Commendations

"Sir William Petty. A fantastic morning which held our pupils' attention. It really had the Wow factor! Many thanks." [Miss C. Jones, teacher, Carlton J&I School, Batley]

"Thank you for another super day learning about the Great Fire of London. The children have loved the day and have been involved in all the activities and asked a range of interesting questions - which I am sure will continue tomorrow!" [Chris Kelly, teacher, Burley and Woodhead C of E Primary School]

"We had a brilliant day. History came to life. The children were fascinated and wanted Sir William to stay for the week." [Fiona Martin, teacher, Tickhill Estfeld Primary School]

"What a great day! It was Sir William Petty's first visit to our school but hopefully not the last. The children thoroughly enjoyed the experience and it certainly brought the Great Fire of London to life. Thank you very much." [Emma Birkinshaw, teacher, Plover Primary School]

Sir William Petty (Great Fire of London)

For Key Stage 1 Children

Storm Lantern


Sir William is a mathematician and member of the Royal Society who knows a lot of people, from the King to Samuel Pepys. He has studied the Great Fire, and spent some time considering what ought to be done afterwards, even whether the metropolis should be rebuilt on the same spot! To your children he is a friendly and eccentric fellow with lots of stories to tell.

If there are two classes studying the fire, perhaps two year 2 or one year 2 and a year 1, then I can do two sessions in one day (morning and afternoon). Having a whole day with one class, however, allows me to do that bit more.

When should Sir William visit?

The session works well whether or not the children already know about the fire as I approach it differently according to what stage they are at. If it is the end of their study, I can conversationally add to their existing knowledge. If the session introduces their topic, then I can give them all a shared and rich experience to refer back to throughout their subsequent work. If I visit in the middle of your topic, then a bit of both applies!


Session Format

Introductions

  • Myself: I explain who and what I am, as well as why I amm visiting & what I am going to tell them about.
  • London: Where and what is London? What did it look like before the Fire? We then all look at my huge map to discover London's geography and important places.
  • Fires: We talk about what people use fires for and how they light them. I demonstrate a flint and steel and a storm lantern.

The Story of the Fire

This is the main component of the session and incorporates several breaks along the way to do practical exercises.

  • Story: How the fire started and its progress. How people tried to fight it or flee. What troubles occurred during the fire. What the King and other important people did. What my friend Pepys did. What damage was caused.
  • Practical exercises: How the fire spread (the children become houses). Estimating how fast the fire spread. How to make a workable "bucket chain". All great fun!

After the Fire

I can discuss with the children a whole range of things. Like who got the blame and should people have known there would be a fire? Also the deaths, the problems caused, and what needed doing after the fire.

Written Work

I can begin this work with the class if I am working with one class all day, helping the groups work. If it is a half-day session, then I can set one or both of these tasks for the class to do later.

The options are:

A design for the New London.

The children work on different little parts of London (wards and parishes) each, which when joined together makes one giant map for a wall display. This involves not just History but art and geography.

Posters with instructions about the new London.

  • How to rebuild London better than before.
  • What to do next time if there is a fire.
  • What not to do next time if there is a fire.

Children's Portraits

Visits to schools all over Yorkshire and nearby

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