Step back in time to experience the events of 1666 with our immersive VR. Students see London before the fire, watch the flames spread, then compare the old city with the skyline of today.
The Great Fire of London workshop uses virtual reality to transport students to 1666. Rather than simply learning facts, children stand in the crowded wooden streets of old London, watch the fire leap from roof to roof, and then see the modern City that grew in its place. The immersive nature of VR makes this pivotal historical event memorable and emotionally engaging.
Year 1 and Year 2 students explore the fire through guided VR experiences, role-play activities, and hands-on investigations. They create before-and-after maps of London, investigate how people fought the fire with limited technology, and write diary entries from Samuel Pepys' perspective. Every activity builds understanding of cause and consequence.
Book a full-day visit and choose a different VR topic for every year group — making it super specific to each class's curriculum and exceptional value for money.
Each session includes a Virtual Reality segment where students are transported back in time. Using class sets of VR headsets, children explore 360° recreations of historical environments — from walking through ancient temples to witnessing the Great Fire of London.
Every activity is designed to bring history to life. Your facilitator selects and adapts activities based on the year group.
Step into London just before the fire — wooden buildings, narrow streets and bustling markets. Students find out how the fire started in Thomas Farriner's bakery on 2 September and why the city was so easy to burn.
All year groupsJump forward to the modern City and compare. Standing among landmarks like the Gherkin and the Lloyd's building, students spot how London was rebuilt with stronger, fireproof materials — the 1666 skyline against today's.
All year groupsWatch the fire rage across the city for five days, destroying more than 13,000 buildings. Students learn how people pulled down houses to make gaps the flames could not cross.
All year groupsExplore a house after a fire and talk about what it means for the people who lived there. A calm, guided scene that helps children understand why fire safety matters.
All year groupsFinish by putting it into practice. Students rehearse what to do when they hear a fire alarm — stay calm, walk to the nearest exit, never go back for belongings, and meet at the assembly point.
All year groupsEvery session is designed around measurable outcomes that align with the National Curriculum and build historical thinking skills.
Students understand how the Great Fire changed London and led to new building regulations.
Students can sequence events and understand how history unfolds over days and weeks.
Students recognise that some events are so important they change the course of history.
Students can compare London in 1666 with the city today, imagine living through the fire, and explain what to do if they hear a fire alarm.
We bring everything — facilitator, VR headsets, resources, activity kits. You just tell us the date and year groups. No hidden costs, no extras.
Here’s how a typical full-day VR history workshop fits around your school day. KS2 sessions run 40 minutes; KS1 & EYFS sessions run 35 minutes. We’re flexible — we’ll work around your timetable.
Schools love booking a VR History day alongside our hands-on Future Skills workshops — giving students a full spectrum of immersive learning experiences in a single day or across the term.
View Future Skills Workshops →