Great Fire of London: how we uncovered the man who first found the flames

The Great Fire of London by Josepha Jane Battlehooke (1675). Museum of London

If you had been in London on September 2 1666, the chances are you’d remember exactly where you were and who you were with. This was the day the Great Fire began, sweeping across the city for almost five days.

The Museum of London is due to open a new site in 2026. And in preparation for this, curators of the Great Fire gallery decided to examine the stories of everyday Londoners.