Mudlarking in the Thames

Jan 1

By Evan Strauss

First of all, what is mudlarking? Well mudlarking is when at low tide you go to the banks of the Thames and look for small treasures. Since the Thames is tidal it is possible to find things on the banks of the Thames. And because the Thames goes through London lots of stuff was dropped in over the years and preserved in the mud.

Some of the most common finds are mostly clay or ceramic smoking pipes, shoes, bones, pottery shards, and buttons.

The reason for all the pipes in the Thames is because they were cheap and fragile so most were only used once or twice before people discarded them into the Thames. Why? In the 13th to 19th century, it was used as a waste disposal.

Shoes are commonly found too because they would throw them in the water to dispose of them. The leather makers and tanner would if there was a miscut or damaged shoe would just heave it into the river. There is also a chance that it could be part of the ritual where they'd throw a personal item into the river to ward off the devil.

The reason for the bones is because the bodies of criminals and executed people from the Tower Of London were disposed of into the river. Also because when the black plague tore through London there were pits of bodies buried by the river because the ground was soft.

And the animal bones were because there was a large meat industry in London and all of the riverside butchers would just throw the bones and blood of the animals into the Thames.

Pottery shards seem like a weird thing to find in a river, but as I was saying, it has been used like a dumping ground for over hundreds of years and lots of pottery have been discarded or thrown into the water.

Buttons why? Buttons were commonly lost at busy places like docks and back then they were fastened on with thinner threads and they were stitched on by hand leading to loss of buttons more often.

Some of the most bizarre finds are:

A glass eye

5 whimbleton medals belonging to Peter Fleming

An intact Roman urn

Cannon balls with gunpowder inside

Some hair curlers

And a ring worn by Helen Mirren that she lost in the river whilst gardening

On our trip to London, we tried our hand at it and found it was much harder than we thought it would be. Our backs were hurting and we were all covered in mud.

If your wanting to give mudlarking a try, here's some tips:

You are going to want a permit or a tour because its illegal to mudlark without a permit
Check the tides, they move quickly so always check your timing
Wear hiking boots or rain boots to protect your feet from glass and mud
Bring gloves to avoid being cut
Don't wear anything too baggy
Wear clothes that can get dirty
Bring something to sit on because (trust me) even if the rock looks dry they aren't
Stay on the rocks don't venture into the mud
Watch your step the rocks are slippery
Don't mudlark in the rain or snow
Always wash your hands afterward
Have fun
And remember to report anything of importance that you find