The London Riverbank Where People Still Find Hundreds-of-Year-Old Objects
There is a strange part of London where the city seems to give up pieces of its past.
You can stand beside the Thames and look across at the London skyline, watch boats pass and see modern London moving around you. But when the tide goes out, the river reveals something much older.
Pottery.
Clay pipes.
Coins.
Buttons.
Tiles.
Glass.
Old pieces of metal.
Sometimes even objects that are centuries old.
This is the Thames foreshore, the exposed riverbank that appears at low tide. It has been described by the Port of London Authority as London's longest archaeological site, with finds dating as far back as 4500 BC.
And people still search it today.
They are known as mudlarks.
The fascinating part is that this isn't an archaeological site sitting behind a fence somewhere outside London. It runs through the city, beneath some of its most recognisable landmarks.
But there is a very important catch: you cannot simply walk onto the Thames foreshore and start digging for treasure.
So what exactly is down there, why does the Thames keep revealing it, and how can you experience this extraordinary part of London's history responsibly?
Why does the Thames have so many old objects?
The answer is partly London's history and partly the river itself.
For thousands of years, people have lived, worked and traded beside the Thames.
The river was a transport route, a source of food, an industrial workplace and, for centuries, effectively a place where people threw things away.
Objects that were lost, discarded or washed into the river could become buried in the mud and gravel.
Then the tide does something remarkable.
The Thames rises and falls twice a day, continually exposing and covering parts of the foreshore.
As the river removes sediment, objects that have been hidden for decades, centuries or even thousands of years can become visible.
The Thames Discovery Programme describes the river as effectively excavating its own archaeological site as the tides expose features and objects.
That's why a piece of London's history can suddenly appear where yesterday there seemed to be nothing.
This is where “mudlarking” comes in
Today, the word mudlarking usually refers to searching the Thames foreshore for historical objects.
But the original mudlarks weren't hobbyists looking for fascinating pieces of history.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, mudlarking was associated with London's poorest people, who searched the riverbank for anything they could sell or use.
The Thames Discovery Programme notes that historical mudlarks searched the foreshore as a means of survival. One early published description dates to 1796, when Patrick Colquhoun described people searching the Thames for items they could sell.
Today's mudlarks are doing something very different.
For many, it is essentially a form of amateur archaeology and historical discovery.
And the objects they find can tell us an extraordinary amount about everyday London.
So what can you actually find?
This is where things get fascinating.
You don't necessarily find enormous treasures.
In fact, some of the most interesting discoveries are tiny.
A broken piece of pottery.
A button.
A clay pipe stem.
A coin.
A fragment of glass.
An old tile.
Something that looks completely insignificant until someone explains what it is.
The Thames Discovery Programme has documented finds including pottery, clay pipes, coins, metal objects and other artefacts from different periods of London's history.
And sometimes the objects can be surprisingly specific.
At Deptford, for example, archaeological and mudlarking finds have included bones, pieces of clay tobacco pipes, pottery, metal and oyster shells. Specialists were able to identify a 16th-century pipe bowl alongside Victorian and pre-Victorian pottery.
Suddenly, a piece of broken clay isn't just a piece of broken clay.
It becomes a tiny connection to someone who lived in London hundreds of years ago.
Clay tobacco pipes are everywhere
One of the classic Thames foreshore finds is the humble clay tobacco pipe.
And there's a surprisingly good reason why so many pieces survive.
Clay pipes became part of everyday life in London from the late 16th century onwards, and many were effectively disposable objects.
The Thames Discovery Programme notes that pipe fragments are particularly common on the foreshore because these pipes were thrown away much like people discard cigarette ends today.
That means a tiny piece of clay can sometimes tell you something about the habits of ordinary Londoners centuries ago.
And because the pipe styles changed over time, archaeologists can sometimes use them to help date archaeological deposits.
You can even find traces of the Great Fire of London
Here's one of the more incredible details.
