Fire! Fire!

Fantastic exhibition at the Museum of London marking the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London.

This show conjured up the atmosphere in London before, during and after the fire brilliantly. It was perfectly pitched to be engaging and entertaining but also informative. It was helped by the amazing objects they had to use. I loved the way in which a recreation of Pudding Lane with ghostly silhouettes at the windows but also including real objects from the time including a portable bread oven.

In one section on the fire they talked about what people tried to save. Although they couldn’t guarantee all the objects shown had been in the fire they all dated from before the event and represented objects which Pepys had recording seeing people saving. There were also the remains from a shop two doors down from the bakery where it started which showed the fire damage.

The section of the aftermath was fascinating too. I had not realised that the ruined buildings smouldered for months. The city must have reeked! It also looked at all the different groups of people who were blamed for the fire and talked about how the city was rebuilt. I loved the idea that the pubs were the first buildings to be rebuilt as the builders needed somewhere to eat and drink. 

All the major shows I have seen at Museum of London have been fabulous so I can’t wait to see what they see when they move into their new building.

Closes on 17 Apr 2017

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