Mudlarking has become all the rage in recent years.
Books by the likes of Lara Maiklem fly off the shelves, while mudlarking itself is such a popular pursuit, licences to scour the shores of London have stopped being handed out for the foreseeable future.
Now, the London Museum Docklands has announced it will run what it's calling the first major exhibition on mudlarking. Secrets of the Thames: Mudlarking London's Lost Treasures will run from 4 April 2025-1 March 2026, sharing incredible finds from the Thames foreshore. Items on display include a Tudor wool knitted hat, a medieval gold ring inscribed with the phrase: "For love I am given", an elaborately decorated Viking-era dagger which belonged to someone called Osmund, a bosun's whistle with what appears to be a dog on it, and a pair of 18th century false teeth.
Kate Sumnall, Curator at London Museum, said: "We are lucky in London to have this amazing tidal river environment that has preserved so much of our past. It is the longest archaeological site in London and here we find an unbelievably rich selection of finds... Secrets of the Thames will showcase some of these fascinating objects and their journey from discovery to joining the museum.
"Above all, it will be an exploration of love and desire, faith and loss, migration, community and culture. The stories of generations of people who have visited the city or called it home."
Mudlarking was originally a job for some of the poorest people in London, who scavenged the city's beaches for things like lumps of coal and pieces of rope, which they could then hope to sell. Today, it's an extremely popular hobby, with around 5,000 permits issued.
Secrets of the Thames: Mudlarking London's Lost Treasures, 4 April 2025-1 March 2026. Tickets on sale from February 2024
