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This weekend marked 350 years since the Great Fire of London gutted the heart of the city. And to commemorate the occasion (and celebrate the capital's triumphant return from the ashes) Artichoke arranged a series of spectacular events across the city in their Great Fire 350 / London's Burning programme. It was pretty damn hot.
On the Thames, a giant wooden replica of the 17th century city was set ablaze.
Transforming this:
Into this:
Huge crowds turned out to watch.
The towering inferno took nearly an hour to burn down.
Which lit up the night sky for all to see.
And casting an orange glow over the river.
It got pretty intense...
Until finally, all was consumed.
Watch it happen in two minutes...
Meanwhile, the roof of St. Paul's Cathedral was given a pyrotic projection.
The famous dome appeared to be swirling with flame.
Giving it a decidedly ominous appearance.
Like from Millennium Bridge.
Outside the Tate Modern, a three-day fire festival provided an awesome spectacle.
Full of swirling, burning sculptures.
Spinning pots of flame:
Beautiful hanging lanterns:
Glowing globes of red hot coals:
Angry chimneys:
And a magical combination of fire and water...
Whose magical contradictions...
Confounded the public.
From torches to blowtorches...
With the very air aglow...
And selfie-friendly Rings of Fire:
It was, in short, a pyromaniac's paradise.
Elsewhere, you could spot inferno-inspired projections:
Underwater performances of 'normal life' depicted resillience in the face of adversity:
Requiring incredible control from the performers:
Giant lanterns lit up Guildhall:
While finally, a four-mile long domino topple (see the full thing!)...
Reached a fiery conclusion...
With dramatic results.
It really was a blaze of glory.
Managed to miss all that? There's still tons of exciting stuff coming up this month: check out our guide to September's hottest events.
