Mudlarking: Ancient Treasures from the Thames
By Jason Sandy
Tower Bridge and the Thames (Jason Sandy).
The moon’s gravitational pull on the water exposes the riverbed, which becomes Britain’s longest archaeological site at low tide.
After a short night’s sleep, I dragged myself out of bed to go mudlarking on a crisp, sunny morning. I was still tired when I arrived on the Thames foreshore, exposed by the outgoing tide. The warm sunlight greeted me as I stopped for a moment to enjoy the view of houseboats bobbing up and down on the river, with Tower Bridge and the London skyline in the distance. When I go mudlarking, I’m often “in the zone” and forget to look up and appreciate the beautiful scenery around me. Today I couldn’t ignore the breathtaking cityscape before me.
Medieval leather infant’s shoe (Jason Sandy). Medieval shoe on display in London Museum Docklands (Jason Sandy).
Getting down to business, I began searching for long lost historical objects lying on the surface of the riverbed. While focusing on irregular shapes that catch my interest, I spotted an unusual piece of leather sticking out of the mud. I bent down and carefully extracted the leather object which came out in two pieces. After a gentle rinse in the river, I was amazed to see a complete leather shoe (above left). Even the leather shoestrings were still attached!
On land, this leather shoe would not have survived. Fortunately, the mud of the River Thames is anaerobic (no oxygen). When the shoe was dropped in the river, the mud must have quickly encapsulated it and perfectly preserved it for centuries. After showing the shoe to Kate Sumnall, a curator at the London Museum, I donated it to the museum because it is one of the smallest medieval shoes ever discovered in London. Based on the size (5-1/4 inches long), the museum thinks the shoe could have been worn by an infant in the 1400–1500s. Following the conservation procedure, the special shoe was on display (above right) in the major exhibition called “Secrets of the Thames” in London Museum Docklands. It was the first large-scale exhibition about mudlarking curated by the museum.
Medieval leather cover from a book of prayers (London Museum). Illustration of the book cover design (Artwork by Charlie Dixon).
One of the most extraordinary and rare artifacts on display in the new exhibition was a leather cover from a medieval book of prayers (above left). According to Kate, the curator of the exhibition, “It’s an everyday book. It’s not a posh book which would have ended up in libraries and collections. Although there are still medieval books which survive from that era, we have very few books of prayer that would have been in so many Londoners’ homes. These books are sometimes called primers as they were used to teach children to read at home. It gives a real insight into who could read within London society. We’re used to thinking that only the rich, the nobility, the powerful, or the religious could read. But we often forget that a lot of the merchants, their wives, and children were literate. Kids learned to read by using this book. It was the gateway to literacy, which opened up so many people’s worlds.”
Dating to the 1500s, the front of the book binding is decorated with a man wearing armor with a dog at his feet (above right). On the reverse, St. George is depicted slaying the dragon. “Often the religious scene was put on the back cover,” Kate explained. “With modern books, it’s all about the front cover, and the spine is very important because that’s how it’s featured on people’s bookshelves. In medieval times, there weren’t that many books, and they would have been stored flat on the shelf with the back cover face up. So, the most important image was put on the back of the book.” This special artifact has been acquired by the London Museum for its permanent collection.
Roman drinking cup (Malcolm Russell). Roman pottery vessels on display in the London Museum Docklands (Jason Sandy).
During a super low Spring tide in 2023, Malcolm Russell discovered an unusual Roman artifact (above left). According to Kate, “This is an incredibly rare vessel. It is a two-handled drinking cup which was probably used during religious ceremonies. We have found a parallel from a Mithraeum in Germany. There was a Mithraeum also in London, but we are not certain if these special drinking cups are only associated with the worship of the god Mithras or if they had a wider use in temples and other religious ceremonies. I don’t think it was made in Britain or London, it was probably imported by ship along the river. Maybe it was on its way to the Mithraeum.” Although we are not exactly sure why the pot has been punctured in three locations, the holes could have been intentionally created to use the drinking cup for another purpose. Inside the vessel, there is a burnt resin-like substance. It is possible that it could have been used in a temple for burning fragrant incense, like a modern-day censer or thurible. This special vessel was displayed with another pot (above right), which mudlark Ed Bucknall found with its original contents.
Roman amphora after excavation by Monika, Ed, and Guy (Jaime Rory Lucy). Tip of the Roman amphora sticking out of the foreshore (Jaime Rory Lucy).
“During a low tide in March 2024, something tantalizingly revealed itself!” explains mudlark Guy Phillips. “Just a small triangular sherd could be seen sticking out of the mud (above right). After initial fruitless attempts to pull it out, it was clear this was an ‘iceberg of a sherd’… so much more below the surface than above it! What followed was special … a collaborative effort that emphasized how wonderful this mudlarking community can be.”
