0:00:03 > 0:00:06We're moments away from witnessing history in the making.
0:00:06 > 0:00:07350 years ago, right here,
0:00:07 > 0:00:10on the River Thames in London, on this very day,
0:00:10 > 0:00:12the backdrop behind me,
0:00:12 > 0:00:16not far over there, would have been fully ablaze in one of
0:00:16 > 0:00:20the most spectacular catastrophes in the city's history.
0:00:20 > 0:00:24We're here tonight with a fire of our own to commemorate that event.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28It's a fire that also represents the major challenges faced
0:00:28 > 0:00:32by big cities to this day, our response to crisis and our ability
0:00:32 > 0:00:35to adapt, adjust and rebuild.
0:00:35 > 0:00:40It's time to immerse yourself in London 1666.
0:00:40 > 0:00:51This programme contains scenes of repetitive flashing images (e.g. strobe lighting)
0:00:56 > 0:00:59Hello and welcome to London 1666.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02I'm Lauren Laverne, and tonight I'm delighted to present to you
0:01:02 > 0:01:06a contemporary perspective on the Great Fire of London.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08I'll be guiding you through this unique collaboration
0:01:08 > 0:01:11between creator of large-scale arts projects Artichoke
0:01:11 > 0:01:13and the burn artist David Best,
0:01:13 > 0:01:16famous for his involvement in the Burning Man Festivals.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19The magnificent structure behind me is
0:01:19 > 0:01:22a representation of the 17th-century London skyline during
0:01:22 > 0:01:24the Great Fire of London,
0:01:24 > 0:01:27and it will be ignited in a dramatic retelling
0:01:27 > 0:01:29of the events of September 1666.
0:01:29 > 0:01:34This marks a moment that saw London devastated, only to rise from
0:01:34 > 0:01:37the ashes and evolve into the resilient city it is today.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39Tonight I will be speaking to some of the people behind
0:01:39 > 0:01:42the build as well as exploring the historical and artistic context
0:01:42 > 0:01:44around this unique project.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05ONLOOKERS GASP
0:02:07 > 0:02:10CHILDREN SHOUT
0:02:31 > 0:02:34LAUGHTER AND CHATTER
0:02:39 > 0:02:41CHILD: Wow!
0:03:46 > 0:03:49You'll already have noticed that the structure's not designed
0:03:49 > 0:03:52to catch fire as an instant, raging inferno.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54Instead it is designed to ignite slowly
0:03:54 > 0:03:56in a carefully choreographed sequence,
0:03:56 > 0:03:58it is the ultimate slow burn.
0:03:58 > 0:03:59While the flames begin to grow,
0:03:59 > 0:04:02I am going to take the opportunity to speak to some special guests
0:04:02 > 0:04:04to give us a bit more insight into the project.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06I am joined by the artistic director
0:04:06 > 0:04:09of the Royal Academy of Arts, Tim Marlow.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12Hello, Tim, how are you? Very good. I keep turning, it's unbelievable.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14I know, it's an incredible thing.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16The company behind the project, Artichoke,
0:04:16 > 0:04:19they have this long history of opening up the arts
0:04:19 > 0:04:23and bringing them into public spaces and to crowds like this one.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25Tell me a little bit about that, is that what makes them unique?
0:04:25 > 0:04:28I think it does, yeah, there's a lot of public art in Britain,
0:04:28 > 0:04:31but no-one quite does it in the way Artichoke does it.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34They've put mechanical, giant elephants on the streets of London...
0:04:34 > 0:04:35The Sultan's elephant.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38..spiders in Liverpool, they've illuminated Durham -
0:04:38 > 0:04:41from your neck of the woods - four times in the last eight years,
0:04:41 > 0:04:44they made a temple in Derry-Londonderry where
0:04:44 > 0:04:46both sides of the community came together, kind of shared
0:04:46 > 0:04:49memories and a sense of loss, and then this thing was burnt,
0:04:49 > 0:04:51and they really do know how to take art
0:04:51 > 0:04:52into the broadest possible arena.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55Have you witnessed any arts projects quite like this one
0:04:55 > 0:04:57in your career so far?
