Claims - Great fire of London: London burning

350 years ago, London was ravaged by the Great Fire. The Great Fire of London burned for four days non-stop, destroyed 13,000 homes and rendered 80,000 people homeless. In addition, 87 churches, including St Paul’s Cathedral, 52 livery halls, the Royal Exchange and Newgate Prison were all reduced to ashes. The Association of British Insurers estimates that the cost of repairing the damage of a similar fire today would be at least £37bn.

In this article, David Worsfold sheds light on how the Great Fire laid the foundations for modern property insurance and what strides have been made in the following centuries.

Topics covered:
• First wave of insurance.
• Early fire insurers.
• The emergence of the Sun Fire Office – now part of RSA.
• London’s other great fires.