Museum of London

If you've ever dropped a bucket of lava in Minecraft, you'll know how quickly fire can spread. So what better tool than Mojang's sandbox to illustrate the spread of the Great Fire of London.

The Great Fire began in Thomas Farriner's bakery on Pudding Lane on September 2, 1666. The city burned for three days, the flames spreading rapidly west and consuming the homes of approximately 70,000 of London's then-80,000 population. It also burned through landmarks such as St Paul's Cathedral.


To mark the 350th anniversary of the tragedy, the Museum of London is holding an interactive exhibition, Fire! Fire!. It aims to reveal the destruction at the time, explore the evidence of its causes, let visitors try fighting the fire themselves, and show how the city rose from the (very literal) ashes.

If you can't make it to the museum itself though, worry not - you'll be able to play through the disaster in Minecraft. The Museum of London is partnering with professional crafters Blockworks and Dragnoz to create Great Fire 1666, a series of three interactive maps that will be made available for free.

Read next Minecraft's Better Together update lets you play with others across devices Minecraft's Better Together update lets you play with others across devices

In order to see this embed, you must give consent to Social Media cookies. Open my cookie preferences.

The first, which will be available to download on PC or Mac from the Museum of London's site from July 29, is based on Wenceslaus Hollar's map of burnt London, which can be seen in the museum's collection. The map will play as a treasure hunt, with players exploring the city in search of audio clips, which explain how the events unfolded.


London's narrow streets, wooden houses, dense population - coupled with a long, dry summer - contributed to the Great Fire's ferocity, while the flow of people trying to escape the flames meant primative fire engines weren't able to get to the areas they were needed - all of which, players will be able to experience. A recreation of a 1678 fire engine also serves as part of the Fire! Fire! exhibit.

The second map, which will be released in September to time with the actual anniversary, will present a series of mini-games: evacuating residents, fighting fires, and meeting famous figures from the event itself. The final stage will be released in February 2017 and allow gamers to craft their own revitalised London, based on architectural plans by the likes of Christopher Wren and John Evelyn - pivotal players in the rebuilding of the city.

Museum of London

"Minecraft is an incredible game that captivates and inspires users of all ages around the world," said Joshua Blair, the museum's digital learning co-ordinator and project lead. "Its reach and versatility offers museums a fantastic platform to share our knowledge and collections, and create engaging experiences."


"The Great Fire of London is one of the most popular topics within our learning programme, which currently reaches about 130,000 schoolchildren each year, and we hope that Great Fire 1666 will create a fun learning experience that can engage every young person in this fascinating story."

The scale of the maps is impressive, accurately recreating the city of more than three centuries ago, complete with its Roman walls and the intimidating gulf of the Thames. Of course, we imagine it's only a matter of time before more chaotic Minecraft players use them to recreate the fire for their own pyromaniacal glee.

The Fire! Fire! exhibit runs from July 23 2016–April 17 2017.