The Great Fire of 1666 devastated London, destroying about three quarters of its centre, costing £10 million in damages and destroying 13,200 homes. This disaster followed the start of the Great Plague of 1665 so it was essential that some drastic planning was constructed. Christopher Wren's plan was considered to be the best, although he did not face strong competition as other plans looked like chess boards with churches in the middle of the squares. However, Wren's plan looked more sophisticated and not at all dull, but most importantly, the streets looked wider which shows that he analysed why the spread of the plague and fire were so rapid and learnt from the problems.