Parts of the Thames foreshore still contain charred material associated with London's historic fires, including material linked to the Great Fire of 1666.
The Thames Discovery Programme has documented charred and blackened tiles among foreshore finds, with specialists identifying material connected with the historic destruction of London.
Think about that for a moment.
You're standing beside the modern Thames.
Across the water are offices, skyscrapers and bridges.
And beneath your feet can be material connected to a London that existed more than 350 years ago.
Some discoveries are much, much older
The Thames isn't just a medieval and Victorian time capsule.
Its archaeological record goes back thousands of years.
The Port of London Authority states that Thames foreshore finds date back as far as 4500 BC.
Archaeological investigations have revealed evidence from prehistoric London, including remains associated with ancient landscapes that existed before the modern city.
The Thames Discovery Programme has also recorded prehistoric features and remains along the foreshore, including evidence of prehistoric forests.
So when someone says you can find “old things” along the Thames, that undersells it.
The riverbank can preserve evidence from thousands of years of human activity.
One mudlarker even found a Neolithic human skull fragment
This is probably one of the most extraordinary examples of what the Thames can reveal.
In 2019, a mudlarker searching the south bank found what initially looked like an unusual piece of material.
It turned out to be part of a human skull.
The discovery was reported to the authorities and specialists at the Museum of London examined it.
Radiocarbon dating placed the fragment at around 3,600 BC, making it the oldest human remains recovered through mudlarking from the Thames at the time of the discovery.
The fragment was subsequently donated to the Museum of London and displayed alongside other Neolithic material.
It is an extraordinary reminder that the Thames isn't just revealing lost possessions.
Sometimes it reveals evidence of the people who lived in Britain thousands of years ago.
And then there are the really strange finds
Not every discovery is a coin or a piece of pottery.
The Thames has produced an enormous variety of objects and structures.
Archaeological work has recorded things such as:
prehistoric woodland remains
Bronze Age structures
Anglo-Saxon fish traps
medieval and later pottery
old boats and ship timbers
Victorian objects
clay pipes
animal bones
coins
jewellery
toys
tools
The Thames Discovery Programme has even documented a 15th-century fish basket found on the Isle of Dogs.
That gives you an idea of just how much the river can reveal.
It's not one period.
It's layer after layer of London.
Why does the Thames preserve so much?
Because the river has effectively been interacting with London for thousands of years.
People have built beside it.
Worked beside it.
Travelled along it.
Fished in it.
Thrown things into it.
Lost things in it.
And constructed structures directly on its banks.
The Thames Discovery Programme has documented archaeological features ranging from prehistoric remains to medieval structures and industrial-era material.
The constantly changing foreshore then exposes pieces of that history.
But there's a downside.
The same process that reveals archaeological objects can also destroy them.
Once something is exposed to the elements, tides and erosion, it can deteriorate.
That's one reason responsible recording is so important.
Can you go mudlarking yourself?
Yes, but not in the casual way you might imagine.
This is probably the most important part of the article if you're thinking about trying it yourself.
The Port of London Authority currently regulates searching and excavation of the Thames foreshore west of the Thames Barrier, and its current rules state that you need an appropriate permit to search the foreshore. Digging or excavating without the appropriate permit is an offence under the Thames Byelaws.
So you shouldn't read this article and think:
“I'll just go down there tomorrow with a shovel.”
That's not how it works.
The PLA has specific areas where searching is restricted or prohibited, and its current code of practice requires permit holders to follow safety and archaeological rules.
What about simply walking along the river?
That's different.
There are publicly accessible stretches of the Thames foreshore and riverside, but access varies by location, and being able to reach a section of foreshore does not mean you're allowed to search or dig there.
The PLA specifically warns that some areas are restricted or prohibited and advises checking current information before going onto the foreshore.
So if you're interested in seeing the foreshore, the safest approach is to:
Check the current access information.
Check the tide.
Stay away from restricted areas.
