I spend hours down on the foreshore of the river Thames in London searching for interesting artifacts! I am a 'Mudlark'. To do this I have a licence from the Port of London Authority which enables me to search and even dig on restricted parts of the Thames. During my years of Mudlarking I have found, amongst others, artifacts dating from prehistoric times such as fossils, coins dating from Roman times, buckles, buttons and badges from the medieval period, and a selection of gold and silver jewellery. My most valuable find was an 18-carat gold diamond and saphire ring valued at £1100. I do not use a metal detector but search the area using my eyes and a small trowel. The best time to do this is after a very low tide as there is more chance of something old emerging. I have had three articles published in Treasure Hunting magazine. I belong to a club called Thamesandfield where I mix with people who have a vast amount of knowledge and help me to identify my finds. At our club meetings we also have a Finds Liaison Officer to whom we show our items to have them recorded by The Museum of London. This is very important as an historical tally of items found in the Thames.
I am available for talks on my mudlarking experiences which include an interactive presentation of various finds.
