The Great Fire of London

Exactly 334 years ago, September 2, 1666, fire broke out in London and raged until September 6, 1666. Destruction was total in the center of the city, and the vast majority of inhabitants lost their homes. Saint Paul's Cathedral was the most famous building that was lost.

The Great Fire raging from London Bridge (left) to the Tower of London.
Saint Paul's is in the background. (Source)

The Ashes of London, published 2016.

Author Andrew Taylor's mystery/suspense novel The Ashes of London begins as the fire is burning, and continues for several months afterwards.

Characters in the book include members of two fictitious families along with a number of historical figures, including the King of England, who had been restored to the throne in 1660 after the death of Oliver Cromwell; the architect Christopher Wren, who was involved in the project to rebuild St. Paul's Cathedral; and several court figures. The details of the lives of the two principal characters, James Marwood and Catherine "Cat" Lovett are especially interesting.

I found the plot of The Ashes of London extremely well-thought-out and enjoyable. The tension portrayed between Charles II, the restored monarch, and the former, treasonous supporters of Oliver Cromwell is fascinating. Some of the recriminations about the failure of the authorities to stop the fire reminded me uncomfortably of political recriminations about our current "raging fire" -- the coronavirus epidemic.

The tale's suspense, involving murder, political intrigue, hypocrisy, financial trickery, and more is very well built up, which I won't spoil! Male characters in the book include noblemen, masons, architects, draftsmen, inn keepers, printers, politicians, and others. The female characters, consistent with the customs of that era, didn't officially have a trade, but several of them are very strong, ambitious, and accomplished women. The details of daily life created a highly readable narrative. (I have no idea of how historically accurate these details are, but they seem convincing.)

For example, the first introduction to Cat and her guardians, an aunt and uncle:

"Power, Cat thought, resides in small things. 

"If anything confirmed Uncle Alderley’s position in the world, it was the fact that, while the City was burning to ashes on his doorstep, he himself was dining at home quite as if nothing were amiss. The food was as good as ever when he entertained a guest he wished to please, and the servants just as attentive. They used the best cutlery, the two-pronged forks and the knives with rounded handles that fitted snugly in the hand; Aunt Olivia had insisted on having them; they had been imported from Paris at absurd expense. ...

"In Sir Denzil’s honour, there were three courses. To his credit, he responded manfully to the challenge. He dug deep into a fricassee of rabbits and chickens, returned again and again to the carp, ripped chunks from the boiled leg of mutton, and swallowed slice after slice of the side of lamb. The food passed through his mouth so rapidly that he seemed hardly to chew it at all. ... Two pigeons, a dish of anchovies and most of a lobster went the way of everything else. By this time Sir Denzil was slowing down, though he compensated by increasing his consumption of wine, revealing an unusual capacity for canary, of which he must have drunk close to half a gallon. By this stage, his colour was high and there was a certain glassiness in his eye that reminded Cat irresistibly of the carp as it had been when it first arrived in the kitchen. (p. 36-37)

For various reasons, Cat becomes a servant in various rooming houses, where she often has to help with scrubbing and laundry, mundane tasks that aren't frequently described in historic fiction. For example:

"‘You can begin with the scullery floor this morning,’ Mistress Davy said to Cat as the yard boy was closing the gates. ‘You skimped the corners yesterday.’ 

"Later in the day, Cat was sent to take in the washing as the light was fading. Beyond the yard, with the stable and wagon shed, was a vegetable garden with a pigsty. Beyond that was an orchard, the trees stripped and bare, waiting for winter. 

"It was already very cold. There would be a frost tonight. The shirts, nightgowns and stockings were almost as wet as they had been when she and the eldest girl had hung them out. Now the clothes were stiff with cold as well." (p. 383). 

Or laundry preparation by a servant in Cat's aunt and uncle's house:

"He was in his ordinary clothes and preparing lye, the mixture of ashes and urine that was used for soaking badly soiled laundry. It was a woman’s job usually but the washerwoman had lost the two girls who usually came in to assist her; presumably they and their families were somewhere among the flood of refugees." (p. 44). 

The smells of London, especially the smells of the fire and its aftermath, contribute to the vivid descriptiveness of the book. The sections of the book about James Marwood are told by him in the first person: here are some examples of his mention of smells.

"I shouted at him to stop. The fire swallowed the sound. I swore and went after him. The heat battered me. I smelled singeing hair and charred flesh. My lungs were on fire." (p. 10). 

"The cellar smelled strongly of burning, as everywhere did now, as well as of sewage and damp." (p. 63). 

"The cloak was grey, made of wool but lightweight – not for winter use. It was on the shabby side. Frowning, I walked over to it and fingered the material. It smelled of burning, as did almost everything at present." (p. 156). 

In contrast to the usual depressing London atmosphere, there are a few outdoor country smells:

"It was cool outside, and the air smelled of the river. A light rain was falling, soft as a caress. The stars were out." (p. 158).  

"Even I could see that the place was a sad tangle of branches and bushes and fallen trees. The air smelled of rotting vegetation. The path we followed was muddy underfoot, and slippery with dead leaves. It looked as if deer and foxes used it far more than humans." (pp. 206-207). 

"The river was something to be heard, felt and smelled rather than seen." (p. 370).  

Much later in the burned-out St. Paul's, Marwood prepares to climb an nearly-destroyed staircase:

"I smelled burning. Someone had recently come up or down the stairs with a light. My nose had become so miraculously acute that it could distinguish between the smell of my lantern and this other smell, which seemed to me to have a faint but disagreeable hint of old fish." (p. 438).

Throughout the novel, the first in Andrew Taylor's series about the Restoration era in London, the details of ordinary lives support the complex plot and the emerging relationship and significant history of the many characters. A very good read! I discovered this book from a blog post reviewing the second book in the series, The Fire Court (link) I'm grateful to the blogger at this blog, Rhapsody in Books, for making me aware of these books!

Review © 2020 mae sander for mae food dot blog spot dot com.