1665 & 1666 — London’s Two Greatest Disasters
The plague that killed a hundred thousand. The fire that burned for four days. The real sites — far from the tourist trail.
In 1665, the Great Plague killed almost a quarter of London’s entire population — around 100,000 people in a single year. In 1666, the Great Fire destroyed the medieval city, burning for four days and consuming over 13,000 houses. These two catastrophes, separated by barely a year, transformed London more profoundly than almost anything before or since. And their traces are still here — if you know exactly where to look.
This private tour takes you to the real sites — far away from the mainstream tourist attractions — to the actual plague pits, the only memorial to the Great Plague, the resting place of Samuel Pepys whose diary gives us the most vivid eyewitness account of both disasters, and Pudding Lane where the Fire began at a baker’s oven in the early hours of a September morning.
A recently discovered victim of the Black Death — face to face with the plague
The only memorial to the Great Plague in London
PPE, Great Plague style — the infamous Plague Doctor
The Monument — as tall as it is far from where the fire began
Fire, Plague & Transformation
How the Great Fire accidentally ended the plague — and rebuilt the city
One of the most remarkable facts about these two disasters is their connection. The Great Fire of 1666 — catastrophic as it was — helped finally extinguish the Great Plague that had been ravaging London for the previous year, burning out the rats, fleas and infected areas that had sustained it. Catastrophe followed by catastrophe — but the second, in a strange way, ended the first.
Christopher Wren’s Monument is one of the most ingenious structures in London — designed so that if it fell, its top would land exactly on the spot where the fire started. The tour also ventures into the medieval and pre-fire world — visiting sites and locations that didn’t just change London, but changed the world.
📔 Samuel Pepys buried his wine and his Parmesan cheese in his garden as the fire approached. He watched the whole city burn from a rooftop. He recorded everything. We tread the same streets.
Pudding Lane — where a baker’s oven changed the course of London’s history at 1am on 2nd September 1666
Pricing — 3 to 4 Hour Tour
Per Person — Guide Included
Entry fees not included. Child prices available on request. Departure 9:30am.
Book via the calendar below, by email, or through Viator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Departure Time:9.30 am
City Location: London
Duration of Tour: 3-4 hours
(Approximate times as all tours are bespoke)
How to book the Great Plague – Black Death & Great Fire of London Tour
Standard Adult Prices per person excluding entry fees (child prices available upon request).
1 Adult = £150
2 Adults = £140
3 Adults = £120
4 Adults = £110
5 – 10 Adults = £90
To make a booking please use our automated calendar booking system below or contact us by mail yeoldeenglandtours@gmail.com
Alternatively you can book by using the automated booking process with Viator..
“The fire, which was mistress of all it met, met a most resolute and courageous enemy in the people of London.” — The Great Fire of London, September 1666
