London in 1666: A City of Wood

Active learning works because this topic requires students to move beyond textbook descriptions and physically engage with the crowded, flammable conditions of 1666 London. Handling materials, building models, and walking through simulations helps students grasp the density and danger in ways static images cannot.

• Year 2
• History
• 4 activities
• 25 min–45 min

Learning Objectives

1. Identify the primary building materials used in London in 1666, such as timber, wattle and daub, and thatch.
2. Explain how the density of buildings and narrow streets contributed to the rapid spread of fire.
3. Compare the construction methods and urban layout of London in 1666 with a modern town or city.
4. Describe the potential fire hazards present in a densely packed, wooden city.

Document Mystery

⏱ 45 min·Small Groups

Model Building: Crowded London Street

Provide craft sticks, straws, cardboard, and glue for groups to construct a 30cm street model with overhanging buildings and thatched roofs. Add labels for materials. Groups present how density increases fire risk. Discuss observations as a class.

Prepare & details

What was the Great Fire of London and when did it happen?

Facilitation Tip: During Model Building, circulate to ensure students follow the tight street layout, asking questions like, 'How close are your windows to your neighbor’s?' to highlight overcrowding.

Setup: Groups at tables with document sets

Materials: Document packet (5-8 sources), Analysis worksheet, Theory-building template

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Document Mystery

⏱ 25 min·Pairs

Sorting: 1666 Building Materials

Gather real and image samples of wood, thatch, stone, and brick. Students sort into 'common in 1666 London' and 'rare' piles, justifying choices. Follow with a class vote on safest materials.

Prepare & details

How did the fire start and why did it spread so quickly?

Facilitation Tip: When sorting materials in 1666 Building Materials, provide actual samples so students feel the weight of straw thatch or the splinter of oak timber.

Setup: Groups at tables with document sets

Materials: Document packet (5-8 sources), Analysis worksheet, Theory-building template

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Concept Mapping

⏱ 30 min·Pairs

Concept Mapping: Fire Spread Simulation

Pairs draw a simple map of 1666 London streets on paper. Use red crayons to simulate fire spread from a starting point, noting narrow alleys and wooden buildings. Compare paths and share predictions.

Prepare & details

What do you think it would have been like to live in London during the fire?

Facilitation Tip: For Fire Spread Simulation, use string or chalk to mark the fire’s path, then pause to ask groups to predict where it will go next based on their maps.

Setup: Tables with large paper, or wall space

Materials: Concept cards or sticky notes, Large paper, Markers, Example concept map

• Understand
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management

Role Play

⏱ 40 min·Small Groups

Role Play: Market Day Chaos

Assign roles like baker, shopkeeper, or resident in a small group skit of a busy 1666 market. Incorporate props for wooden stalls. Debrief on how layout aided fire spread.

Prepare & details

What was the Great Fire of London and when did it happen?

Facilitation Tip: During Market Day Chaos, give students roles with props (baskets, coins) to physically block narrow streets, forcing them to see congestion up close.

Setup: Open space or rearranged desks for scenario staging

Materials: Character cards with backstory and goals, Scenario briefing sheet

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Teaching This Topic

Teachers succeed by balancing concrete experiences with guided reflection. Avoid long lectures about fire risks—instead, let students discover them through touch, sight, and movement. Research shows that hands-on tasks build lasting understanding, but only when teachers prompt students to articulate connections between their models and historical records. Keep the focus on evidence: ask students to point to specific features in their models or maps that explain fire spread.

What to Expect

Successful learning looks like students confidently explaining why wood and thatch spread fire, identifying fire hazards in their models, and using maps to trace how flames moved through narrow streets. They should connect historical evidence to the Great Fire’s spread with clear examples from activities.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During Sorting: 1666 Building Materials, watch for students assuming stone was common because of castles. Have them feel the weight of timber samples and compare costs listed in historical records.

What to Teach Instead

During Sorting: 1666 Building Materials, have students arrange the materials by cost and weight, then discuss why timber and thatch were chosen despite their flammability. Reference Samuel Pepys’ diary entries about building expenses to ground the comparison in evidence.

Common Misconception

During Model Building: Crowded London Street, watch for students spacing buildings too far apart. Ask them to compare their models to Wenceslaus Hollar’s drawings of overhanging storeys.

What to Teach Instead

During Model Building: Crowded London Street, provide rulers and force students to measure gaps between buildings to match the ‘shoulder-to-shoulder’ descriptions in eyewitness accounts. Point out how wind could carry embers between overhanging floors.

Common Misconception

During Mapping: Fire Spread Simulation, watch for students drawing straight fire paths through wide streets. Refer them to the historical map showing narrow alleys and ask, 'How would wind funnel through these gaps?'.

What to Teach Instead

During Mapping: Fire Spread Simulation, give students a second map with wind arrows and ask them to redraw the fire’s path, explaining how narrow streets acted like chimneys. Use a hairdryer (safely) to demonstrate wind effects on flame movement in a controlled way.

Assessment Ideas

Quick Check

After Sorting: 1666 Building Materials, show images of different materials and ask students to hold up the correct sample for each group. Listen for reasoning about cost, availability, and flammability.

Discussion Prompt

After Model Building: Crowded London Street, ask groups to present one hazard they built into their model and explain how it contributed to the fire’s spread using details from their maps.

Exit Ticket

After Mapping: Fire Spread Simulation, provide a blank street drawing and ask students to add two fire hazards they observed during the activity, explaining each in one sentence.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge early finishers to design a 1666 street that prevents fire spread using only materials available at the time, then compare designs in a gallery walk.
• Scaffolding for struggling students: Provide pre-cut cardboard strips for buildings and colored tape to mark fire barriers, reducing fine motor demands.
• Deeper exploration: Research how modern firebreaks use similar principles to the gaps between buildings in 1666, then present findings to the class.

Key Vocabulary

Timber-framed	Buildings constructed with a wooden structural frame, often filled in with other materials like wattle and daub.
Wattle and daub	A building material where woven wooden strips (wattle) are plastered with a mixture of mud, clay, animal dung, and straw (daub).
Thatched roof	A roof made of bundles of dried straw, reeds, or other similar materials, which can be highly flammable.
Overhanging storeys	Upper floors of buildings that extend outwards beyond the ground floor, reducing light and air circulation in the street below and potentially helping fire spread.