Rebuilding "as it was", despite calls for modernization, is also something that happened after the Great Fire of London in 1666. Especially Christopher Wren, one of the most famous architects of XVII century, was supposedly very upset that his plan for a concentric ring-like city plan was rejected, in favour of rebuilding the city with all its tangled medieval street plan.
I don't think Wren's plan looks very concentric or ring-like. He also got to rebuild St. Paul's to a completely new design, in those years. Maintaining the original plot boundaries, as the city was rebuilt, naturally didn't interfere with the cathedral.
Thanks, never saw the plan just heard an anecdote. And it's interesting to learn London landlords could be as "assertive" in XVII century as they are now
