1666 Fire of London Survivors
41/42 Cloth Fair, London
Street view always open
TUBE: Barbican, St Paul's
OVERGROUND: Farringdon Rail, City Thameslink Rail
BUS: 8, 11, 23, 26, 35, 42, 43, 47, 48, 55, 56, 76,78, 100, 133, 141, 149, 172, 214, 242, 243, 271, 344; 4, 21, 25, 521
BARCLAYS DOCKING STATIONS: Aldersgate Street
ZILCHOO RECOMMENDS
Hidden down a small street in Farringdon lies a remarkable building – 41/42 Cloth Fair. Built between 1597 and 1614, this is the only house in the City of London to have survived the Great Fire of London in 1666.

Records show it escaped the full force of the fire because it was enclosed within a large set of priory walls and that the building was originally part of a larger scheme of eleven houses with a courtyard in the middle, called "The Square in Launders Green".

By 1929 the building was under review for demolition by the City of London Corporation, to make matters worse, the building had been served with a dangerous structure notice. Luckily it was saved, and today it is owned by the Landmark Trust for its future preservation.

Some interesting facts about the house!

  • A set of leaded windows in the property have the signatures (etched with a diamond pen) of some famous visitors; Sir Winston Churchill and the Queen Mother to name a few.
  • It is rumoured there are skeletons in the foundations.
  • In 2000 the property received the City Heritage Award for the finest example of building refurbishment contributing to the enhancement of the environment of the City of London.

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