I just returned this week from (what was supposed to be) a quick jaunt to London. I planned the weekend getaway around a special exhibition at the London Museum Docklands: Secrets of the Thames. Discovering relics from the past has always been an interest of mine, and for the last couple of years I have been following a handful of mudlarks on Instagram. Mudlarks scour waterways, especially along the banks of the Thames in London, for items of historical or monetary value.
“Mudlarks have been drawn to the water’s edge for hundreds of years, if not longer, searching for bits and pieces that could be sold. Today’s mudlarks are excited by the sense of discovery, of knowing that they are the first person to touch something in potentially hundreds or even thousands of years.”
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| Entrance, London Museum Docklands © Chelsea Pathiakis |
The items on display ran the full gamut, from an Iron Age helmet dating to 150-50 BCE (found in 1868), to a Medieval era leather belt with decorative studs, to Peter Fleming’s stolen Wimbledon medals, found by mudlarks and returned to their rightful owner (Fleming loaned the medals to the museum for the exhibit). Lost to the water were knives, swords, rings, shields, soldiers’ shoes, intaglios, and hair pins, as well as statuettes and figurines that were likely gifted to the river for religious or ritual purposes.
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| Iron Age Helmet, c. 150-50 BCE |
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| Fashion Finds |
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| Peter Fleming's Returned Medals |
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| Offerings to the Thames |
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| Various Found Knives |
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| Rapier, c. 1594 |
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| Various Found Rings |
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| Hairpins |
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| Intaglios |
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| Soldier's Shoe Soles |
Modern mudlarks require permits from the Port of London Authority – before the pandemic, there were 250 active permits. During lockdown, that number rose to 5,000, and is now capped to protect the waterways.
Before I left, a friend recommended a book:
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner, “a dual-timeline historical fiction novel about a secret 18th-century London apothecary that sells poisons to women seeking revenge on men, and a modern-day woman who uncovers its mystery while dealing with her own marital problems, linking their stories through a forgotten crime.” The modern-day woman, Caroline, finds an old apothecary vial while exploring the shores of the Thames with a group of mudlarks. I don’t want to spoil any more of the story, but it really was the perfect accompanying text to this trip.
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| The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner |
Because of the massive snowstorm due to hit New York just after I left, my flight home was cancelled, and I found myself in London for two extra days. Sunday through Tuesday, I decided to roam London and discovered I had muscle memory for the city tucked away from when I visited seven years ago. More than once I stumbled upon areas I’d intentionally looked for last time. I did take the Tube to areas I haven't explored before, like Marble Arch, Mayfair, and Canary Wharf. I also sought out a few new-to-me bookstores and stationery shops (Present & Correct was an immediate favorite), felt like a kid in a candy store at the London Graphic Center, and had the customary fish, chips, and a (half) pint.
All of the above © Chelsea Pathiakis
I can’t wait to visit again.
