Why every school teaches this
The Great Fire of London is taught in around 73% of KS1 classrooms in England — far more than any other historical topic. There are good reasons.
It's a single, dramatic event with a clear beginning, middle and end. It introduces a real King, a real diary writer, a real architect, a real building (the Monument) that's still there. And for a Y2 child, the idea of houses made of wood — and a wind that blows fire from roof to roof — is genuinely thrilling.
The five facts the school will check
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If your child needs to remember just five things, these are them:
1. 1666 — Pudding Lane.
2. Thomas Farriner, the baker.
3. It lasted 5 days.
4. King Charles II ordered houses pulled down to stop it.
5. The new London was built of brick (not wood).
The flashcards in this pack drill exactly these. The quiz tests them.
If you can — visit London
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If you're in or near London, these are walkable from Bank station in about 20 minutes:
- The Monument — the tall stone column built where the fire started. You can climb 311 steps to the top.
- Pudding Lane itself — still there, just a small street near the Monument.
- St Paul's Cathedral — Christopher Wren's replacement for the cathedral that burned.
You don't need a guide — pointing them out is enough.
No London visit? Google Maps works
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Open Google Maps. Search for "The Monument London". Switch to street view. You're now standing where the bakery once was.
Then search "St Paul's Cathedral" — and tell your child: "This building was REBUILT after the fire. The one before it burned down."
One thing to remember: the Great Fire is one of the few KS1 topics where children genuinely remember the facts into adulthood. It captures them. Lean in.
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