0:04:57 > 0:05:00Actually I've never seen anyone collaborate
0:05:00 > 0:05:03with so many people in such an extraordinary and exciting way,
0:05:03 > 0:05:08to make a commemorative replica of a skyline 350 years ago
0:05:08 > 0:05:10and then set fire to it.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12This is spectacle and then some.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15And you are on the board, I think, of Artichoke...
0:05:15 > 0:05:18I am, yes, so I'm bound to be supportive,
0:05:18 > 0:05:20but they are a singular organisation.
0:05:20 > 0:05:21But you will know them,
0:05:21 > 0:05:25how will they be feeling tonight and how are you feeling looking at this?
0:05:25 > 0:05:26I'm feeling incredibly exciting.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29I know one or two people are saying, "All the effort going into
0:05:29 > 0:05:31"this and now it's burning", but that's the point of it.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34I feel I'm taking part in some ancient ritual,
0:05:34 > 0:05:36some great commemorative act.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39Artichoke are great diplomats, but they're also fantastic at
0:05:39 > 0:05:42making sure things happen, and here it is happening.
0:05:42 > 0:05:43Thank you, Tim.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46Time now to take a look at how this project came about through
0:05:46 > 0:05:49a unique collaboration between creative arts company Artichoke
0:05:49 > 0:05:51and renowned burn artist David Best.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02The way these projects tend to start is that quite often I have
0:06:02 > 0:06:05an idea or a commission from somebody, and I think,
0:06:05 > 0:06:10"Which artist would work with this, who do I know whose work I love?"
0:06:10 > 0:06:13My first meeting with Helen was a number of years ago
0:06:13 > 0:06:15when she was doing Lumiere.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18She had the vision and the dream of going to Derry
0:06:18 > 0:06:20and building a temple.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26Back at the beginning of mankind,
0:06:26 > 0:06:30when we were frightened by animals we lit a fire and huddled around it.
0:06:32 > 0:06:37I use fires as a healing... It's not used as a weapon.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40What David has created here is not so much
0:06:40 > 0:06:42a faithful model of 17th-century London,
0:06:42 > 0:06:45more an artistic impression of the skyline
0:06:45 > 0:06:49and the look of what Restoration London might have been like.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52So what you are seeing is an interpretation of my drawings
0:06:52 > 0:06:55that have been reduced so we can manufacture them here.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59We're able to put it together in a way that it's going to function.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05I figured how many, 190 buildings are going to be built?
0:07:05 > 0:07:09Scale buildings, three or four churches and towers,
0:07:09 > 0:07:10and some factory buildings.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14The big hook for me was not necessarily the history
0:07:14 > 0:07:19of the London Fire as much as it was the involvement of the kids
0:07:19 > 0:07:21from the community.
0:07:21 > 0:07:22What we're building here,
0:07:22 > 0:07:25some of these kids are never going to forget.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28To actually accomplish it, to see all these people who have
0:07:28 > 0:07:31worked together to make something impossible possible,
0:07:31 > 0:07:32it's such a fantastic feeling.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34I'm hoping that the public will go,
0:07:34 > 0:07:40"Wow, how did this thing come about? How did this thing come about?"
0:07:43 > 0:07:46So there you go, we have seen the lightbulb moments
0:07:46 > 0:07:48that brought this huge undertaking together,
0:07:48 > 0:07:50and I am joined by Helen Marriage, who you just saw
0:07:50 > 0:07:53in the film there, she is the director of Artichoke
0:07:53 > 0:07:56and the main person behind this incredible work of art.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59I mean, hello. Hello! Congratulations. How do you feel?
0:07:59 > 0:08:01Not quite over it yet.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03I feel so relieved that it actually went up,
0:08:03 > 0:08:06cos obviously when you do a live event, you never know.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08You say that this is going to happen,
0:08:08 > 0:08:11but the number of people who have to work on it to make something
0:08:11 > 0:08:14like this happen exactly on time, as we promised,
0:08:14 > 0:08:16that's a huge thing, and I pay tribute
0:08:16 > 0:08:17to the whole team who've made it work.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20So, Helen, we saw you in the film there talking about
0:08:20 > 0:08:22choosing artists that you love to work with.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25When you first got the brief for making a project about
0:08:25 > 0:08:28the Great Fire of London, did you instantly think of David Best?
