At low tide, the muddy shores of the London Thames turn into a singular theater where the past resurfaces. Between the pebbles and the sediments, this river steeped in history gradually reveals the vestiges of a city in perpetual change. Simple tools forgotten with extremely rare artifacts, each object torn from the mud tells a fragment of life, long engulfed and then revealed by the movements of the river.
They recovered pieces of charcoal, ropes, metal or wood to pull some rooms. Over time, this research attracted the attention of the first antique dealers, who began to buy the ancient objects found in the mud. Thus began to build up the first collections of museums, as recalled by the curator Kate Sumnall in The Times.
Today, Mudlarking is strictly supervised. Only 4,000 licenses are issued each year by the port of London. The excavations can only be carried out in surface, at low tide, and any discovery must be reported to the archaeological authorities. Behind this supervision hides a passionate community, guided by respect for the river and history, as secret London points out.
What the objects found in the London Thames reveal
The Thames bed conceals thousands of unsuspected objects, superbly preserved thanks to the anaerobic nature of its mud. Without oxygen, it protects the most fragile materials, including leather, wood or ivory. M medieval shoes were thus found there, 17th century clay pipes, glass pearls, buttons, toys, old weapons or even engagement rings.
Kate Sumnall even evokes a medieval comb engraved with phallic patterns, an object that is both enigmatic and revealing language games of the Anglo-Norman era. Other discoveries are surprised by their rarity, such as an Native American pipe from the 17th century, one of the only known copies in Europe, or a Georgian medallion in intact mother -of -pearl, saved in extremis of currents.
Each year, the London Museum records around 700 finds, some of which join the public collections. A golden ring from the 17th century, a Viking dagger or a bottle of poison with the explicit message “Not to be Taken” (not to be consumed), are among the 350 objects currently exhibited in Docklands.
A museum at the service of citizen discoveries
The Secrets of the Thames exhibition, inaugurated on April 4 at the London Museum Docklands, is the first to fully devote its windows to Mudlarking. It presents these unpublished objects, but also the journey of those who found them. The museum has reconstituted a beach of the Thames inside the exhibition, to allow visitors to put themselves in the shoes of a treasure researcher.
The researchers carefully record the objects, study them, then sometimes integrate them into the collections. The institutions recognize the work of Mudlarks as a real contribution to the historical knowledge of London. Kate Sumnall insists on this essential collaboration between curious citizens and scientific institutions.
Over the decades, this activity has thus become a refuge for many Londoners. Some people find a calm after personal tests, others a feeling of belonging to a collective memory.
As Jason Sandy tells, an enthusiast interviewed in The Times, “the river is both a place of calm and an infinite source of forgotten stories”. For those who frequent it regularly, the Thames is therefore not only a river: it is a swallowed clock that beats to the rhythm of the centuries.
With an unwavering passion for local news, Christopher leads our editorial team with integrity and dedication. With over 20 years’ experience, he is the backbone of Wouldsayso, ensuring that we stay true to our mission to inform.
