The Alleys that Survived the Great Fire of London

Описание: When the Great Fire of London destroyed most of the city in 1666, ambitious plans were drawn up to rebuild it with straight streets and wide boulevards. They failed.

In this video, we explore the medieval alleys that survived the fire — not through preservation, but through property law, compensation disputes, and the simple need to rebuild quickly. These narrow backstreets reveal why London still follows its medieval geometry today.


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Main sources

Tinniswood, A. (2003). By Permission of Heaven, the Story of the Great Fire of London. London: Random House.
Field, J.F. (2018). London, Londoners and the Great Fire of 1666. New York: Routledge.
Porter, S. (1996). The Great Fire of London. Stroud: Sutton Publishing Ltd.
Coffman, D, Sussman, N & Stephenson, J (2020). Financing the Rebuilding of the City of London after the Great Fire of 1666. London: CEPR.


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Image credits

"The Great Fire of London" via Wikimedia File:Great_Fire_London.jpg
"Tittle-Tattle; Or, the several Branches of Gossipping" via Wikimedia File:Tittle-Tattle;_Or,_the_several_Branches_of_Gossipping._(BM_1973,U.216).jpg
"The royal navy - a history from the earliest times to the present (1897)" via Wikimedia File:The_royal_navy_-_a_history_from_the_earliest_times_to_the_present_(1897)_(14762825211).jpg
Hardtack - Infrogmation via Wikimedia File:PensacolaWentworthAug2008Hardtack.jpg
Jan Brueghel the Younger: "Allegory of Law and Violence" via Wikimedia File:Jan_Brueghel_the_Younger_-_Allegory_of_Law_and_Violence_(Allegory_of_King_Charles_I_of_England).jpg
Firehooks (1612) via Wikimedia File:Firehooks.1612.png
"The old farmer and his almanack" via Wikimedia File:The_old_farmer_and_his_almanack_-_being_some_observations_on_life_and_manners_in_New_England_a_hundred_years_ago_suggested_by_reading_the_earlier_numbers_of_Mr._Robert_B._Thomas%27s_Farmer%27s_Almanack,_(14775016711).jpg
Keeling fire engine - © The Trustees of the British Museum - Asset:1614151470
Keeling fire engine model - Steven G. Johnson via Wikimedia File:Keeling-fire-engine-model.jpg
Street scene - © The Trustees of the British Museum - Asset:1345820001
Benjamin Cole: Water wheel at London Bridge - Wellcome Collection via Wikimedia File:Water-wheel_at_London_Bridge,_for_supplying_water_from_the_T_Wellcome_V0020239.jpg
John Hayls: Samuel Pepys - via Wikimedia hFile:Samuel_Pepys.jpg
Peter Lely: Charles II - via Wikimedia File:Charles_II_horse_(Peter_Lelly).jpg
Peter Lely: James II - via Wikimedia File:Sir_Peter_Lely_(1618-80)_-_James_II_(1633-1701)_when_Duke_of_York_-_RCIN_405673_-_Royal_Collection_-_3.jpg
Great Fire engraving - © The Trustees of the British Museum - Asset:579279001
Map of Great Fire - © The Trustees of the British Museum - Asset:579328001
Rebuilding Act - UK Parliament "1666-act-to-rebuild-the-city-of-london"
Christopher Wren's plan - Wellcome Collection via Wikimedia - File:Sir_Christopher_Wren%27s_plan_of_London_as_reproduced_by_Gwynn._Wellcome_M0003248.jpg
John Evelyn's plan - Wellcome Collection via Wikimedia - File:Sir_John_Evelyn%27s_plan_for_rebuilding_London_after_the_fire._Wellcome_M0003249.jpg
Valentine Knight's plan - © The Trustees of the British Museum - Asset:250630001
John Michael Wright: Charles II - via Wikimedia https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Christopher Wren & Charles II - © The Trustees of the British Museum - Asset:1076622001
Parliament - © The Trustees of the British Museum - Asset:254602001
Faithorne & Newcourt map - © The Trustees of the British Museum - Asset:1183267001
John de Critz: James I - via Wikimedia File:John_de_Critz_-_James_VI_and_I,_1566_-_1625._King_of_Scotland_1567_-_1625._King_of_England_and_Ireland_1603_-_1625_-_PG_561_-_National_Galleries_of_Scotland.jpg
Hendrik Hondius I: Battle of Sesimbra Bay 1602 - via Wikimedia File:Sesimbra.1602.jpg
Tudor house - © The Trustees of the British Museum - Asset:625193001
Ogilby Morgan map - © The Trustees of the British Museum - Asset:665838001
The church of St. Bartholomew the Great and surrounding area - Wellcome Collection via Wikimedia - File:The_church_of_St._Bartholomew_the_Great_and_surrounding_area_Wellcome_V0029991.jpg; File:The_church_of_St._Bartholomew_the_Great_and_surrounding_area_Wellcome_V0029990.jpg
A.& J. Bool: Old houses in Cloth Fair - via Wikimedia https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
John Betjeman - via Wikimedia File:John_Betjeman_Reads_William_Horton%27s_Petition_to_Save_Lewisham_Town_Hall,_1961.jpg
Verwoestingen na luchtaanval op Londen - Anefo via Wikimedia File:Verwoestingen_na_luchtaanval_op_Londen,_Bestanddeelnr_935-3523.jpg
Anderson shelter - via Wikimedia File:An_Anderson_shelter_remains_intact_amidst_destruction_in_Latham_Street,_Poplar,_London_during_1941._D5949.jpg