0:08:28 > 0:08:31Yes. There were a few I thought of, Carabosse,
0:08:31 > 0:08:33who did the Fire Garden down at Tate Modern,
0:08:33 > 0:08:35but David was always central to our thinking,
0:08:35 > 0:08:39because we'd worked with him in Derry-Londonderry in 2015,
0:08:39 > 0:08:42an incredibly emotional project that brought together communities across
0:08:42 > 0:08:45the divide, and I was hoping we could do something
0:08:45 > 0:08:49beyond spectacle, that it would be an incredible spectacle but it
0:08:49 > 0:08:52would also be made from the communities in London
0:08:52 > 0:08:56that surround the city, which is where we've recruited all these
0:08:56 > 0:08:59young people who weren't necessarily in work or training.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02And they came to learn the skills of their ancestors,
0:09:02 > 0:09:06because the things they learnt, putting together wooden buildings,
0:09:06 > 0:09:10that's exactly what would have had to happen in 1667 after the fire.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14This is, of course, the culmination of a whole kind of season
0:09:14 > 0:09:17of events, the London's Burning festival of arts and ideas,
0:09:17 > 0:09:20and there's been a lot of different commemorations and art events
0:09:20 > 0:09:23happening, can you talk us through a couple?
0:09:23 > 0:09:26Yes, I wanted to look at contemporary threats to the city,
0:09:26 > 0:09:28so we looked at a piece called Holoscenes,
0:09:28 > 0:09:30which has been going on in Broadgate Arena,
0:09:30 > 0:09:33which is all about water, not about fire at all, because water,
0:09:33 > 0:09:37flooding, climate change - that's much more of a contemporary issue.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39The piece on the dome of St Paul's Cathedral
0:09:39 > 0:09:42that you might be able to see behind us at the moment. The projection?
0:09:42 > 0:09:45Yes, the flames and fire on the dome of St Paul's.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48We had about six different projects. We are all looking at the...
0:09:48 > 0:09:51I could just feel it for the first time.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54I could feel the heat suddenly. It's really going up!
0:09:54 > 0:09:56So these people come together like a great big family.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58Everything we do is free to the public.
0:09:58 > 0:09:59Audiences never pay.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02It is a great big sort of joint enterprise.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05Thanks for undertaking that on our behalf, it is fabulous.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07Thank you very much. Thank you.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09Now it is time to take a look at the structure,
0:10:09 > 0:10:13which, as you can see, is really starting to catch fire now.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59Making such an enormous structure
0:10:59 > 0:11:02to set ablaze in the centre of London is no easy feat.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04It has taken months of planning and involved some complex
0:11:04 > 0:11:07problem-solving and dedicated individuals to pull it off,
0:11:07 > 0:11:10including a team of eight professional carpenters,
0:11:10 > 0:11:13325 tonnes of granite and two 50-foot barges.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15Take a look at this.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25Artichoke just put together
0:11:25 > 0:11:29the most brilliant team of workers.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32In terms of bringing a project like this together from
0:11:32 > 0:11:34a producer's point of view,
0:11:34 > 0:11:37you start with the basic idea and the basic concept in terms of
0:11:37 > 0:11:39the artist, the medium,
0:11:39 > 0:11:43the location, and then you're really piecing together everything
0:11:43 > 0:11:47from the tiny detail to really thinking about the bigger picture
0:11:47 > 0:11:50as to how might you make
0:11:50 > 0:11:53a sculpture of the 17th-century skyline of London and put it
0:11:53 > 0:11:56somewhere where people are going to go to see it and enjoy it.
0:11:56 > 0:12:00David had come up with the initial idea,
0:12:00 > 0:12:05but I needed to flesh out the actual design of the component parts.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09So there was a whole process of rescaling the sizes of
0:12:09 > 0:12:13buildings to make them work on this barge in the middle of the Thames.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23So what was a really wonderful interpretation of my work,
0:12:23 > 0:12:27they were able to put it together in a way that it is going to function.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30My role is to try and get
0:12:30 > 0:12:33all the logistics in place to enable
0:12:33 > 0:12:35the team to work and build the structure
0:12:35 > 0:12:38according to David Best's designs.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41I am Ben and I am one of the carpenters on London 1666.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44In building these houses, I have been responsible
0:12:44 > 0:12:47for siting them onto the boats and building the final project.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51My name is Ryan and I am a metal fabricator.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54We've been welding the cleats to the deck of the boat
0:12:54 > 0:12:56so that they can fit the wooden frames to it
0:12:56 > 0:12:58which the houses will eventually sit on.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01My name is Michael, I work as a labourer.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05The purpose of shovelling the gravel on this vessel is to prevent
0:13:05 > 0:13:09the steel that is on this vessel from warping.