Never assume that because other people are searching somewhere, you are automatically allowed to do the same.
The tide is not something to take lightly
This isn't an ordinary beach.
The Thames is a tidal working river, and the foreshore can become dangerous surprisingly quickly.
The Port of London Authority specifically warns visitors to check tide tables, understand alternative exit points and take care around slippery access points.
That means if you're going anywhere near the foreshore, don't simply look at a generic weather app and decide:
“Looks sunny. Let's go.”
You need to understand the tide.
A safe-looking stretch of exposed riverbed can become covered by water.
And please don't dig wherever you want
The archaeological value of the foreshore is precisely why uncontrolled digging can cause problems.
The PLA's current permit conditions restrict digging depths and prohibit mechanical tools. Permit holders must also refill excavated holes before leaving and before the next inundation of the tide.
There are also specific areas where searching or digging is prohibited, including the foreshore directly in front of the Tower of London and certain scheduled ancient monuments and exclusion areas.
So this isn't a free-for-all treasure hunt.
It's an archaeological resource.
What should you do if you find something important?
This is another reason mudlarking isn't simply about collecting souvenirs.
Some finds may have archaeological significance.
The responsible thing is to record and report significant discoveries through the appropriate archaeological channels.
The Thames Discovery Programme notes that modern mudlarks with permits record finds with the Portable Antiquities Scheme, contributing information to the archaeological record.
And the Museum of London has confirmed that mudlarked finds continue to enter its collection.
That's an important distinction.
The real value of a find isn't necessarily that you get to take home something old.
It's that someone can understand where it came from, what it is and what it tells us about London.
The Thames is basically London's accidental archive
Think about a modern London street.
If someone drops a button today, there's a good chance it disappears into a bin, drain or pavement crack.
But imagine a city where thousands of years of objects have accumulated along the same river.
Now add the tide.
Every time the river exposes another section of foreshore, pieces of that archive become visible.
That's why mudlarking can feel so strange.
You aren't necessarily discovering something spectacular.
You might pick up a tiny piece of pottery that someone used hundreds of years ago.
A fragment of a pipe.
A button from someone's clothing.
A piece of a bottle.
And suddenly the distance between modern London and old London feels very small.
You can see centuries of London without leaving the riverbank
This is what makes the Thames foreshore such a fascinating part of London.
You can stand beside some of the most modern parts of the city and look down at objects that belong to completely different Londons.
A medieval London of traders and merchants.
A Tudor London of pipes, pottery and river traffic.
A Georgian London of expanding industry.
A Victorian London of enormous docks and working riverbanks.
And even prehistoric landscapes from thousands of years before London existed as the city we know today.
The Thames has been there through all of it.
It's not really about finding treasure
That's probably the biggest misconception.
You might imagine mudlarking as someone walking along the river with a metal detector, looking for gold coins.
But some of the most meaningful finds are ordinary objects.
A toy.
A button.
A piece of pottery.
A pipe.
A tile.
A bottle.
Something that tells you how ordinary people lived.
That's why the Thames foreshore is so valuable.
Grand buildings tell us about the people who had money and power.
The objects found in the mud can tell us about everyone else.
London's past is literally beneath your feet
There are few places in London where the city's history feels this physical.
You don't have to look at an old photograph.
You don't have to walk through a museum case.
You can stand beside the Thames and see the layers for yourself.
The river has exposed prehistoric remains, Roman material, medieval objects, Tudor and Georgian artefacts, Victorian rubbish and countless pieces of everyday life. Archaeological projects along the foreshore have documented thousands of objects and features across different periods.
And that's why the next time you're walking beside the Thames, it's worth looking down.
Because that muddy riverbank that looks almost ordinary may be hiding something that has been sitting there for hundreds or thousands of years.
London isn't only above ground.
Some of its best stories are still sitting in the mud.
If you want to discover more unusual London stories, hidden history and places with a story behind them, visit LondonYaar.com.
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