GENERAL INTEREST
Museum of London unveils neverbefore-seen archaeological
artefacts from forthcoming
exhibition, Fire! Fire!
Highlights include:
Fire! Fire! - Museum of London - 23 July 2016 – 17 April 2017 - Sponsored by Eversheds
• A letter written by “sorrowful” James Hicks on 4
September 1666 to inform postmasters of the “great loss
and sufferings” from the fire. James Hicks worked at the
post office in the City which burnt down shortly after
1am on 3 September. He and his family escaped to
Barnet, taking as many letters as they could;
The Museum of London has
revealed further details about its
forthcoming major exhibition, Fire!
Fire!, opening in July.
Marking the 350th anniversary of the
Great Fire of London, the exhibition
will focus on life on the eve of the
fire, the dramatic events that took
place as the blaze burned through
a quarter of the city in 1666, and
how London recovered from the
devastation. As one of London’s most
enduringly popular historical events,
Fire! Fire! is expected to have broad
appeal, especially with families and
school groups.
Fire! Fire! is designed to be one
of the Museum of London’s most
immersive and interactive exhibitions
to date, with setworks to recreate
Pudding Lane and a huge moving
panorama of London in flames. A
variety of incredibly fragile flamescarred archaeological artefacts
reveal the destructive power of the
inferno, while letters from eyewitnesses
who escaped convey the terror and
desperation that ordinary Londoners
felt in the face of the fire.
• A ceramic roof tile which should be flat and terracotta
in colour has blackened, melted and bent in half. The
damage shows that temperatures must have been over
1500oC. The tile was found in excavations of a house on
Botolph Lane that had been destroyed by the fire;
• Burnt padlocks and keys made from iron, found at
Monument House excavations on Botolph Lane, near
Pudding Lane;
• A letter written by Robert Flatman on 9 September
1666 to his brother Thomas, a barrister who worked in
the city but was out of town for the fire. Robert writes
“your Chamber in the Temple is down, but your books
are safe”, suggesting that he saved these items before
Thomas’ rooms at the Temple were destroyed.
Sharon Ament, Director of the
Museum of London, said: “Fire!
Fire! Showcases the very best of
the Museum of London. Given our
mission to tell the story of the world’s
greatest city and its people, it is only
right that we honour the anniversary
of the Great Fire of London, a truly
iconic moment in London’s history,
with a major exhibition which will
be a great day out for adults and
children alike.”
Meriel Jeater, Great Fire of London
exhibition curator, said: “As one of
London’s most famous historical
disasters, people often assume that
there is nothing new to discover
about the Great Fire of London.
In fact, there are still numerous
unconfirmed hypotheses about
how and why the fire started, as
well as a number of myths that
have built up over the years. We
seek to shed new light on the
events of September 1666 with our
rich collections of never-beforeseen 17th century archaeological
artefacts.”
Fire! Fire! Is part of Great Fire 350,
a programme of events and
activities in partnership with the City
of London Corporation, Barbican,
Artichoke and others to mark the
350th anniversary of the Great Fire
of London.
Fire! Fire!
Runs from 23 July 2016 – 17 April
2017 and will be accompanied by
a programme of talks and events.
Tickets priced from £8 for adults and
£5 for children online, family
tickets are available.
Further information:
www.museumoflondon.org.uk/greatfire
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