0:13:09 > 0:13:16Watching the sculpture assemble has been somewhat inspiring.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19Man, I am building this thing and the best part of this thing
0:13:19 > 0:13:22is you get to light it on fire!
0:13:24 > 0:13:27So we are obviously condensing what was three or four days of
0:13:27 > 0:13:33the original fire into a 30- to 40-minute narrative.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35But we are trying to just give a sense of how the fire spread
0:13:35 > 0:13:39across the city and how the large structures survived the longest,
0:13:39 > 0:13:42but then they dramatically came down at the end of the fire.
0:13:46 > 0:13:51I feel so confident the way the crew has worked on this
0:13:51 > 0:13:54and my presence is only...
0:13:54 > 0:13:56I am just another volunteer on it.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00This project takes people beyond their comfort zone and really
0:14:00 > 0:14:03challenges them to think in different ways.
0:14:03 > 0:14:07For me, that means that it is a truly unique experience.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19As you saw there, we have had some truly dedicated individuals involved
0:14:19 > 0:14:22in this project and I am lucky enough to talk to two of them now.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24I'm joined by Gary, one of the carpenters,
0:14:24 > 0:14:25and Michael, one of the labourers,
0:14:25 > 0:14:28who've been working hard to complete the structures
0:14:28 > 0:14:29and get them finished in time for today.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32Have either of you ever worked on anything like this before?
0:14:32 > 0:14:35Is this a first? Never worked on anything like this before.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38It's once in a lifetime and it has been
0:14:38 > 0:14:41a thoroughly enjoyable experience from start to finish.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43Watching this as well is really awesome.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46Michael, what about you? When did you come on board
0:14:46 > 0:14:47and how has it been for you?
0:14:47 > 0:14:51I've been on board this project for the total of a week.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55It's been nothing short of excitement and exuberant
0:14:55 > 0:14:56and it's an honour, actually.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58What has your role been?
0:14:58 > 0:15:00My role was a labourer.
0:15:00 > 0:15:05Part of my job is to make sure that the vessel doesn't burn. Exactly.
0:15:05 > 0:15:09Tell me about that. That is quite important.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12It is achieved with the gravel, right? Yes, that's correct.
0:15:12 > 0:15:17The whole idea of the gravel is so that the vessel, as you can see,
0:15:17 > 0:15:21doesn't warp and also it prevents the vessel from catching on fire.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24Building something and creating something
0:15:24 > 0:15:25and then setting fire to it,
0:15:25 > 0:15:27I guess, in some ways, it is counterintuitive,
0:15:27 > 0:15:28especially in carpentry,
0:15:28 > 0:15:31you build these beautiful things and then you are going to burn it.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35We know you are excited, we heard that in the film. That's correct.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38It's just one of them things that when you get the initial layout
0:15:38 > 0:15:42and you see the plan, you look at it and go, "Wow, this is huge."
0:15:42 > 0:15:45We're talking 120 metres long,
0:15:45 > 0:15:47there's 200 buildings on there and we were told that
0:15:47 > 0:15:51we've got to try and educate these young Londoners
0:15:51 > 0:15:52how to build all this,
0:15:52 > 0:15:56use the tools, use the equipment, assemble the houses.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58I think it's great, I think these guys can take a lot from it.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00Look how many people are watching this.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03There's thousands of people here and they can all walk away
0:16:03 > 0:16:04and say, "I did that."
0:16:04 > 0:16:06That is pretty cool. Yeah, that's incredible.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09Congratulations to you guys. Thank you very much
0:16:09 > 0:16:11for speaking to us tonight. Thank you very much. Cheers.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40Now, to talk to us a little bit more about life in London in 1666,
0:16:40 > 0:16:43I'm joined by Professor Kate Williams
0:16:43 > 0:16:46and author of 1666, Plague, War And Hellfire,
0:16:46 > 0:16:48Rebecca Rideal.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50Welcome, both of you. Hello. Hi.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54Kate, take me back to London 1666, what was happening at the time?
