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St Martin Ongar church,
situated in Martin Lane was
destroyed in the Great Fire
of London in 1666. Only the
bell tower, complete with
the original bell, has
survived in the rectory of
St Clements. "You owe me
five farthings" relates to
the moneylenders who traded
nearby.
The Great Fire of London
- destruction of the London
Churches
Many of the old London
churches were destroyed in
the Great Fire of London.
The fire started in Pudding
Lane in the house and shop
of Thomas Farynor who was
baker to King Charles II.
The King was aware of the
risk of fire in Baker's
shops and ensured that this
task was conducted away from
the palaces. In the London
of 1666 the medieval houses
were half timbered, with
pitch, and most had thatched
roofs - the recipe for
disaster in terms of fire
risks! The old St Paul's
cathedral was destroyed in
the fire together with 87
churches. A total of 13,200
houses were also destroyed
but amazingly only 6 were
known to have died! Sir
Christopher Wren, the great
architect, was tasked with
the reconstruction of London
and built 49 new churches
together with the great
cathedral of St. Paul's over
a period of 35 years! The
city was not subject to
re-planning and houses were
replaced on exactly the
sites of the buildings which
were destroyed. To this day
the City of London has the
same structure which dates
back to medieval times! A
final note on the Great
Fire! A year before, in
1665, the City was decimated
by the Great Plague of
London which killed 16% of
the inhabitants (17,500 out
of the population of 93,000)
- The Great Fire whilst
destroying most of London
also purged it of the
Plague! We recommend the
following site for
comprehensive information
regarding the Bubonic Plague
and the Black Death
http://www.william-shakespeare.info/bubonic-black-plague-elizabethan-era.htm
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