How was London rebuilt?
It took nearly 50 years to rebuild the burnt area of London. St Paul’s Cathedral was not completed until 1711. The city and the cathedral looked very different afterwards as this view of London in the 1700s shows.
Throughout 1667 people cleared rubble and surveyed the burnt area. Much time was spent planning new street layouts and drawing up new building regulations. By the end of the year, only 150 new houses had been built. Public buildings, like churches, were paid for with money from a new coal tax.
The new regulations were designed to prevent such a disaster happening again. Houses now had to be faced in brick instead of wood. Some streets were widened and two new streets were created. Pavements and new sewers were laid, and London’s quaysides were improved. The results were noticeable: ‘(London) is not only the finest, but the most healthy city in the world’, said one proud Londoner.
- Introduction
- What caused the Great Fire?
- How did Londoners escape the fire?
- How was the fire put out?
- How much of London was destroyed?
- How was London rebuilt? (this page)
- Further information
Download 'What happened in the Great Fire of London?' (PDF, 478KB)
