55. Thames Mudlarking, 15 March

 

This event was first held in Summer 2022 when numbers were slightly affected by travel disruptions and the extraordinary (hot) weather.  This time we merely had to cope with a tube strike and the last minute news that our guide had injured her back and could not come!  Fortunately the Mistress holds a Thames foreshore licence and so was able to stand in for the guide, with enthusiasm if not quite the same polished expertise.

Mudlarking or searching for items of interest on the Thames foreshore has a history back to Victorian times.  The tidal river washes over the foreshore twice a day, scouring into 2000 years of London history and revealing treasures from Roman times to the present.  You never know what you may find!

On this occasion our band of a dozen Company members and guests found a wealth of old clay pipes and strangely shaped metal items, together with pottery and china of various dates.  The star find was the neck of a salt glazed jug probably of German manufacture and dating from the 17th century.

Following the Lark we walked over the Millennium Bridge and enjoyed a most convivial lunch (as last time) at the Founders’ Arms. 

Both our Company Larks have been thoroughly enjoyed by all concerned and given that anything on the Thames must be relevant to our Company we may want to consider making it a regular event.

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