Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot
History · Key Stage 1 · The School
A plot to blow up Parliament
In 1605, a group of men planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament. The King and many important people would be inside on that day. The plotters hid barrels of gunpowder in a cellar underneath the building. It was a serious plan.
Caught just in time
Guy Fawkes was found guarding the gunpowder, late at night, just hours before the plan was due to happen. Guards searched the cellar after a warning letter was sent. He was arrested on the spot. The plot never happened.
Why we still remember it
People lit bonfires that same night, to celebrate that the King was safe. The tradition has continued ever since, every 5th of November. Bonfire Night is a real anniversary of a real, specific event, not just a made-up excuse for fireworks.
From warning letter to arrest
A mysterious letter warned a lord to stay away from Parliament that day. He showed it to the King's officials. They searched the building thoroughly, room by room, right down to the cellars. There, in the dark, they found Guy Fawkes, standing next to 36 barrels of gunpowder, with a watch and matches ready. He was arrested immediately. The letter, the search and the find happened within hours of each other, and stopped the plot at the very last moment.
A real event behind the fireworks
Next time you see fireworks on the 5th of November, remember the real story behind them. A real plot. A real discovery. A real arrest, just in time. Bonfire Night is history, still celebrated over four hundred years later. That is worth remembering.