Mudlarking on the Thames

[Artaxerxes]

I googled mudlarking and found this thread do you need permits to do it in the rest of the country? I don't think anyone would notice if I went and poked about the mud. There was tons of industry here so I think there might be some interesting stuff waiting to be found!

You need a licence to dig and there are parts you need to avoid due to being Scheduled Ancient Monuments.

But walking the foreshore and having a poke and search for something cool is quite fun. I was amazed how many animal bones there are down by Greenwich.

 

[heinous seamus]

Went and had a poke about last week and this is what I found:

Tbh most of it was washed up already, I did trying a bit of digging / scraping about but all I managed to uncover was rocks.

 

[Gerry1time]

Most of that's modern-ish (1800's onwards) but the big bit top middle looks like it might be a little older, is it glazed on the other side?

 

[quimcunx]

You need a licence to dig and there are parts you need to avoid due to being Scheduled Ancient Monuments.

But walking the foreshore and having a poke and search for something cool is quite fun. I was amazed how many animal bones there are down by Greenwich.

No poking allowed. That counts as mudlarking as I found out.

 

[Artaxerxes]

Looks like theres a bit of clay pipe in that picture, so possibly 1600's-1700's

No poking allowed. That counts as mudlarking as I found out.

Depends on how vigorous you get

 

[quimcunx]

I am a Victorian law breaker.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Most of that's modern-ish (1800's onwards) but the big bit top middle looks like it might be a little older, is it glazed on the other side?

The Nokia? Probably glazed, yeah.

 

[Ponyutd]

Just to make you feel inadequte...a fortnight ago I found a late neolithic, earley Bronze age hand tool. Currently with the Museum of London. My best find ever, even better than the Roman ring I found, also with the museum of London.

Still well pleased with my self.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Just to make you feel inadequte...a fortnight ago I found a late neolithic, earley Bronze age hand tool. Currently with the Museum of London. My best find ever, even better than the Roman ring I found, also with the museum of London.

Still well pleased with my self.

My dad fund a bronze age spear head in the Thames near Staines in the 80's. The British Museum offered him £200 for it but he turned it down and still has it. You could still kill someone with it today if so
Inclined.

 

[RubyToogood]

Just to make you feel inadequte...a fortnight ago I found a late neolithic, earley Bronze age hand tool. Currently with the Museum of London. My best find ever, even better than the Roman ring I found, also with the museum of London.

Still well pleased with my self.

Pic.

My dad fund a bronze age spear head in the Thames near Staines in the 80's. The British Museum offered him £200 for it but he turned it down and still has it. You could still kill someone with it today if so
Inclined.

Pic.

 

[heinous seamus]

Just to make you feel inadequte...a fortnight ago I found a late neolithic, earley Bronze age hand tool. Currently with the Museum of London. My best find ever, even better than the Roman ring I found, also with the museum of London.

Still well pleased with my self.

That's great, but I just plugged the nokia in and it still works.

 

[Ponyutd]

Also,You'll have to wait till December when all the paper work is done. For some reason I didn't photograph it

 

[T & P]

My dad fund a bronze age spear head in the Thames near Staines in the 80's. The British Museum offered him £200 for it but he turned it down and still has it. You could still kill someone with it today if so
Inclined.

So as long as you are licensed and report the finds, you are actually allowed to keep them all? Or does it depend on the nature & historical importance of the artefact?

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

So as long as you are licensed and report the finds, you are actually allowed to keep them all? Or does it depend on the nature & historical importance of the artefact?

AFAIK it depends where you find it. There's all sorts of treasure trove regulations,sometimes the state must pay you cash, other times you can keep it but must share it with the landowner etc.

Where my dad found this thing was downstream of the London Stone, so the river belongs to the Corporation of London, I think. But that didn't seem to be an issue. The British Museum has loads of these things, so it's not that important and wouldn't be displayed.

Feels fucking awesome holding it.

 

[Ponyutd]

Little Pewter whistle from the Thames.
Why wouldn't you make a whistle look like a gun!?

 

[Puddy_Tat]

blog post on 'tideline art' - tracing the life of a WW1 veteran from a luggage tag found on the Thames foreshore.

(i did a small bit of research for this following from a post on tweeter)

 

[blossie33]

blog post on 'tideline art' - tracing the life of a WW1 veteran from a luggage tag found on the Thames foreshore.

(i did a small bit of research for this following from a post on tweeter)

Thanks, that's a very interesting read
I'm not sentimental but I find those sort of personal histories fascinating.

 

[editor]

Some pics:








The River Thames at low tide: mudlarkers, sunbathers and bridges – 30 photos

 

[editor]

Bones and pipes

Mudlarkers should have no problem finding the discarded stems of broken clay pipes.

They were so cheap to make that they were one-use disposable items, often sold prefilled with tobacco (known as ‘Penny Pipes’).

Once the tobacco had been smoked, there was no further use for the pipe, and it was common to snap off the head before throwing it into the Thames.

The north bank of the Thames at low tide: bridges, chains, nets and some mudlarking -

Following on from last week's walk along the south bank of the Thames, I returned to take a stroll along the north bank at low tide. Under Cannon Street station. Looking east towards The Shard. Old brickwork and chains. The River Walbrook joins the Thames to the west of this viewpoint. Looking...

www.urban75.org

 

[hash tag]

This saturday https://thamesfestivaltrust.org/whats-on/mudlarking-exhibition-cutlers-hall-4935/

 

[mango5]

I have a spare ticket for this on Thursday morning. It's mudlarking-adjacent. Anyone interested in joining me?

Join us on an exciting volunteering experience of clearing the dredged Hertford Union Canal near Victoria Park.
Join us between 10am and 2pm on the Hertford Union Canal for a satisfying days’ work at this popular spot. We'll be clearing the dredged part of the Canal before it gets refilled at the end of the month.

 

[hash tag]

I have a spare ticket for this on Thursday morning. It's mudlarking-adjacent. Anyone interested in joining me?

Would love to and have done similar a few times. A great thing to do, it can be interesting. I mustn't due to compromised immune system these days

 

[mango5]

Bumping this thread for the evening crowd

 

[spitfire]

Bumping this thread for the evening crowd

I'd like to but have to work and also pick up parents from the airport, I go past it every day would love to see what's in there.

 

[hash tag]

There is a lot of mudlarking stuff going on at the museum of London Docklands at the moment inc. Hands on stuff this weekend

Mudlarking showcase

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to hold history in your hands and hear the stories behind these ancient artefacts.

www.museumoflondon.org.uk

 

[tim]

Just to make you feel inadequte...a fortnight ago I found a late neolithic, earley Bronze age hand tool. Currently with the Museum of London. My best find ever, even better than the Roman ring I found, also with the museum of London.

Still well pleased with my self.

Nice to know that Ponyutd's efforts to record the history of London's foreshore will be remembered by future generations. I wonder if Samantha ever got the opportunity to blow the little pewter whistle.

 

[hash tag]

Fantastic exhibition. There were about 20 mudlarkers there. We chatted to a chap who had a pipe bowl that possibly survived the great fire.