25th February 1723, death of English anatomist, astronomer, mathematician, and architect Christopher Wren. Wren’s scientific interests ranged from astronomy, optics, navigating longitude at sea, cosmology, mechanics, microscopy, surveying, medicine and meteorology. Wren is best known today as the architect of the rebuilt St Paul's Cathedral in London, and the rebuilding of a further 52 churches in London destroyed by the Great Fire of 1666. The fire which spread through the medieval city inside the old Roman city wall, from the 2nd to the 6th of September 1666, destroyed 13,200 houses, 87 parish churches, and the existing St Paul's Cathedral, The fire had erupted after the already disastrous year of 1665, where the last outbreak of the bubonic plaque had killed in London alone an estimated 100,000 people, almost a quarter of London's population. In December 1664, and again in early 1665, a bright comet was observed; being noted by both Samuel Pepys in his diary, and also later by Daniel Defoe in his "Journal of the Plague Year" written in 1722. Wondering what portent the comet held, Londoners would not have to wait long for the first signs of the latest outbreak of the plague. Samuel Pepys further mentions seeing houses marked with a red cross in London's Drury Lane, that same June, meaning somebody inside wass infected with the plague and must be locked in for 40 days or until death. Samuel Pepys also recorded in his diary in 1665, being given a bottle of plaque water to ward off the great sickness. Continued in the comments #christopherwren #sirchristopherwren #greatfireoflondon #greatfireoflondon1666 #plaguedoctor #plaguemask #blackdeath #stpaulscathederal #stpaulscathedrallondon #londonhistoryday #londonhistory #historicallondon #historyoflondon #darkhistory #gothichistory #historicalevents #historystories #historicalevents #greatplague #17thcentury #historicphoto #historylovers #architecturedesign #plagueart #plaguearts #architecturehistory #darklondon #gothichistory #vintagelooking #vintagelooks https://www.instagram.com/p/CLw3PFnnWFL/?igshid=1abbgv5fwf91q
