Air Quality in 1666 London Takes a Dive

The_Great_Fire_of_London,_with_Ludgate_and_Old_St._Paul's The Great Fire of London, with Ludgate and Old St. Paul’s by Anonymous.

The Great Fire of London began this day in 1666, in a bakery in Pudding Lane, near the Tower of London. It burned for three more days, destroying over 13,000 houses.

Interestingly, only three lives were lost to the fire, which burnt out most of central London (at the time) and inspired several unknown artists to paint their impression of the chaos.

My city and most of the Pacific Northwest is currently living under a pall of smoke from all the wildfires raging through the forests…it makes me wonder what it was like living in London in the days during and after the fire. Conditions were wretched enough already for many people there. Smoke and ash would have made things absolutely miserable….

Scroll to Top