Samuel Pepys fundamentally shaped how we think about the City, let’s celebrate him this Pepys day, writes Lord Mayor Michael Mainelli
Jane called us up about three in the morning, to tell us of a great fire they saw in the City… I down to the water-side, and there got a boat and through bridge, and there saw a lamentable fire.” So wrote Samuel Pepys of the Great Fire of London which destroyed much of the City, 358 years ago today. He was not merely a witness to the fire; he was the one who brought the command from the King to the Lord Mayor at the time – Sir Thomas Bloodworth – to pull down houses to stop the spread of the flames.
This Friday 6 September, the City of London will be celebrating our first Pepys Day, marking the day when the flames were finally put out. Pepys’ diaries shaped how we think of Restoration London, especially the City which was rebuilt from the ashes. Today’s Square Mile is still recognisably the one which was redesigned after the fire, with wider roads, stone rather than wooden buildings and the churches and great cathedral of Sir Christopher Wren. As has happened throughout our history, the City rebuilt, recovered and recalibrated. Our Pepys Day celebrations will feature guided walks through the City, following in the famous diarist’s footsteps, and a celebration at Mansion House – all raising money for the Lord Mayor’s
Appeal and its partner charities: MQ Mental Health Research, Homewards and National Numeracy.
This is one link in a chain of charitable events leading up to City Giving Day on 24 September, the annual celebration of philanthropy in the Square Mile where City businesses and organisations raise money for charities across London and beyond. We warmly invite all City firms who have not yet done so to get involved by visiting the Lord Mayor’s Appeal website.
The river glideth at his own sweet will
Samuel Pepys also spent much of his working life establishing the modern Royal Navy, spending time at the royal naval dockyards at Deptford and Woolwich. His career illustrates the essential link between the City of London and the River Thames. This forms the basis for another important celebration this month, the Totally Thames Festival, flowing into Thames Day on 22 September. Produced in partnership with the City of London Corporation’s Destination City programme, Thames Day celebrates our capital’s iconic river with a fun afternoon of free family activities where children and parents alike can unleash their creativity, enjoy live music and walkabout acts while tucking into some delicious food and exploring the Thames Lens photography exhibition.
As the London Port Health Authority, covering 95 miles of the tidal Thames, the City Corporation is a key player in looking after the life and health of the river. As Lord Mayor, I also have the title of Admiral of the Port of London, reflecting our history as a port city. Whether we recognise it or not, thousands of us connect with the Thames every day – either by crossing over it or travelling on it. This celebration is a chance to recognise its magnificent history and its vital importance to London; 50 per cent of global trade by volume and 80 per cent by volume is carried by sea. London, home of the International Maritime Organisation, the Lloyd’s Register and the Baltic Exchange, is at the heart of this global maritime system, connected to the rest of the world by this precious artery.
This September, we hope the whole City can join us in celebrating our crucial connections to the River Thames. The Thames was once described by Winston Churchill as “the silver thread” which runs through Britain’s history. The River has also kept the City afloat over the centuries. As Pepys might have written: “and so, to Thames Day.”
Michael Mainelli is Lord Mayor of the City of London