Key Stage 1 2026-27

The Great Fire of London

Knowledge Organiser for Years 1 and 2, Autumn Term (Even Year) 2026-27

Our key questionWhy was the Great Fire of London a significant event and how did it change the city and the lives of the people who lived there?

In 1666, London was a busy city full of wooden houses squashed close together. Early one Sunday morning in September, a fire started in a bakery on Pudding Lane. It burned for four days and destroyed most of the city. This term we find out what happened, why the fire spread so quickly, how we know about it, and how London was rebuilt. We also explore London today, the four countries of the United Kingdom and the materials that buildings are made from.

What we will know and remember

History: The Great Fire of London

Autumn 1 and 2

To know when and where the Great Fire began (London, 1666, Pudding Lane) and how life then differed from today.
To know how to sequence the key events of the fire on a timeline, using simple historical vocabulary.
To know why the fire spread so fast and burned so long (wooden houses, weather, weak firefighting).
To know how we find out what happened, using historical sources such as Samuel Pepys' diary (Thomas Farriner).
To know how London and society changed after the fire, and why it is significant (rebuilding; Christopher Wren).

Geography: Our Capital City - London

Autumn 2

To know where London is on a world map and UK map (capital of England and the UK).
To know the four countries of the UK and their capital cities.
To know London's human and physical features and landmarks (Thames, Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, Houses of Parliament).
To know the four compass points (N, S, E, W) and use directional language on a map.
To know how life in London compares with our own local area.

Four days of fire: September 1666

Sunday 2ndIt beginsAround 1am, a fire starts in Thomas Farriner's bakery on Pudding Lane.

Monday 3rdIt spreadsA strong wind blows the flames from house to house. People flee with their belongings.

Tuesday 4thSt Paul's burnsThe fire is at its worst. Old St Paul's Cathedral is destroyed.

Wednesday 5thFirebreaksThe wind drops. Houses are pulled down or blown up with gunpowder to make gaps the fire cannot cross.

Thursday 6thThe fire is outThe last flames are put out. Much of London lies in ashes.

Where did it happen?

Sketch map of the City of London in 1666. Not to scale.

The fire in numbers

4days of burning

13,200houses destroyed

87churches burned, including St Paul's

70,000people lost their homes

Numbers are the ones most historians use.

Why did the fire spread so fast?

Wooden housesBuilt close together, with tar and straw

Hot, dry summerEverything was very dry

Strong windBlew sparks from roof to roof

WarehousesFull of oil, coal and wood

Fighting fires: then and now

1666

Leather buckets

Water squirts

Fire hooks

Today

Fire engines and hoses

Call 999

How do we know, and what changed?

How do we know?

Samuel Pepys wrote a diary. He described the fire and even buried his cheese and wine in his garden to keep them safe!
John Evelyn also wrote a diary about the fire.
Paintings, maps and records from the time help us too.

The Monument stands 61 metres from where the fire began.

A new London

New houses were built from brick and stone, not wood.
Streets were made wider.
Christopher Wren designed a new St Paul's Cathedral and many new churches.
The first fire insurance and fire brigades began.

Our capital city: London

The United Kingdom. Stars show the capital cities.

EnglandCapital: London

ScotlandCapital: Edinburgh

WalesCapital: Cardiff

Northern IrelandCapital: Belfast

London is the capital city of England and of the whole United Kingdom. The River Thames flows through it.

Famous London landmarks

River Thames
Tower Bridge
Buckingham Palace
Houses of Parliament
St Paul's Cathedral
Tower of London

	London	Worksop
Size	A huge city with millions of people	A town with about 45,000 people
River	River Thames	River Ryton and the Chesterfield Canal
Travel	Underground trains, buses and black cabs	Cars, buses and trains
Buildings	Skyscrapers, palaces and famous landmarks	Houses, shops, parks and Worksop Priory

Science: everyday materials

An object is a thing, like a cup or a chair. A material is what it is made from, like wood or plastic. We choose materials because of their properties.

Woodhard, strong, burns

Metalhard, shiny, strong

Glasstransparent, breaks

Plasticwaterproof, light

Fabricsoft, bendy

Brickhard, strong, does not burn

hard / soft
bendy / stiff
waterproof / absorbent
transparent / opaque
shiny / dull
rough / smooth

Materials: properties (Autumn 1)

To know how to identify, name and classify everyday materials.
To know how to sort materials by their simple physical properties.
To know the difference between an object and the material it is made from.
To know how to look for patterns in properties (e.g. shininess; whether it is metal).
To know how to choose a suitable material for a purpose (waterproof, stretchy, tough).

Materials: design and test (Autumn 2)

To know how to investigate the properties of different materials.
To know how to use knowledge of materials to choose the best one for a job.
To know how to design a suitable protective covering / structure using chosen materials.
To know that materials are selected in design because of their properties.

DT: Strong Room (Autumn 1)

To know how houses then and now compare.
To know how to make strong, stable structures.
To know how to design a room to replace one lost in the fire.
To know how to build a model room using chosen materials and improve it.
To know how to evaluate against design criteria.

Art: Printing - Kandinsky (Autumn 2)

To know about the work of Wassily Kandinsky.
To know how to investigate colour theory and mix colours.
To know about abstract art through shape and colour.
To know how to use stencils to print a design onto fabric.

Key vocabulary

fire: Heat, light and flames made when something burns.
bakery: A shop where bread and cakes are baked.
Pudding Lane: The street where the fire started.
timeline: A line showing events in the order they happened.
diary: A book where someone writes what happens each day.
eyewitness: Someone who saw an event happen.
source: Something that tells us about the past.
firebreak: A gap made so a fire cannot spread.
significant: Very important, with a big effect.
past / present: Long ago / now.
capital city: The most important city in a country.
United Kingdom: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
landmark: A famous building or place that is easy to recognise.
compass: Shows north, south, east and west.
human feature: Something made by people, like a bridge.
physical feature: Something natural, like a river.
material: What an object is made from.
property: What a material is like, such as hard or bendy.
waterproof: Does not let water through.
transparent: You can see through it.
structure: Something built that stands up.
stable: Firm and not easy to knock over.
primary colours: Red, yellow and blue.
stencil: A shape cut out to print or paint through.

Red: history. Blue: geography. Purple: science. Green: DT. Pink: art.

Bringing it to life

Be a historian

Look at pictures and diary extracts from 1666. What can they tell us?

Map explorers

Find London, Worksop and the four capital cities on a map of the UK.

Material detectives

Hunt for wood, metal, glass, plastic and fabric around school and at home.

Talk about it at home

Does your home have a smoke alarm? Talk about how to stay safe and when to call 999.

Sparken Hill Academy: Excellence and Enjoyment in Education for Everyone.

This half term, KS1 have been learning all about the Great Fire of London. We have been exploring what happened during the fire, how it changed London and what life was like in 1666.

The book above is one of the texts we have been enjoying together and has provided inspiration for many of our English lessons. Through the story, the children have developed their vocabulary, reading and writing skills while bringing this fascinating period of history to life.

In History, we enjoyed finding the Great Fire of London on our school timeline and putting the key events in the correct order. This helped us to understand when the fire happened and how the events unfolded over time.