Adrian Tinniswood

And it was as that fleet moved in on the Dutch that a wind blew up in the channel, just a breeze.

And that breeze grew stronger and stronger.

And as the English engaged with the Dutch, all hell broke loose.

A gale hit both fleets.

Masts were blown over.

Sails were blown out.

And both fleets ran for home.

There was no battle.

They just ran for home.

They were crashing into each other, colliding, they were sinking.

The English fleet ran for the Isle of Wight to lick its wounds.

But the point about all this, if you're wondering what on earth I'm talking about, well, this has got to do with the Great Fire of London.

The point about that is that that afternoon and evening, that gale,

moved up into Kent from a channel.

And that night, it grew in strength as it moved up through Kent and it toppled chimneys and it lifted thatch.

And it hit London at about one o'clock on the morning of the 2nd of September.

And just as it hit London,

a baker called Thomas Farriner forgot to put his oven out in Pudding Lane.

If those two things hadn't happened, if Farriner hadn't forgot to put his oven out, if that gale hadn't hit, there would be no Fire of London.

Yeah, I mean, and there were big fires, not only in London, you mentioned, but there were big fires all over England.