DISASTERS - London Bridge Fire PArt A

THE WORLD

DISASTERS

Demolition Gangs
        In the Middle Ages, there were no water hoses, so water could only be carried in buckets. To prevent the spread of fire between streets, some timber-framed houses were pulled down by teams using hooks attached to long poles and chains. This created a big gap across which the flames could not leap.

Safety measures
        After the 1212 disaster. London introduced its fire-prevention laws. Roofs thatched with highly flammable straw or rushes were banned in favour of stone tiles. and every district had to have its own set of hooks for pulling down buildings in an emergency.

Spanning the centuries
       Built in the 1170s, the 300-metre London Bridge was home to hundreds of families. It was a shopping street as well as a vital thoroughfare, with a drawbridge and gatehouse at either end, and a chapel in the middle. Although the houses were all destroyed in 1212, the stone piers survived, and the bridge remained an important crossing for another 600 years.