A North East View of Cheapside with the Cross and Conduit and part of the procession of the Queen Mother Marie de Medicis, to Visit her Son and Daughter, King Charles I and Queen Henrietta Maria

Dating to 1638, the engraving shows Cheapside before it was destroyed in the Great Fire of London. Cheapside was the principal street in the City of London and was used in ceremonial processions and for special events. Shown here is the procession of Marie de Medici when she visited her son-in-law and daughter, King Charles I and Queen Henrietta Maria. It is an interesting image as the pre-fire style of houses can be clearly seen. The upper storeys of the houses project out into the street. These projections were known as jetties and were common across London and other towns from the medieval period onwards. Jetties increased the risk of fires spreading as they narrowed the gap between houses and across streets. Sometimes houses leant so far out into the street that they almost touched the buildings opposite. Jetties were banned by the 1667 Rebuilding Act, issued after the Great Fire.