Design
Drawings of the London Skyline, 400 Years Apart
A British artist has created an exquisite update of an iconic 17th-century engraving.
In the early 17th century, London’s skyline was marked by conical spires, the billowing sails of boats on the Thames, and two fortress-like cathedrals. Then came the Great Fire of 1666, which decimated those churches and thousands of thatched-roof homes in the city center.
In its reconstruction, central London transformed: Streets were straightened and widened, pavements and sewers constructed, quays improved, and brick facades standardized. In its modernized form, the city quickly became the hub of the British empire, and remains today a global center of commerce. London’s contemporary skyline—dominated by towering cranes, car-congested bridges, and ornate corporate skyscrapers—owes much to the fire.