Samuel Pepys was a naval administrator living in London at the time of the Great Fire of London. He famously kept a diary. This diary is important as it tells us how the fire progressed. “I down to the water-side, and there got a boat and through bridge, and there saw a lamentable fire.
Who recorded the Great Fire of London?
Samuel Pepys’s
Samuel Pepys’s description of those four days and nights when the fire raged across the city is unmatched. Others recorded in journals, letters and official reports the key events and aftermath, but Pepys’s diary is uniquely human, honest and heartfelt.
What is Samuel Pepys most famous for?
Samuel Pepys, (born February 23, 1633, London, England—died May 26, 1703, London), English diarist and naval administrator, celebrated for his Diary (first published in 1825), which gives a fascinating picture of the official and upper-class life of Restoration London from Jan. 1, 1660, to May 31, 1669.
Where is Samuel Pepys diary kept?
Magdalene College, Cambridge
1660 – 1669
Pepys was an extremely observant commentator and his diary is an important historical document. It was written in shorthand, and is now housed at Magdalene College, Cambridge.
What did Samuel Pepys write in his diary about the Great Fire of London?
Samuel wrote: “How sad a sight it is to see the streets so empty of people“. Then, in 1666, London was almost destroyed by a huge fire. He wrote about seeing the flames spreading, hoping his own things didn’t catch fire.
Who buried cheese in the Great Fire of London?
Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys was stationed at the Navy Office on Seething Lane and from 1660 lived in a house attached to the office. It was in the garden of this house that he famously buried his treasured wine and parmesan cheese during the Great Fire of 1666.
How do we remember the Great Fire of London?
The Monument stands at the junction of Monument Street and Fish Street Hill in the City of London. It was built between 1671 and 1677 to commemorate the Great Fire of London and to celebrate the rebuilding of the City.
Why was Samuel Pepys diary so important?
Samuel Pepys diary is one of the most important pieces of literature in England’s history because it tells descriptive information about the coronation of King Charles II, detailed crucial events in history, and outlined how people lived in mid-17th century England.
What was the purpose of Pepys diary?
Pepys wrote about the contemporary court and theatre (including his amorous affairs with the actresses), his household, and major political and social occurrences. Historians have been using his diary to gain greater insight and understanding of life in London in the 17th century.
What is Samuel Pepys cheese worth?
There are over 300,000 wheels of Parmesan cheese stored in bank vaults in Italy, worth over $200 million. The cheese is held as collateral for loans to the cheese makers to assist their cash flow as the cheese takes so long to mature. So Pepys was not so crazy as it would seem.
What were John Evelyn and Samuel Pepys famous for?
Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn are two of the most celebrated English diarists. They were also extraordinary men and close friends. This first full portrait of that friendship transforms our understanding of their times.
What did Samuel Pepys eat?
Pepys was fond of a dish of asparagus in butter. Root vegetables tended to be the fare of the poor and fruit was always eaten cooked in the Pepys household, fresh fruit being suspect from a health point of view. One thing Pepys could not abide was meat cooked rare.
How did The Great Fire of London end?
The battle to put out the fire is considered to have been won by two key factors: the strong east wind dropped, and the Tower of London garrison used gunpowder to create effective firebreaks, halting further spread eastward.
Why did Pepys stop writing his diary?
Pepys continued his diary for a little over nine years, to 31 May, 1669, when he had trouble with his eyesight, feared he was going blind, and, regrettably, stopped writing it.
Why do we remember the Great Fire of London?
Why Do We Remember?: The Great Fire of London describes the catastrophic fire that laid waste to much of London in September 1666. It explores how we know about the fire, from popular songs to diaries, and looks at how it led directly to the renaissance of London.
Did the baker who started the Great Fire of London survive?
The baker and his daughter only survived by exiting an upstairs window and crawling on a gutter to a neighbor’s house. His manservant also escaped, but another servant, a young woman, perished in the smoke and flames. Old St. Paul’s Cathedral before the fire.
How long did the Great Fire of London last?
five days
It began on 2 September 1666 and lasted just under five days. One-third of London was destroyed and about 100,000 people were made homeless.
How many people died in the Great Fire of London?
six people
The Great Fire of London was arguably the greatest tragedy of its time. Remarkably just six people were officially recorded to have lost their lives, but the Great Fire rendered almost 85% of London’s population homeless.
What did the Great Fire of London smell like?
The Great Fire of London started in a street more famous for disgusting smells of gutted animal remains, not the fragrant aromas of baking bread.
Did anything survive the Great Fire London?
Although the Great Fire of London destroyed over 13,000 houses, almost 90 churches and even the mighty St Paul’s Cathedral, a handful of survivors managed to escape the flames and can still be seen to this day.
What survived the Great Fire of London?
The Seven Stars, Holborn
The Seven Stars just survived as it was just beyond the limit of the fire. It is now a rare surviving example of a building from the pre-fire period. Built around 1602 it was formerly known as the ‘League of the Seven Stars’.