Buckingham’s Great Fire had destroyed one third of the town, including the shops and businesses that brought trade and money into the community. It needed to get back on its feet as quickly as possible.
Town fires were common at the time – there was one in Northampton in 1675 and one in Warwick in 1694. The authorities in these towns took advantage of the opportunity given by the fire to improve their towns. They applied to parliament for a local rebuilding act to enable them to move on from the cramped, higgledy-piggledy un-planned medieval layout, and designed a town with broad streets, elegant and handsome buildings, and better access for traffic. The resulting re-building enhanced their reputation and attracted more trade and business. Buckingham did not follow the example for these communities. Instead, houses were repaired and re-built piecemeal, on the same sites as before, over a long period. It took 30 years or more to rebuild most of the destroyed buildings. Because the fire had destroyed a significant proportion of the personal wealth and profitable businesses that were the main economic drivers of the community, and because of the lack of focus on re-invigorating the town, the fire became part of the long decline in the power and influence of the town. It became a bit of a backwater. Whilst other nearby communities, such as Aylesbury, Northampton and Bicester grew and prospered, Buckingham stagnated.
However, from a 21st century standpoint, Buckingham today is a delightful and characterful town which is attractive to live in, and draws visitors to enjoy its charms.
The gallery image is a photograph of the model of Buckingham created as part of the 300th anniversary of the Great Fire of Buckingham commemoration, which took place in March 2025. The model represents the town immediately after the fire. The orange and black coloured buildings indicate burnt and destroyed properties, and show the extent of damage and destruction. The model was created by Buckingham Rotary Club and Buckingham Men in Sheds in conjunction with local primary schools.