London in Modern Times: or, Sketches of the English Metropolis during the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries.Unknown
History
London in Modern Times: or, Sketches of the English Metropolis during the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries.
Unknown
London (England) -- History -- 17th century; London (England) -- History -- 18th century
Ludgate-hill, Warwick-lane, Newgate, Paul's-chain, Watling-street,
Thames-street, and Billingsgate, were destroyed or still wrapped in
flame.
On Tuesday the fire reached the end of Fetter-lane and the entrance to
Smithfield. Around Cripplegate and the Tower, the devouring element
violently raged, but in other directions it somewhat abated. Engines
had been employed in pulling down houses, but this process was too slow
to overtake the mischief. Gunpowder was then used to blow up
buildings, so that large gaps were made, which cut off the edifices
that were burning from those still untouched. By these means, on the
afternoon of Tuesday, the devastation was curbed. The brick buildings
of the Temple also checked its progress to the west. Throughout
Wednesday the efforts of the king and duke, and some of the lords of
the council, were indefatigable. Indeed, his majesty made the round of
the fire twice a day, for many hours together, both on horseback and on
foot, giving orders to the men who were pulling down houses, and
repaying them on the spot for their toils out of a money-bag which he
carried about with him. On Thursday, the fire was thought to be quite
extinguished, but in the evening it burst out afresh near the Temple.
Renewed and vigorous efforts at that point, however, soon stayed its
ravages, and in the course of a short time it was finally extinguished.
The space covered with ruins was four hundred and thirty-six acres in
extent. The boundaries of the conflagration were Temple-bar,
Holborn-bridge, Pye-corner, Smithfield, Aldersgate, Cripplegate, near
the end of Coleman-street, at the end of Basinghall-street, by the
postern at the upper end of Bishopsgate-street, in Leadenhall-street,
by the Standard in Cornhill, at the church in Fenchurch-street, by the
Clothworkers' Hall, at the middle of Mark-lane, and at the Tower-dock.
While four hundred and thirty-six acres were covered with ruins, only
seventy-five remained with the property upon it uninjured. Four
hundred streets, thirteen thousand houses, eighty-seven parish
churches, and six chapels; St. Paul's Cathedral, the Royal Exchange and
Custom House, Guildhall and Newgate, and fifty-two halls of livery
companies, besides other public buildings, were swept away. Eleven
millions' value of property the fire consumed, but, through the mercy
of God, only eight lives were lost.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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