Medieval and Tudor Fires

A recent forest fire here in Spain got me thinking about fires in medieval and Tudor times - how essential fires were, how they were lit, how they were controlled and prevented from getting out of hand, and what happened when homes and buildings did catch fire. We've all heard about the Great Fire of London in 1666, but what about the 1212 Great Fire or the 1583 Great Fire of Nantwich?

Find out all about medieval and Tudor fires in this week's Claire Chats talk:

Lighting a Tudor Fire without Matches, Hampton Court Palace:

And here's the video I mentioned on the lightning strike at St Paul's Cathedral:

Sources and Further Reading

• Tudors by Felicity Hebditch
• Great Fires of the Medieval Period - https://abbeymedievalfestival.com/2016/06/medieval-fires/
• The Curfew Bell - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curfew_bell
• Medieval Towns, Trade, and Travel by Lynne Elliott
• Chimneys and Fire - https://tudorstuff.wordpress.com/2009/11/10/chimneys-and-fires/
• The Great Fire of London 1212 - https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Great-Fire-of-London-1212/
• The Stuarts – Fire and Fire-fightinghttps://www.historyonthenet.com/the-stuarts-fire-and-fire-fighting
• The Great Fire of Nantwich - https://nantwichmuseum.org.uk/permanent-exhibitions/the-great-fire/