Today in History

July 10, 1212

The Great Fire

Medieval London was a tinder box. Wooden structures and shoddy construction, plus the use of live flame for heat and light made for a combustible mix that often resulted in disaster. One of London’s “Great Fires” began on July 10, 1212 just south of London Bridge. The flames likely began at Southwark Cathedral and quickly spread to the bridge where wooden houses build atop the stone structure caught fire. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, were burned alive as they were trapped on the bridge. High winds spread the fire to the city.

Londoners knew the event as the Great Fire of London until four centuries later when an even larger conflagration took the city.

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