Great Plague Of London Explored In New Exhibition

M@
By M@ Last edited 113 months ago

Last Updated 17 July 2015

Great Plague Of London Explored In New Exhibition

plague

The Square Mile's Guildhall Library has mounted a small but informative exhibition about the Great Plague. The visitation of 1665 killed an estimated 100,000 Londoners — around a quarter of the population.

The display presents original documents and publications from the time, all drawn from the library's unrivalled holdings. Visitors can inspect the 'Bills of Mortality', weekly death logs arranged by cause of death. The cabinets also hold copies of contemporary diaries (notably Pepys, the subject of his own upcoming exhibition at National Maritime Museum), as well as advice for avoiding the plague, and religious tracts.

You'll probably get round everything in 15 minutes. However, it serves as something of a teaser for the library's wider treasures. Guildhall Library specialises in the history of the capital, and contains thousands of books, manuscripts and ephemera just waiting to be explored.

London's Dreadful Visitation: The Great Plague, 1665 runs at Guildhall Library until 11 September. Entrance is free, with no pre-booking.