Jezabelle
Mon 23-Jan-12 20:01:24
I am not HEing, but thought you lovely ladies might be able to help me out. I have decided to let DD1 (year 1) skive off next Monday for a trip to London. We are going to stay with a friend in the Docklands on Sunday night. They're covering The Fire of London at school which DD has always been facinated by. Last year whilst in London we went up Monument so we've done that. I would love to take her to a museum with a fire display but not sure which museum. Guess we'll also check out pudding Lane. I'm open to suggestions.
TIA
pooka
Mon 23-Jan-12 20:03:31
Museum of London, near the barbican, has great fire info.
The Museum of London has a whole section on the Great Fire of London, or it did when we were there in the summer.
EdithWeston
Mon 23-Jan-12 20:04:15
heliumballoon
Mon 23-Jan-12 20:07:33
Yep, the Museum of London.
There are also a few places where you can still see scorch marks from the fire, for example, on the base of the John Donne effigy in St Paul's Cathedral. The cathedral is an easy walk from the Museum in the Barbican, but you do have to pay.
EverybodysSnowyEyed
Mon 23-Jan-12 20:08:27
Me me me! DS was obsessed last year and we did a lovely day trip which involved;
The London Fire Brigade Museum (Southwark) - really nice but appointment only
Over London Bridge to climb the monument
Museum of London
If you're in Docklands they have a Museum of London offshoot there (very good) but nothing on great fire
EverybodysSnowyEyed
Mon 23-Jan-12 20:09:25
Oh yes - and we walked past St Pauls and some of the parts that survived the fire (a stone church but can't remember where now)
UniS
Mon 23-Jan-12 20:18:15
Museum of London - do they still have that diorama of the great fire with sound effects and flickering "flame" lighting.
Compare the engraving of london pre or postfire with london now. Tate modern is a good place to stand, look across the thames and observe.
check this site out for resources.
http://www.fireoflondon.org.uk/visit/
my ds1 (yr1) has just done this subject, he recently said to me " mummy how did you survive the great fire of London"!! I don't know how old I must look to him but im not that old ( I may feel it ;-) ) just thought I'd share that as you reminded me....
YokoOhNo
Mon 23-Jan-12 20:37:47
Definitely go to the Monument to climb it. You need a lot of puff, but the views at the top are better than from the London Eye and it's a bargain in comparison. You can also walk down Pudding Lane, right beside it, but much to see though. It's not exactly like The Shambles and there isn't a bakery there any more!
If you have the time, read an extract from Samuel Pepys's diary. He wrote a brilliant account of the fire. It's a bit difficult for a Yr1 pupil, obviously, but it's funny - the story of how he buried a parmesan cheese and his wine to save it from the fire and then dug it up is great funny. Wee ones love details like that.
Definitely go to Museum of London - excellent Fire of London info.
YokoOhNo
Mon 23-Jan-12 20:38:52
"not" much to see in Pudding Lane
SDeuchars
Mon 23-Jan-12 20:54:46
Worley. My instinctive response to the subject line was "build a TARDIS".
Jezabelle
Mon 23-Jan-12 21:27:34
Thanks to all! Definitely will do the Museum of London. UniS, I might treat her to lunch at Tate Modern and check out the view. She can spend half an hour writing up bits of her project there. I'll look into the London Fire brigade museum. I wouldn't mind finding out where the stone church which survived the fire is EverybodysSnowyEyed, if it comes back to you let me know!
As we did the monument last year, I don't think we'll bother again, and it is a shame there's nothing much at Pudding Lane. I'm guessing there must be a plaque of something?
Yoko, I'm loving the idea of reading her extracts from Samuel Pepys's diary. Think I've seen an abridged, child friendly version. Will look on Amazon.
at Tardis!
EverybodysSnowyEyed
Mon 23-Jan-12 21:38:11
I think one of the churches is in Leadenhall Street
if i find the book i found it in i will let you know
UniS
Mon 23-Jan-12 22:21:44
St Olaves was NOT damaged by the great fire, but was in existence in its present form ( more or less) and so might be worth a look at for a building pepys would have known, and was buried at ( and it's skull carvings).
http://www.sanctuaryinthecity.net/St-Olaves-History-Architecture.html
the leadenhall st church could be St Katherine Kree or St Andrew Undershaft, both escaped major fire damage. Can't find any refernce to either having visible scorch marks tho.
We went to Museum of London last weekend for the first time, it is fab - worth checking in advance/when you get there if they have any talks going on, as the Romans one was very child friendly.
EverybodysSnowyEyed
Mon 23-Jan-12 22:26:50
Yes - it was St Olaves!!
Been bugging me all evening
Daughteroflilith
Mon 23-Jan-12 22:37:59
You could go to The George Inn on Borough High Street. this was one of the few inns to survive The Great Fire, and is a great place. Loads of tourist parties, and good coffee and soft drinks.
UniS
Tue 24-Jan-12 10:20:51
Well the George survived the great fire, but so did everything else south of the Thames.
What is surprising is that the George survived the blitz and modernisation. Its a lovely building. I used to walk past it on my way to work.
Jezabelle
Tue 24-Jan-12 20:22:30
We got a book out the library today about Samuel Pepys. It showed a picture of St Olaves explaining that this is where he was buried. I told DD that we could visit that church when we go to London. She was extremely excited and asked, "can we dig up his skeleton!" 
Love the sound of The George Inn, but it might have to wait until the next trip as we've got to get the train home at 4.30. 
Will lot on website for "talks" info funnypeculiar.