FREE daily 10am - 6pm Plan your visit For families For schools Collections
Menu
  • Museum of London
    • Permanent galleries
      • London Before London
      • Roman London
      • Medieval London
      • War, Plague & Fire
      • Expanding City
      • People's City
      • World City
      • The City Gallery
      • The London 2012 Cauldron

      The Museum of London documents the history of London from prehistoric to modern times. The museum is located on London Wall, close to the Barbican Centre.

    • What's on
      • Exhibitions and displays
      • Walks
      • Talks
      • Workshops
      • Free events
    • Plan your visit
      • Museum accessibility
      • Eating and drinking
      • Floor plan
      • Shop
      • Group visits
      Find us
  • Museum of London Docklands
    • Permanent galleries
      • No. 1 Warehouse
      • Trade Expansion
      • London, Sugar & Slavery
      • City and River
      • Sailortown
      • First Port of Empire
      • Warehouse of the World
      • Docklands at War
      • New Port, New City
      • Mudlarks children's gallery

      The Museum of London Docklands is a museum on the Isle of Dogs, east London that tells the history of London's River Thames and the growth of Docklands.

    • What's on
      • Exhibitions and displays
      • Walks
      • Talks
      • Workshops
      • Free events
    • Plan your visit
      • Museum accessibility
      • Eating and drinking
      • Floor plan
      • Shop
      • Group visits
      Find us
  • Discover

    Discover London Through History

    View all
    Bull-slaying statute from the Temple of Mithras. Behind the scenes

    Meet Mithras: redecorating the Romans

    How we redisplayed the famous artefacts of London's Mithraeum.

    Emmeline and Christabel at the Women's Exhibition, 1909. Hidden London

    Prison to parliament: the Suffragettes and Holloway

    Meet the women who kept on campaigning even from within the walls of London's most notorious prison.

    Christabel Pankhurst at the women's exhibition, 1909 Londoners

    Christabel Pankhurst, Suffragette icon

    We talk about a new biography of perhaps the most important Suffragette.

    Inside the Fatberg! display City Now City Future

    The Fatberg Diaries, updated

    Charting the samples in Fatberg! as they change and decay over time.

    Explore the stories of the world's greatest city and uncover the hidden treasures of our collections.

  • Shop
    • Suffragette Christmas decoration

      Bestsellers

      We have a range of items that are popular that you may be interested in

    • Don't feed the fatberg t-shirt for sale in the shop

      Display related products

      Fatberg to Votes For Women, find exclusive and unique gifts

    • London - Illustrated History book cover

      Books

      We have a range of books on offer telling the stories of London, from our publications to those published by other significant historical figures

  • Support us

    Support the We Are London campaign

    • School children looking at objects

      Reach every London schoolchild

    • Paddington Bear being cleaned by a conservator

      Celebrate the London collection

    • Support us block

      Votes for Women

      • Donate
      • Memberships
      • Corporate partnerships
      • Volunteer
  • For families
  • For schools
  • Collections
Museum of London
  • Permanent galleries
  • What's on
  • Plan your visit

Medieval London

410-1558

Expanding City

1670s-1850s

Permanent galleries

War, Plague & Fire

1550s-1660s

The century before the Great Fire of 1666 was one of the most turbulent in London’s history

London became a divided city, home to both pleasure seekers & Puritans. The growing city experienced death & disaster: from the execution of King Charles I in 1649, to plague in 1665 & the Great Fire of 1666.

  • This copper printing plate was used to produce a very detailed map of London – the earliest view of the city known.
  • wpf2-to-be-renamed.jpg
  • Plague broadsheet comprising 9 scenes relating to the 1665 plague.
  • wpf-oliver-cromwell-death-mask.jpg
  • wpf5-to-be-renamed.jpg
  • wpf6-to-be-renamed.jpg
  • wpf7-to-be-renamed.jpg
  • wpf8-to-be-renamed.jpg
  • wpf9-to-be-renamed.jpg
  • wpf10-to-be-renamed.jpg

Not to be missed on your visit

View slideshow

This copper printing plate was used to produce a very detailed map of London – the earliest view of the city known.

Copperplate map of London, about 1558

This is one of 15 copper printing plates used to produce the earliest known map of London. This plate covers the area north of the city, from Shoreditch to just inside the city wall.

wpf2-to-be-renamed.jpg

Become a Stuart firefighter

In this gallery you can try on a replica of a 17th century helmet worn by firefighters, and compare it to a modern helmet from the London Fire Brigade.

Plague broadsheet comprising 9 scenes relating to the 1665 plague.

Mortality broadsheet illustrated by John Dunstall, 1665

The Great Plague of 1665 killed some 100,000 Londoners. This print shows contemporary scenes of people fleeing from the plague, or receiving treatment and then dying.

wpf-oliver-cromwell-death-mask.jpg

Oliver Cromwell's death mask, 1658

This plaster cast was made after the death of Cromwell, the Lord Protector who had fought against Charles I in the Civil Wars. London was at the centre of these conflicts.

wpf5-to-be-renamed.jpg

Model of the Rose Playhouse

The Rose Theatre, built in 1587 in Southwark, saw first performances of Marlowe's Doctor Faustus and Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus. Look inside with our cutaway model.

wpf6-to-be-renamed.jpg

Fire Engine, 1678

This engine - basically a barrel on wheels with a central pump- was made after the Great Fire of 1666.

wpf7-to-be-renamed.jpg

The Great Fire of London, painted around 1675

The Great Fire of 1666 destroyed four-fifths of the City of London. This image conveys the sense of urgency and panic as citizens tried to escape the flames.

wpf8-to-be-renamed.jpg

Look inside our reconstructed Stuart room

Learn what life was like in 17th century London for a prosperous family, who could afford to fill their home with a rocking horse and a valuable virginal - an early keyboard instrument.

wpf9-to-be-renamed.jpg

London made delftware

London was a centre of English pottery production, and you can admire a beautiful selection of it in the gallery, from plates commemorating Elizabeth I's reign to this tin-glazed cat jug.

wpf10-to-be-renamed.jpg

Charles II's Cavalcade through the City of London, 22 April 1661

This painting by Dirck Stoop shows Charles II on the eve of his coronation.

Gallery access

The gallery is open during the museum's normal hours:

10.00am - 5.40pm

The gallery is on the entrance floor and can be accessed by lift.

Entry free, no ticket required.

War, Plague and Fire also of interest

Fatberg CNCF homepage

Fatberg!

The largest fatberg is London's history is on display.

Find out more

Dutch school unsigned painting of the Great Fire 1666.

3 myths you believe about the Great Fire of London

Learn about the event that reshaped London

Find out more

large-london-s-lost-jewels-small.jpg

Shop for Elizabethan jewels

See our jewellery range inspired by the Cheapside Hoard

See our offers

Museum of London

MapContact

Museum of London Docklands

MapContact
  • About us
  • Friends membership
  • Donate
  • Volunteer
  • Families
  • Schools
  • Universities
  • News room
  • Venue hire image for homepage footer promoVenue hire
  • Supporting London museums
  • Group visits
  • Accessibility
  • Legal
  • Copyright
  • Privacy and data protection
  • Cookies policy
  • Follow us on Twitter for news, views and conversation about London

  • Join us on Facebook and share your views on current London issues

  • Browse our YouTube videos of teaching resources, London history, fashion and more

  • See objects from our collection, snapshots of events and share your visits to us on Instagram