Mapping London on the eve of the Great Fire of 1666
A talk by Professor Vanessa Harding.
The first plan-form maps of London were created in the decades after the fire that devastated the city centre in September 1666. For the first time, they enable us to mentally walk the streets, pinpoint buildings and other features, and locate events. They show us the metropolis rebuilt and continuing to spread east and west. Can we go back before the moment of the fire and map London as it was then with the same degree of accuracy? Can we recapture the London that the young Samuel Pepys knew, recovering from the Civil War years, enlivened by the recent Restoration of monarchy and court, but devastated by the worst-ever plague epidemic? This talk outlines a new project that aims to do just that. I will explain our approach to creating a large-scale, accurate street map of the whole metropolis in 1666, and discuss sources, challenges, and opportunities.
The talk will be followed by a session of Q&A and then a drinks reception.
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Vanessa Harding is Emeritus Professor of London History at Birkbeck, University of London. Her research has focused for many years on family, society, and the built environment of medieval and early modern London.
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Booking
Please note that this event is open to London Historians members only. We may open it up to non-Members nearer the event date.
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