0:16:54 > 0:16:59This huge city, 500,000 people, and it's on the brink of modernity.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02So on one hand, you have Charles II,
0:17:02 > 0:17:03restored six years ago,
0:17:03 > 0:17:05he has opened the city,
0:17:05 > 0:17:07he has opened the theatres to foreign travel,
0:17:07 > 0:17:10to foreign visitors, and then you've got the old London.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13You've got the plague that has ravaged only a year before
0:17:13 > 0:17:15and there's also paranoia and resentment.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18We are at war with France, we're at war with Holland
0:17:18 > 0:17:21and what's vital is that the city is the core of London,
0:17:21 > 0:17:24the beating heart and particularly in political terms,
0:17:24 > 0:17:25the Republican core, that is where
0:17:25 > 0:17:28the most anti-monarchy feeling is felt,
0:17:28 > 0:17:31so you don't want to get on the bad side of them if you're the King.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34OK, right there are a few different accounts, aren't there,
0:17:34 > 0:17:36Rebecca, about the cause of the fire.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38What do you think it was? What do we know best?
0:17:38 > 0:17:40I think we have to accept that it was started
0:17:40 > 0:17:43in Thomas Farrinor's bakehouse.
0:17:43 > 0:17:44That is the accepted theory,
0:17:44 > 0:17:47there was lots of testimony attesting to that,
0:17:47 > 0:17:50but actually shortly after the fire, and during the fire as well,
0:17:50 > 0:17:52there were lots of rumours and conspiracies
0:17:52 > 0:17:55that it might have been started by the Dutch or the French.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58There was also a watchmaker that claimed to have started
0:17:58 > 0:18:00the fire himself, which was impossible,
0:18:00 > 0:18:02because he was away from the city at the time.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04But he was executed for that crime.
0:18:04 > 0:18:08Wow. But we think, as best we know, an accident to begin with?
0:18:08 > 0:18:10An accident in Thomas Farrinor's bakehouse.
0:18:10 > 0:18:11Then it spread very quick.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13Kate, why did it spread so far so fast?
0:18:13 > 0:18:15It is amazing, isn't it, Lauren,
0:18:15 > 0:18:18that a fire in a tiny oven could then burn the whole city?
0:18:18 > 0:18:19But there were two reasons.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21Number one is that the city is a tinderbox.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23It is all wooden,
0:18:23 > 0:18:26the roofs are thatched and it's got these overhanging balconies
0:18:26 > 0:18:29and signs that make it really easy for the fire to jump between,
0:18:29 > 0:18:31over the road, as well as along.
0:18:31 > 0:18:32So it is a tinderbox.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34And then also, the authorities are just too slow.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36They are supposed to be fire authorities
0:18:36 > 0:18:39which pull down the buildings.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42The Mayor comes and he says, to paraphrase,
0:18:42 > 0:18:46a woman could urinate and put it out, so actually... A mayor? Wow.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48That's what he said.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51He doesn't pull down the buildings and by the time the King
0:18:51 > 0:18:54overrides him and says "let's pull down the buildings", it's too late.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57The fire has taken hold and it comes down to the river and because
0:18:57 > 0:19:00so many of the warehouses have got inside them
0:19:00 > 0:19:05flammable...gunpowder, sugar, it's a complete firewall
0:19:05 > 0:19:07and so it is gathering pace, it is everywhere
0:19:07 > 0:19:10and it simply cannot be stopped.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12What about 1666 as a year, Rebecca,
0:19:12 > 0:19:15is this a crucial turning point in British history?
0:19:15 > 0:19:17Why did you decide to write a whole book about it?
0:19:17 > 0:19:20Well, it is a really...a really interesting turning point
0:19:20 > 0:19:23in British...well, English history, and then British history as a whole.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25But I think the key message is that
0:19:25 > 0:19:29we actually managed to rebuild quite quickly afterwards,
0:19:29 > 0:19:32and I think it is a message of hope rather than despair.
0:20:42 > 0:20:43And you can see behind me
0:20:43 > 0:20:46that the structure is really starting to come down, now.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49It's quite exciting to watch. We can feel the heat where we are,
0:20:49 > 0:20:51out on this little jetty,
0:20:51 > 0:20:55and the crowd, every time a big portion of the structure falls,
0:20:55 > 0:20:58are giving, kind of, "oohs" and "aahs".
