LONDON’S burning, London’s burning,
Fetch the engines, fetch the engines;
Fire, fire, fire, fire! Pour on water,
pour on water.
‘London’s Burning’ is a round, a musical composition in which two or more voices sing exactly the same melody (and may continue repeating it indefinitely), but with each voice beginning at different times so that different parts of the melody coincide in the different voices, but nevertheless fit harmoniously together. (See also Frère Jacques and Turn Again, Whittington.)
The song is usually associated with the Great Fire of London of 1666. But in fact there have been many serious fires in London, beginning in ad 61 when Queen Boudicca and the Iceni tribe torched the place after chasing the Romans out of town. The flames were so fierce that the ashes formed a thick layer that can still be clearly identified by modern archaeologists.
‘London’s Burning’ is a relentlessly circular song that could go on for ever, reflecting the frequent fires that have engulfed parts of the capital. And of all the famous landmarks of London that have regularly been caught up in the conflagration, St Paul’s, first built in ad 604 on Ludgate Hill, has been the most frequent victim. In 675, a major fire broke out, destroying most of the town, including the Saxon cathedral of St Paul’s, largely constructed of wood. It was rebuilt in stone between 675 and 685, then destroyed by the Vikings in 961. A rebuilt St Paul’s was, yet again, destroyed by fire in 1087 during the reign of William Rufus (see Who Killed Cock Robin?).
There were more destructive fires in the capital in 1130 and 1132, while in 1212 the Great Fire of Southwark destroyed large parts of the town. In 1561, the cathedral was burned after being struck by lightning, although the rest of London remained undamaged until the Great Fire in 1666 ravaged everything in its path, including the unfortunate cathedral yet again. In a later century, there was another kind of threat. During an air raid on 12 September 1940, the last time London was ablaze thanks to the hostilities of the Second World War, a German bomb with a delayed timing device hit the cathedral. The bomb might easily have destroyed St Paul’s had it not been for the bravery of Temporary Lieutenant Robert Davies, who risked his life to successfully defuse it. Davies was later awarded the George Cross for his actions. Clearly God is not a fireman, but he may be a bomb disposal expert – or a helper of bomb disposal experts.