Great Fire 350, The Monument

In the lead up to the Great Fire of London's 350th anniversary, one of the city's most renowned landmarks will be hosting a series of events to mark the occasion as part of the Totally Thames festival. Enjoy a fun family day out this summer to learn a bit more about our capital's fiery history.

The Monument - designed by Sir Christopher Wren and Robert Hooke - was built in 1671-1677, to commemorate the Great Fire of 1666. Since then, it has been a striking symbol for Londoners to remember the mighty fire which swept the capital, causing catastrophic consequences.

Therefore, it's only fitting that this summer the historic landmark will host a series of events to mark the fire's anniversary. Families are invited to learn more about the great fire, its journey and the consequences it caused in a variety of organised talks and activities, as part of the Great Fire 350 festival.

Highlights of the festival include the Fire Trail treasure hunt, where visitors are invited to follow the journey of the fire, past various London landmarks and collect clues along the way to find the missing treasure. With 23 hidden clues placed across the capital, this is sure to get the little ones exploring. Also, on the Great Fire's anniversary weekend (2nd-4th September) the Monument will be opened to the public for free, so get your tickets early. The landmark's opening hours will be extended for this special weekend, with visitors welcome between 8am and 10pm.

To accompany this jam-packed festival of events, the Monument have created an app to heighten the experience even more. The interactive app gives users the chance to learn more about the historic landmark, with a dose of fun facts, whilst viewing the city from past to present in a 360-degree map of the capital.

With various other events being held across the city, the Great Fire of London is sparking quite a lot of interest this summer. This is just one of many ways you and your family can mark the occasion in the capital.