This exam focus covers Exam Technique: Historic Environment within The Great Fire of London for GCSE History. Revise The Great Fire of London in Restoration England 1660-1685 for GCSE History with 11 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This is a high-frequency topic, so it is worth revising until the explanation feels precise and repeatable. It is section 8 of 17 in this topic. Treat this as a marking guide for what examiners are looking for, not just a fact list.

📝 Exam Technique: Historic Environment

The Great Fire may be your historic environment site. Key connections:

Physical remains: Monument, Wren churches, St Paul's, street layouts still visible

Primary sources: Samuel Pepys's diary (buried his cheese!), John Evelyn's account

Wider context: Link to Dutch War (blamed Dutch), religious tensions (blamed Catholics), government power (rebuilding regulations)

Change/continuity: London rebuilt differently but still cramped in places; fire brigades slow to develop

Practice questions for The Great Fire of London

Where did the Great Fire of London begin on 2 September 1666?

A. A candle factory on Cheapside
B. Thomas Farriner's bakery on Pudding Lane
C. The Royal Exchange on Cornhill
D. A timber yard near the River Thames

1 markfoundation

Which of the following best explains why Lord Mayor Bludworth's response to the Great Fire made the situation worse?

A. He ordered too many buildings demolished, creating gaps the fire jumped across
B. He fled London, leaving no authority in charge during the crisis
C. He dismissed the fire as minor and delayed ordering demolitions to create firebreaks
D. He ordered the docks sealed, preventing water supplies from the Thames

1 markfoundation

Quick recall flashcards

How many houses were destroyed?

13,200 houses and 87 churches, including the medieval St Paul's Cathedral. The fire burned for four days, destroying about one-third of the City of London. Remarkably, only 6-8 deaths were officially recorded.

Where did the Great Fire start?

Thomas Farriner's bakery on Pudding Lane, in the early hours of Sunday 2 September 1666. An unextinguished oven overnight started the blaze that spread rapidly through dry wooden buildings.

The Human Cost — What Happened to Ordinary Londoners?

Why Was the Fire So Devastating? — Connected Causation

Exam Technique: Historic Environment