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In September 1666, a fire broke out at night in a baker\'s shop in Pudding Lane, near the Billingsgate fish market in London. Fanned by a high wind, the fire quickly became uncontrollable and in four days the heritage of centuries was reduced to ashes. Two thirds of the city within the walls was destroyed although the slums outside remained untouched. Within three weeks of the fire, a young architect named Christopher Wren had presented plans for rebuilding much of the city. Strongly influenced by the Italian Renaissance style, Wren became responsible for the rebuilding of over fifty of London\'s churches, including St Paul\'s Cathedral, plus a Palace for Charles II at Greenwich and the Royal Hospital at Chelsea.
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