Well I've completed the grid so have all eleven unclued answers . I get the three great fire of London associations but how the other five fit in I'm clueless, the preamble is gobbledegook. What is the point of a themed puzzle that you can solve correctly with=out cracking the theme ? Defeats me !
2 of the unclued entries give the theme.
3 give the related event (Their associations leading to a five word phrase.
This leaves you with six unclued entries.
These words themselves are nothing to do with the theme.
But, the associations - one for each entry- give you something related to the theme's two word title.
So, it's not the words but the associations you are looking for.
Hope this helps.
Big clue - it's specifically related to the two word theme.
I've got to the same stage as Mrcroft. A completed grid, an understanding of the theme and an untangled anagram for a location...except for one short clue. 1D. Ice Dancer wants a bit (3) DE_. Thanks in advance for your help.
Well, I've found the theme, the 2 words under the grid, and most of the thematic entries and associations but I'm still stumped by the long highlighted word on the extreme right. Does it really end in "i" or have I made a mistake with 30A? Any help would be much appreciated!