Roman hair pins, 18th century curling tongs and medieval adorned belts are among the many many beguiling reveals on present at a brand new main exhibition on mudlarking, now open at London Museum Docklands.
For many Londoners, the River Thames is one thing we solely actually consider when travelling throughout it, however do you know it’s recognised internationally as an necessary archeological website? That is due to the mudlarks who yearly are making outstanding discoveries on the Thames foreshore at low tide, uncovering objects which can be typically a whole bunch and typically hundreds of years outdated.
Mudlarking was traditionally a commerce of the Victorian poor, however at the moment hundreds of London mudlarks (licensed via the Port of London Authority) spend many hours looking the moist clay of the foreshore for finds, that are then logged with the London Museum.
“Due to the dedication and experience of at the moment’s mudlarks,” explains Secrets and techniques of the Thames curator Kate Sumnall, “we’re always uncovering new objects that inform our understanding of historical past. Secrets and techniques of the Thames showcases a few of these fascianting objects and their journey from discovery to becoming a member of the museum. Above all, it’s an exploration of affection and want, religion and loss, migration, neighborhood and tradition.”
Each object – from false enamel to sundials, gold rings to spectacles – is a window into the lifetime of Londoners of the previous. Among the many most important Thames finds on present are the Iron Age Battersea Defend and Viking period dagger. Put together to be transported via London’s wealthy historical past in a totally new approach.
Secrets and techniques of the Thames is open at London Museum Docklands till March 2026.