0:20:58 > 0:21:01It's quite an exciting atmosphere down here.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03Now to talk us through the reconstruction of London
0:21:03 > 0:21:05in the aftermath of the Great Fire, we are joined
0:21:05 > 0:21:08by award-winning architect and TV presenter Piers Taylor.
0:21:08 > 0:21:09Welcome, Piers.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11What did you make of seeing it in the flesh
0:21:11 > 0:21:14and seeing the re-creation of the skyline?
0:21:14 > 0:21:16It was extraordinary, because what it did
0:21:16 > 0:21:19was give you a sense of how dense the city was in 1666
0:21:19 > 0:21:21and how closely packed in
0:21:21 > 0:21:22all of those buildings were.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24We've heard a little bit about the materials.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27Tell me about the architecture. Essentially, it's medieval, right?
0:21:27 > 0:21:29That's right, and mainly made from timber,
0:21:29 > 0:21:31which is obviously highly combustible,
0:21:31 > 0:21:33but then covered in tar and pitch
0:21:33 > 0:21:35and often, inside, combustible materials,
0:21:35 > 0:21:39so as soon as there was a spark at the end of a long, hot summer,
0:21:39 > 0:21:40everything went up.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42And because they were so close to one another,
0:21:42 > 0:21:45the fire just carried from one building to another to another.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47It was a certain amount of pressure to modernise.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49That's right - partly aesthetic,
0:21:49 > 0:21:51but also because of the danger of fire.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54But, of course, it was expensive to knock down everything
0:21:54 > 0:21:56and replace it with brick and, until the fire,
0:21:56 > 0:21:57people couldn't afford to do it.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01But after the fire, everyone was forced to use brick.
0:22:01 > 0:22:02Thank you so much, Piers.
0:22:02 > 0:22:03Now, all evening, we have heard
0:22:03 > 0:22:06about themes of displacement, recovery and community,
0:22:06 > 0:22:10and these continue now, as the project of London 1666
0:22:10 > 0:22:12has supported unemployed young Londoners
0:22:12 > 0:22:15to work alongside the artist David Best and Artichoke
0:22:15 > 0:22:19to design and build an extraordinary sculptural representation
0:22:19 > 0:22:21of 17th century London. Let's take a look.
0:22:28 > 0:22:32It's really exciting, being part of, like, something so huge.
0:22:32 > 0:22:33I feel quite honoured, to be honest.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35We're going to build a project that...
0:22:35 > 0:22:37"I don't know who you are, but we are working as a team."
0:22:37 > 0:22:39It was an actual shock -
0:22:39 > 0:22:41like, "Wow, is this actually what we are doing now?"
0:22:41 > 0:22:44We are building houses that, back in the day,
0:22:44 > 0:22:48how they used to look before the Great Fire of London.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51What we are trying to say to these young people is...
0:22:52 > 0:22:53.."You can do this."
0:22:53 > 0:22:57Well, the main things on this project I've learned is,
0:22:57 > 0:23:01like, carpentry, design and technology...
0:23:01 > 0:23:05That's what I have aimed for for a little while -
0:23:05 > 0:23:09to go somewhere and literally work hard.
0:23:09 > 0:23:15I'm communicating with people that I would never meet, usually.
0:23:15 > 0:23:19So, now, it's kind of inspired me to do more construction work.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22It makes me feel like I could do, like, anything, to be honest.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25When you're thinking and you're just, like, "I've done that",
0:23:25 > 0:23:27it just makes you really, really happy.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29It makes me really proud of myself.
0:23:35 > 0:23:36My aim is that I want to bump into these
0:23:36 > 0:23:38and say, "Do you know what?
0:23:38 > 0:23:41"You did that. You helped everyone else do that.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43"You helped me do that."
0:23:43 > 0:23:45And that's the main thing from this project
0:23:45 > 0:23:47that I want to see as a result.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49To be able to do something like this,
0:23:49 > 0:23:52it's not a chance you really get that often, you know?
0:23:52 > 0:23:55Afterwards, what we always hope is that that legacy continues on,
0:23:55 > 0:23:58that the young people who've been part of this project
0:23:58 > 0:24:00are going to be offered apprenticeships and traineeships -
0:24:00 > 0:24:03that, beyond the memory of the event itself,
0:24:03 > 0:24:05there are real opportunities for people to take part in.
