March 15, 2018: London Burning

[xoxoxoBruce]

The 1666 fire started in Thomas Farriner's bakery just after midnight on Sunday and burned till Wednesday, burning 13,200 houses,
87 parish churches, St Paul's Cathedral, and most of the buildings of the City authorities.
They thought the 18 ft (5.5 m) Roman Wall would stop it but didn’t.



17th century firefighting…

The methods available for this relied on demolition and water. By law, the tower of every parish church had to hold equipment for these efforts: long ladders, leather buckets, axes, and "firehooks" for pulling down buildings. Sometimes taller buildings were leveled to the ground quickly and effectively by means of controlled gunpowder explosions. This drastic method of creating firebreaks was increasingly used towards the end of the Great Fire, and modern historians believe that it was what finally won the struggle.

But to tear down a building they needed permission from the owner or Lord Mayor Bloodworth.

When Bloodworth arrived, the flames were consuming the adjoining houses and creeping towards the paper warehouses and flammable stores on the river front. The more experienced firemen were clamouring for demolition, but Bloodworth refused on the grounds that most premises were rented and the owners could not be found. Bloodworth is generally thought to have been appointed to the office of Lord Mayor as a yes man, rather than by possessing requisite capabilities for the job. He panicked when faced with a sudden emergency and, when pressed, made the oft-quoted remark, "Pish! A woman could piss it out", and left.

In 2016 they decided to celebrate the 350th anniversary by doing it again, but this time with a replica built by an
American who was a star at the Burning Man Festival in Nevada.



Burn baby burn…


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