each question. If you're stuck, leave it and come back. The answer key is on the last page.

1
In which year did the Great Fire of London happen? A) 1666 B) 1066 C) 1566 D) 1766
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2
Where did the Great Fire of London start? A) A bakery in Pudding Lane B) The Tower of London C) A church in Westminster D) The royal palace
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3
True or false? Most houses in London in 1666 were made of wood and were built close together. A) True B) False
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4
In which year did the Great Fire of London happen? A) 1666 B) 1066 C) 1815 D) 1914
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5
Fill in the blank. A man called Samuel ___ wrote a famous diary describing the Great Fire.
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6
How long did the Great Fire of London burn for? A) About 4 days B) About 4 hours C) About 4 weeks D) About 4 months
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7
Put these events of the Great Fire in the order they happened. Put these in order: The fire is finally put out, St Paul's Cathedral catches fire, The fire starts in Pudding Lane, Christopher Wren begins designing a new St Paul's
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8
True or false? Records show that over a thousand people died in the Great Fire of London. A) True B) False
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9
About how many houses were destroyed in the Great Fire of London? A) About 13,000 B) About 130 C) About 1,300 D) About 130,000
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10
How did people try to stop the fire from spreading? A) They pulled down or blew up buildings to make firebreaks B) They used giant fire engines from the future C) They poured oil onto the flames D) They built tall stone walls overnight
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Answer key

The Great Fire of London (1666) · for parents and teachers

1
1666
The Great Fire of London began on 2 September 1666 and burned for four days.
2
A bakery in Pudding Lane
The fire started in Thomas Farriner's bakery in Pudding Lane in the early hours of 2 September 1666.
3
True
Most homes were made of wood, thatch and pitch, and they were packed close together in narrow streets. This let the fire spread very fast.
4
1666
The Great Fire of London began on 2 September 1666.
5
Pepys
Samuel Pepys wrote a detailed diary about the fire. His descriptions are one of our most important historical sources for what happened.
6
About 4 days
The fire burned from Sunday 2 September until Wednesday 5 September 1666, around four days in total.
7
The fire starts in Pudding Lane, St Paul's Cathedral catches fire, The fire is finally put out, Christopher Wren begins designing a new St Paul's
The fire began in Pudding Lane, spread across the city and burned St Paul's, was put out after four days, and then Christopher Wren designed a new cathedral.
8
False
Only a small number of deaths from the fire were officially recorded, although the true total is unclear. Many people lost their homes and possessions.
9
About 13,000
The fire destroyed about 13,200 houses and 87 churches, including the medieval St Paul's Cathedral.
10
They pulled down or blew up buildings to make firebreaks
Firefighters and the navy used gunpowder and hooks to pull down houses in the fire's path. This created firebreaks that finally helped stop the flames.