An additional act for the rebuilding of the City of London

ID:

42.39/24

Production date:

1670; 17th century

Location:

In Store

This Act of Parliament, issued in 1670, set down the plans for rebuilding the City churches which had burnt down in the Great Fire of London. It was released three years after the main Rebuilding Act of 1667 due to the complicated nature of the task. The square mile of the City of London was split into 109 parishes with a tangled web of administration and jurisdiction. It was very difficult to decide which of the 87 destroyed churches should be rebuilt and who was responsible for organising the work. In this Act 51 churches were chosen for rebuilding so many parishes had to be united and share churches.  < ...Read more

This Act of Parliament, issued in 1670, set down the plans for rebuilding the City churches which had burnt down in the Great Fire of London. It was released three years after the main Rebuilding Act of 1667 due to the complicated nature of the task. The square mile of the City of London was split into 109 parishes with a tangled web of administration and jurisdiction. It was very difficult to decide which of the 87 destroyed churches should be rebuilt and who was responsible for organising the work. In this Act 51 churches were chosen for rebuilding so many parishes had to be united and share churches.

This Act also allows for the rebuilding of St Paul's Cathedral. Originally the severely damaged cathedral was simply intended for repair, despite Christopher Wren's advice that it be pulled down and completely rebuilt. Wren was right - in April 1668 part of the cathedral collapsed and it was finally realised the building was too unsafe to be used. The Act also states that homeless Londoners’ temporary shelters in the fields must be taken down by 29 September 1674. < Hide

Measurements

H 305 mm; W 195 mm; T 13 mm (closed), W 380 mm (open)

Materials

paper; ink; board

Last Updated

2024-03-14