The Great Fire of London by Samuel Pepys: book review

The Great Fire of London (1666, this edition 2015) is the diary of Samuel Pepys, Clerk to the Navy Board in London, England, with entries from May 1665 to September 1666.

Pepys (1633-1703) was a high-ranking government official and diarist. The first section in this small 50-page booklet describes his daily life with his wife and son, his office work, the time his mother visits, and his social invitations.

He is 32 years old and has ‘some little grutchings of pain’ from wind and lack of exercise. He loves the theatre and fine clothing, but not the coloured shirt his wife bought for him: ‘it looks a little unusual upon me.’ He bought a watch and thinks to himself why he didn’t buy one earlier as he looks to see ‘what a-clock it is 100 times.’ He also sees the death of people from the plague – 112 people die in one week: ‘the plague encreases mightily.’

And then on Sunday 2 September 1966 a fire starts in the King’s baker’s house on Pudding Lane – the bakery of Thomas Farriner (he survived). It engulfs the city rapidly and people are forced to evacuate and take as many belongings as they can. Pepys describes the mayor of London crying, and Pepys too is emotional at this ‘most horrid malicious bloody flame, not like the fine flame of an ordinary fire … it made me weep to see it.’

He describes the damage and destruction, the stealing and looting, and the aftermath of the Great Fire of London, decimating the city to a third of its size. ‘That, certainly, never so great a loss as this was borne so well by citizens in the world such as this.’

Short, easy to read, and an historical account of a great tragedy that people have not witnessed the likes of in contemporary times. This is the 1666 version of the newsreel, the blog, and the social media of a tragedy of the times.

This year, 2016, is the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London – and the reason I sought out this little booklet. The fire raged for four days, destroying 13,000 buildings including the 500-year-old St. Paul’s Cathedral. Nearly 80% of London was burnt to the ground, and up to 100,000 were homeless. Fortunately it seems that only 10 people died, because almost everyone chose to flee instead of fight the fire. The Museum of London is commemorating the 350th anniversary with an exhibition called Fire! Fire! In additionother events around London will display accounts of the fire, from 30 August and into September.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/10/arts/international/the-great-fire-and-the-rebirth-of-london.html?emc=edit_th_20160813&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=72405193&_r=0

Area of London photo: Museum of London

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).