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London's Burning

350th Anniversary of the Great Fire of London | Art Installation

By Cristina Schek

THE GREAT FIRE OF 1666 DEVASTATED LONDON

On September 2nd 1666 a fire started in the King‘s bakery in Pudding Lane near London Bridge. Fires were quite a common occurrence in those days and were soon quelled. Indeed, when the Lord Mayor of London, Sir Thomas Bloodworth was woken up to be told about the fire, he replied “Pish! A woman might piss it out!“

However that summer had been very hot and there had been no rain for weeks, so consequently the wooden houses and buildings were tinder dry. The fire soon took hold. Efforts to bring the fire under control by using buckets quickly failed. Panic began to spread through the city.

By the 4th September half of London was in flames. Absolute chaos reigned. The King himself joined the fire fighters, passing buckets of water to them in an attempt to quell the flames, but the fire raged on.

Eventually the fire was brought under control, and by the 6th September had been extinguished altogether. Only one fifth of London was left standing!

4th of September 2016, 350 YEARS ON, the great fire IS BEING REMEMBERED IN ANOTHER BLAZE ON THE RIVER THAMES.

Write your story here. (Optional)

Write your story here. (Optional)

London's Burning

A 120 metre long hand built, wooden replica of 17th-century London’s skyline has been set ablaze in the city on the River Thames to mark the anniversary.

Write your story here. (Optional)

Write your story here. (Optional)

London's Burning

London's Burning

London's Burning

London's Burning

London's Burning

London's Burning

London's Burning

London's Burning

London's Burning

Write your story here. (Optional)

London's Burning

London’s burning, London’s burning. Fetch the engines, fetch the engines. Fire Fire, Fire Fire! Pour on water, pour on water.

Write your story here. (Optional)

London's Burning

Write your story here. (Optional)

London's Burning

London's Burning

London's Burning

London's Burning

London's Burning

London's Burning

London’s burning, London’s burning. Fetch the engines, fetch the engines. Fire fire, Fire Fire! Pour on water, pour on water.

Write your story here. (Optional)

London's Burning

Write your story here. (Optional)

London's Burning

LONDON’S BURNING, LONDON’S BURNING. FETCH THE ENGINES, FETCH THE ENGINES. FIRE FIRE, FIRE FIRE! POUR ON WATER, POUR ON WATER.

Write your story here. (Optional)

London's Burning

London's Burning

London's Burning

London's Burning

London's Burning

London's Burning

Write your story here. (Optional)

London's Burning

Pour on water, pour on water. Pour on water, pour on water. Pour on water, pour on water.

Write your story here. (Optional)

London's Burning

This piece of incredible art that brought the city together Around it was Designed by American burn artist David Best (Temple) in collaboration with Artichoke.

“The people displaced 350 years ago are being displaced now. The economy is doing a topsy turvy thing on the people of London. The lower classes are being pushed out not by a fire, but by an economic fire.” David Best

Artichoke was founded by Helen Marriage and Nicky Webb in 2005 with the mission to produce arts projects across the UK and Northern Ireland and “transform people‘s lives and change the world through extraordinary art“.Watch it Burn!

See the live footage and feel the heat!

Watch it burn!

IN NEED OF NARRATIVE PHOTOGRAPHY ?

To view my full portrait and events portfolio, please visit CristinaSchek.com, and follow along on Instagram for more as it happens: @cristinaschek. If you need help telling amazing stories through photography, get in touch with me: cristina@cristinaschek.com

Footnotes

#LondonsBurning #GreatFire350

FootNotes

#LondonsBurning #GreatFire350

© 2026 Cristina Schek

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