Londoners are used to the regular rise and fall of the River Thames as it snakes its way through the urban buzz, and those residing on its banks may keep one eye on the high tide tables. But what do you see when the water has retreated? A muddy mishmash of clutter and debris? Or an accumulation of 2000 years of history and your own personal treasure trove just waiting to be discovered?
Beachcombing on the Thames is a walk through London's history, as you step amongst an almost endless array of discarded items, some dating as far back as Roman Londinium. With each sweep of the tide the foreshore receives a fresh cache of artefacts - Elizabethan clay pipes, 500 year old roof tiles,
jewellery and pottery - anything that might have been thrown (or fallen) into the river since humans settled on its shores.
In the 18th and 19th century mudlarks, many of whom were children, probed the murk of the riverbed for whatever they could sell to eke out a meager living. Nowadays the term is used to describe the
enthusiasts that make a hobby of foraging for ancient waste scattered by the tide, and combing the shores of the Thames makes an absorbing pastime for adults and children alike. A search through the pebbles is bound to be rewarded with the thrill of a find - your own piece of the city's past.
Take a
guided beachcombing walk or strike out on your own and discover the natural museum that is the Thames at ebb tide.
Photo by David Williams