0:24:05 > 0:24:09As a direct cause of being offered this placement, in the end,
0:24:09 > 0:24:12I got a job out of it, so I was, like, "Wow."
0:24:12 > 0:24:14Came here for work experience
0:24:14 > 0:24:15and I managed to pull a job out of this.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17I'm really happy about that.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20It's made me more motivated to, kind of, go somewhere else
0:24:20 > 0:24:25and influence others, as well, into doing carpentry and woodwork.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29'350 years ago, we helped Londoners'
0:24:29 > 0:24:32and we should be doing the same thing now, for all people.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37I'm joined now by two of the Londoners
0:24:37 > 0:24:40involved in the project, Hamda and Atifa.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42Welcome to both of you. Thank you for being here.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44Thank you. Thank you. How did you get involved
0:24:44 > 0:24:46in this incredible project in the first place?
0:24:46 > 0:24:47What happened?
0:24:47 > 0:24:49Well, we are signed up with an agency
0:24:49 > 0:24:52that provides us with, like, part-time work
0:24:52 > 0:24:54and, like, work experience as well,
0:24:54 > 0:24:57and we just set up a meeting from then on and...
0:24:57 > 0:25:00Yeah. It happened quite quickly, as I understand.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02It did, yeah. It did. I mean, Atifa, was this new to you?
0:25:02 > 0:25:04Were you already handy with power tools,
0:25:04 > 0:25:06or was it completely new?
0:25:06 > 0:25:07It was completely new.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09I had no idea how to use any of the tools.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12And how has it been? What are the memories that you'll take away
0:25:12 > 0:25:14and the skills that you've learned?
0:25:14 > 0:25:17Just the people we've met and skills we've gained from it
0:25:17 > 0:25:19and, like, the jobs that we have been doing every day.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23The team-working skills, as well, so...
0:25:23 > 0:25:26I normally prefer working independently,
0:25:26 > 0:25:29but in this project, it taught me
0:25:29 > 0:25:34that to achieve the desired goal, of building the entire sculpture,
0:25:34 > 0:25:36we all need to work together.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38Otherwise, it can't be done.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40And how has it been, going through that together
0:25:40 > 0:25:43and then, you know, sitting here and watching it burn together?
0:25:43 > 0:25:45What about that part of the experience?
0:25:45 > 0:25:47It's really inspiring and emotional at the same time.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49It is, yeah. It's amazing.
0:25:49 > 0:25:50Like, I think...
0:25:50 > 0:25:53Cos we've been working together, we're in a tent most of the time,
0:25:53 > 0:25:54you don't imagine to, like...
0:25:54 > 0:25:58You don't really see your work being watched by people
0:25:58 > 0:26:00and, like, actually out there, until you are here
0:26:00 > 0:26:02and, like, the turnout as well has been amazing.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04Huge crowd, who are now spontaneously, by the way,
0:26:04 > 0:26:06singing London's Burning
0:26:06 > 0:26:09in a round, on the river bank, which is incredible.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11Plus, it drew people together,
0:26:11 > 0:26:17like, regardless of their age, gender, sexuality, colour, whatever.
0:26:17 > 0:26:21There's no hatred or discrimination for this one amazing moment.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23That's true, yeah. That's great.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25Thank you so much, guys. Thank you. Thank you.
0:26:25 > 0:26:29You can see behind me, now, that the fire boats are in position
0:26:29 > 0:26:32and ready to extinguish the blaze,
0:26:32 > 0:26:35including the historic vessel the Massey Shaw,
0:26:35 > 0:26:38so we are going to have one last look at the blaze
0:26:38 > 0:26:39before they put it out.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09So, there we have it - London 1666,
0:28:09 > 0:28:12a ground-breaking event which took months of hard work
0:28:12 > 0:28:16from hundreds of participants across the UK's capital city
0:28:16 > 0:28:19and all with their own stories of what the project means to them.
0:28:19 > 0:28:23As the fire burns out, so does our commemoration
0:28:23 > 0:28:26of the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London.
0:28:26 > 0:28:28Thanks for watching. Good night.
0:29:06 > 0:29:08Dip into the BBC Proms.
0:29:10 > 0:29:14Get your flags ready and join Juan Diego Florez and many more
0:29:14 > 0:29:17for the world-famous last night of the Proms.