Story highlights
On September 2, 1666 the Great Fire of London swept through the city
More than 13,000 buildings were destroyed and London had to be almost completely rebuilt
London
CNN
—
Crowds gathered in London Sunday night to watch flames devour a replica of the city’s 17th-century skyline, an event marking the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London.
The 120 meter (393 feet) long sculpture, designed by American sculptor David Best, was set ablaze in the middle of the river Thames.
JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
Crowds gathered in London on Sunday night to watch flames devour a replica of the city's 17th-century skyline to mark the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London.
DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images
Final touches are made to the 120 metre-long (393 feet) wooden sculpture, designed by American sculptor David Best, that was eventually set ablaze in the middle of the river Thames.
DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
Kate Harvey, a producer from the event organizer, Artichoke, told CNN: "It was an extraordinary event for London. It was a fire that destroyed the majority of the city ... 80,000 people were made homeless and ended up living in refugee camps on the fridges of London for many years afterwards."
John Phillips/Getty Images
Members of the public watch the structure burn in a powerful display.
JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/Getty Images
The huge installation was a dramatic retelling of the 1666 disaster when a fire, which started in a baker's shop, raged for four days destroying most of the timber-built city. More than 13,000 buildings were destroyed, including the original St Paul's Cathedral. London's city was eventually completely rebuilt by stone.
Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images
Here the building stands with an artist's rendering of flames displayed across its dome.
Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
A young girl dances beneath the installation in front of St Paul's Cathedral.
Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images
The event also featured a 'Fire Garden,' designed by French street art collective Compagnie Carabosse.
NIKLAS HALLE'N/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
The 'Fire Garden' was on display outside London's Tate Modern museum.
NIKLAS HALLE'N/AFP/Getty Images
It included structures made of burning metal, flower pots filled with fire and mechanical flower pits.
NIKLAS HALLE'N/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
Over 600 candles and 2 tons of coal were used in the event.
It was a dramatic retelling of the 1666 disaster. The fire, which started in a baker’s shop, raged for four days, destroying most of the timber-built city. More than 13,000 buildings were destroyed, including the original St. Paul’s Cathedral. London’s city was eventually almost completely rebuilt, this time using stone.
It’s unknown how many people died in the Great Fire. While the official death toll is six, it’s believed many more died through indirect causes.
Heritage Images/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
'The Great Fire of London, 1666', in a painting from circa 1675. View looking towards the west facade of old St Paul's Cathedral, seen from Blackfriars.
“It was an extraordinary event for London. It was a fire that destroyed the majority of the city … 80,000 people were made homeless and ended up living in refugee camps on the fringes of London for many years afterwards,” Kate Harvey, a producer from the event organizer, Artichoke, told CNN.
The replica project involved young local volunteers who were not employed or studying, in the hope that it would later provide employment opportunities.
Andreas Ioannou
The 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London was marked by a recreation of the fire along the Southbank of the River Thames in central London. Andreas Ioannou shared his picture of crowds watching the great fire with the iconic Oxo Tower and London Eye looming in the background.
“The big hook for me was not necessarily the history of the London fire, as much as it was the involvement of the kids from the community,” Best said.
The burning of the large replica was part of a larger festival, London’s Burning, held over the weekend to commemorate the anniversary.