Have you ever wondered about the history of a place and the stories it has to tell as you wander (or rush) through it? The streets of London are jam-packed with stories and tales about the past. Finding out a little about some of them can help us learn from the past (yes, some things that happened continue to hold lessons for us), appreciate why things are the way they are today, and to give us some context for what we can do to improve urban life in future (if you are interested in improving urban environments and urban resilience, visit surediscities.com). I used to live in London and I still spend a lot of time in this city. For quite a few years, I have spent many hours walking (and running and cycling along) its streets, envisaging how historic events unfurled, and I am always adding to my knowledge.
London in the 17th century looked in some ways very similar to the city in the 21st century and in other ways very different indeed. Financial speculation, the importance of fashion, a tumultuous property market, a civil war, two deadly plagues, a huge fire and a worldview can all unsettle our notions of what it was to be a 17th-century Londoner. This page, and information that can accompany a short walk, offers just a snippet of a few aspects. For a more in-depth understanding, read a book such as London and the Seventeenth Century by Margarette Lincoln (an author who has written many fine books about the city). It is extraordinary that, despite being beset by one crisis after another London rose in prominence afterwards to become a key European and global city. One of the key aspects that helped London through the seventeenth century was its river, The Thames.
The 1603 plague epidemic was the first such epidemic of the 17th century, and it marked the transition from the Tudor to the Stuart period, following the death of Queen Elizabeth I on 24 March, 1603. While estimates vary about the exact number of people the plague of 1603 killed, it is thought that around one-fifth of the city's population died. The plague cut across the city, and it particularly afflicted poorer parishes (as contagious diseases around the world have always tended to do). Although London's government at the time had a heightened sense of the link between the city's continuing plague outbreaks and the filth that existed in the city, this knowledge wouldn't stop further plague epidemics.
In 1605, the Gunpowder Plot by a group of provincial English Catholics led by Robert Catesby almost succeeded in assassinating the relatively new King James I of England (who was also King James VI of Scotland). Had it not been for an informer, it may well have blown up the House of Lords. The perpetrators hatched a plan in order to restore the Catholic monarchy to England, by blowing up the House of Lords during the State Opening of Parliament on 5 November 1605. Travel back in time and experience history in The Gunpowder Plot, an immersive experience created by Historic Royal Palaces and Layered Reality.
The English Civil War took place between 1642 and 1651. This War centred on how the Kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland should be governed, and it led to three key outcomes: (1) the trial of and execution of King Charles I (1649); (2) the exile of his son, Charles (1651); and (3) the replacement of English monarchy for just a few years with the Commonwealth of England. From 1653 the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland unified the British Isles under the rule of The Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell (1653–1658), and briefly his son Richard (1658–1659), before the monarchy was restored with King Charles II in 1660.
The Great Plague of London 1665 was, as noted above, not the first plague epidemic of the 17th century to strike London (and elsewhere). It led to about a quarter of London's estimated 400,000-strong population at the time perishing (the estimated death count is about 100,000, which is about a third more than the official death count). For more information about The Great Plague of London 1665, visit this website's webpage about the event.
The Great Fire of London 1666 struck just a year after the Great Plague. It started in a bakery owned by the King’s baker, Thomas Farriner (Faryner) on/close to Pudding Lane on Sunday, September 2nd 1666. The fire raged for four days and caused what would today be over £37bn of damage.
Various factors combined to cause the fire to spread quickly. The summer had been dry, construction techniques left properties vulnerable to fire, strong winds fanned the flames. In the short time of four days, one third of all buildings in London were destroyed. It is estimated that some 86% of the City of London was burnt to the ground and approximately 130,000 people made homeless (it is thought that about 350,000 people lived there at the time, after The Great Plague of 1665). For more information about The Great Fire of London 1666, visit this website's webpage about the event.
It is in the area now called Monument that The Great Fire of London 1666 began in the early hours of Sunday, 2nd September 1666, in a bakery in Pudding Lane.
At the time, this part of the City of London consisted of narrow streets with housing, trades people and markets.
The first hint of impending disaster for most Londoners was the sound of church bells ringing in the early hours of the morning of Sunday, 2nd September 1666. The church of St Magnus the Martyr, a short distance from Pudding Lane, was one of the first to “sound the alarm”.
Somehow, only a small number of people lost their lives. The fire would engulf 87 parish churches and 13,200-13,500 dwellings. Visit lostlcp.com for info about lost churches.
There was no city fire brigade in 1666 - which would soon change after the fire. People used whatever they could to put the fire out - fire hooks, water pails, squirts.
The fire would spread rapidly, down to the River Thames and up through the City of London. The rich and poor alike try to flee. Insurance did not exist, and many lost everything.
The 17th Century had its own system of financial relief. People were encouraged to support those affected through churches.
Fire courts were set up to compensate people for their losses and to resolve disputes (remember: no insurance). Most people rented, remember. Most leases said that they had to pay for any damage caused, AND continue to pay rent for buildings even though if they no longer existed! New fire regulations were introduced after the Great Fire.
London’s physical layout changed. Most of the rubble was spread over the streets to level the ground. Just 10 years afterwards, most of the city was up and running.
The Great Plague of London 1665 was the worst outbreak of plague in England since the black death of 1348. While 68,596 deaths were officially recorded in the city in the Bill Of Mortality, the true number was probably over 100,000. The Great Plague of 1665 is generally agreed to have started to take hold in the Spring of 1665, though some historians place its origins to late 1664. The way Londoners dealt with the outbreak of this excruciatingly painful and deadly disease shows some surprising parallels to how people in London and across the UK, Europe and the rest of the world responded to the COVID-19 pandemic 355 years later, in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
And, lest we not forget that London experienced a major plague outbreak in 1603 also...
In January 1642 King Charles I stormed into the Parliament building at Westminster attempting to arrest six members of Parliament. Not finding them there he sought them at the Guildhall in the City of London. He failed in this action, fled north and within 4 months the start of a Civil War had commenced, which would endure between 1642 and 1651.
The City of London was vitally important to Parliament, with its wealthy merchants and livery companies supplying finance through taxes and loans. The Royal Mint created currency, and the Tower of London provided a secure prison and armoury. London's influence spread throughout the country - people in regional cities, towns and shires watched to see which side the capital was backing.
Shakespeare died in 1616. In Shakespeare's time, the rowdy and raucus Bankside ws nicknamed "Stewside" for its seedy goings-on.
As well as being the area where many Playhouses existed, it was also the place for brothels and deadly animal fighting such as bear-baiting. Shakespeare and his Company moved to Bankside to The Globe Theatre in December 1598. They dismantled the Shoreditch Theatre, and used the remnants to construct their new playhouse. Watch this entertaining clip from the TV comedy Upstart Crow on "designing the new playhouse", and this clip about one of Shakespeare's famous plays.
Southwark Cathedral is the dominant religious building in the area.
London Bridge has a fascinating history to it.
There have been several bridges (in slightly different locations) stretching back hundreds of years. The medieval Old London Bridge had many houses and shops along its span, including Nonsuch House. The current bridge is owned and maintained by Bridge House Estates, an independent charity of medieval origin overseen by the City of London Corporation.
We hope these pieces inspire you to discover more about London's history...
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