After the initial discovery, the London Museum was immediately notified, and they quickly obtained special permission from the Port of London Authority to excavate and extract the artifact. The following morning, Guy returned to the find spot with Kate, Ed, and Monika Buttling-Smith. Frustratingly, the tide took longer to recede and reveal the tip of the large pottery sherd. The team of mudlarks patiently waited until the sherd reappeared at low tide. While other mudlarks looked on, they quickly and carefully extracted a colossal Roman amphora (and surrounding context material of potential interest) before the tide turned and concealed the find spot again (above left).
Roman amphora on display in the London Museum Docklands (Guy Phillips. Guy with amphora biscuits (Jason Sandy).
Slowly and gently, they carried the heavy amphora to the nearest steps up to street level and loaded it into Monika’s car. She transported it directly to the museum (middle right).
Dating to AD 50–300, this amphora (storage jar) was made in Baetica, Spain. Although there are many different types of amphorae, this spherical vessel would have been used to transport large quantities of olive oil on ships around the Roman Empire.
According to Kate, “It’s the largest fragment of amphora that has been found in the Thames. It’s a Spanish amphora which would have contained olive oil. I love the fact that it’s missing the proper stamped ‘MAR,’ and instead, it’s been scratched on the surface a couple of times. MAR refers to possibly the name of the owner of the olive estate or maybe relates to a specific place name.”
“It seems plausible that it came on a ship from Spain, and something happened to it, maybe on board the ship, maybe dropped during the unloading. These were the most common amphora on the western side of the Roman Empire, and they are evidence of how popular olive oil was to the Romans.”
Guy thinks the oil once contained in the amphora “may well have filled the lamps that illuminated Londinium nearly 2,000 years ago. Amphoras were typically broken up and used as building material or sometimes concealed in burials. To find such an enormous piece as this was a particularly special and extraordinary moment.” It was one of the star finds in the exhibition, and the museum shop even sells tins of “Luxury All Butter Shortbread” cookies (above right) with an image of Guy’s amphora on it.
Over the past two hundred years, many spectacular Roman artifacts have been discovered in the Thames. In the river near London Bridge, a large, bronze bust of Emperor Hadrian was recovered in 1834. The head was part of an impressive statue of Hadrian that may have been erected to commemorate Hadrian’s visit to Britain in AD 122.
Venus figurine fresh from the Thames (Ed Bucknall). Venus statuette in London Museum’s collection (London Museum).
Mudlarks have also found Roman statuettes in the Thames. A few years ago, Ed discovered a statuette of the goddess Venus (above left) which is similar to other Roman figurines in the London Museum’s collection. Venus appears to be getting ready for a bath, naked, and holding her robe in her left hand. Although many white clay figurines depicting different gods and mythological figures have been found in London, Venus was by far the most popular. According to the London Museum, “These were commonly used in household shrines, some temples, and also children’s graves. They may have ended up in the river as rubbish but could have been offerings. The majority were made from pipeclay in France or Germany. They were brought to Londinium via the Thames.” Venus is the goddess of love, beauty, fertility, and prosperity. Therefore, these figurines were popular as shrines at home. For people who could not afford statuettes made of stone or bronze, potters used inexpensive white clay to mass-produce these figurines. Over 50 examples have been found in London, primarily on waterfront sites along the Thames.
“Secrets of the Thames” mudlarking exhibition in London Museum Docklands (London Museum).
One of the special features of the exhibition was a giant, glowing moon installation (below) designed by artist Luke Jerram. Mudlarking is only possible because of the moon’s gravitational pull on the river. In Central London, the water levels rise and fall between 23 and 33 feet twice a day, exposing the riverbed, which becomes Britain’s longest archaeological site at low tide.
Moon installation by Luke Jerram (London Museum).
In this special lunar gallery of the exhibition, the museum offered package deals for wedding proposals. “Under the soft glow of the moonlight, couples can connect with the natural rhythms of the river, creating memories that will last a lifetime. With its peaceful atmosphere, steeped in the history of London’s great river, the exhibition and moon installation provide the picture-perfect place for making such an important commitment to one another,” explains the museum. What a romantic way for mudlarks to get engaged!
If you would like to see more artifacts from London's past, you can visit the London Museum Docklands in Canary Wharf. For more information about the museum and current exhibitions, visit www.londonmuseum.org.uk.
Mudlarking on the Thames Foreshore requires a permit. Learn about rules for mudlarking in London ›
Learn more about mudlarking
Learn more about the experiences of mudlarks, who search the shores of rivers, bays, and seas for historical finds and other objects Articles ›
This article appeared in Beachcombing Magazine Volume 51 November/December 2025.
