Book review: ‘Thames Mudlarking’ by Jason Sandy & Nick Stevens

Thames ‘mudlarks’ are dedicated amateur archaeologists who seek washed-up treasures on the mud-, sand-, and shingle-banks of the River Thames in and around London.

London is a city with a long history. Thames Mudlarking takes us on a whistle-stop tour from pre-historic times to the present day. Each chapter gives a broad overview of a particular period in the city’s history, then describes the types of artefacts from that period that have been recovered by mudlarkers, from fossils and flint arrowheads to messages in pop bottles.

My first impression of this booklet was that it resembled a beautifully illustrated museum exhibition catalogue. In many ways, that’s exactly what it is, as many of the finds described and illustrated now reside in museums.

A very nice little book.