Page 43 - Social Science.docx

The Great fire of 1666
down what was left of the infrastructure, lacking trust for the remaining weakened framing, and decided to completely rebuild the cathedral, making sure his structure coincided with the newly regulated building codes. The reconstruction of this particular building changed the way people viewed London, as this famous landmark still stands strong today, showing how the new cathedral broke the old barriers of urban design and brought the monument of London back to life.4
Along with the building codes and acts that changed how buildings were constructed, there were also many inventions that came around the time of the fire that greatly contributed to the expansion of London and pushed through the barriers of urban life. Because of the fact that there was no home or fire insurance before the Great Fire of London, this meant that its victims lost everything in the fire; many had to restart their lives, living in poverty and misery. The desperate people of London had no way to get any of their possessions back, and had to learn to live again, which was an unimaginable struggle. However, Nicholas Barbon was an important figure in the development and reconstruction of London after the fire- his developments after the fire helped bring London into a new age of urban life. Barbon was an English physician that first developed the concept of fire insurance as a result of the tragic fire, in order to help those that were struggling to come back from losing everything. He saw that hundreds of thousands were left stranded, and had no money to start again. After witnessing this, he decided to create a business where people could pay him a set fee every month and, in return, their possessions, belongings and homes would be protected if a fire ever broke out
4 John Summerson, "Christopher Wren." Encyclopedia Britannica. 39