Today is the 350^th Anniversary of the second day of the Great Fire of London. 

Observers of the event such as John Evelyn and Samuel Pepys gave us a first-hand and vivid picture of the Great Fire for which historians will be forever grateful. Although the fire was started accidentally there were rumours that it was arson and the prelude to invasion or revolution, People had been nervous about the significance of the year ending ‘666’. This number is shown in the Bible as a number associated with the devil and caused some dissenting preachers to predict all sorts of calamities. They felt that a disaster would be a sign of God’s punishment for the sinful lives of the population. The most notable prophet was Humphry Smith,  a Quaker preacher from Herefordshire, who wrote his prediction about a major fire in London in 1660 and who even predicted the Dutch Navy’s attack on the Royal Navy in the Medway.[1]

Although many merchants had their homes and livelihoods destroyed by the fire others benefited. St Paul’s churchyard had long been known as the area of booksellers and whilst the fire was raging the booksellers took their stock into the crypt of St Faith’s for safe keeping. Unfortunately the ferocity of the fire reached into the crypt and the books were destroyed. However one enlightened bookseller, Henry Herringman had his business in the newly fashionable New Exchange in The Strand. This was outside the City and away from the fire. He profited from the fact that most of his competitors lost their entire stock in the Great Fire.[2]

This is the new St Paul’s which was rebuilt on the ashes of its predecessor after the Great Fire of London 1666. This picture, taken during the blitz, recreates what it might have looked like when the fire was raging around the old St Paul’s.

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[1] Stephen K. Roberts, ‘Smith, Humphry (bap. 1624, d.1663)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/25818, accessed 2 Sept 2016]

[2] C. Y. Ferdinand, ‘Herringman, Henry (bap. 1628, d.1704)’, rev. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2008 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/37538, accessed 3 Sept 2016]