Valentine Knight

Captain Valentine Knight designed a new city plan suggesting how London could be rebuilt. He put in two main streets running east to west, and eight running north to south. Between these he added narrow blocks of houses, connected to the main streets by smaller lanes. He also introduced a canal in a loop from Billingsgate to the River Fleet. He said the king could raise money by charging people fees for using the canal and through fines. This would finance the rebuilding. The King was most offended by the suggestion that he would want to 'draw a benefit to himself, from so publick a Calamity of his people' and had Knight arrested. His proposed layout was never adopted.