Twice a day, London’s river tides reveal the foreshore along the Thames along with some of the treasures hidden in the mud, from Celtic, Roman and Viking artefacts on – now on display in a fascinating new exhibition at the London Museum Docklands, where I got an early look for this Secrets of the Thames review.
review visit*
The first major exhibition on the city’s mudlarks, Secrets of the Thames not only shares some of the most outstanding finds, it introduces you to the history of mudlarking, from its early days to how modern mudlarks operate, weaving in artwork inspired by the practice plus some interactive fun.
Along the way, you can see more than 350 mudlarked objects on show, including a Celtic shield, Viking-era dagger, Medieval spectacles, a Tudor headdress, 16th century wig curlers, a 18th century false teeth, and a whole room dedicated to the Romans.
There are stories of the first mudlarks, accidental archaeologists who were only looking to make money as they combed the banks (and a few enterprising mudlarks who decided to speed up the process and create their own ‘ancient’ finds), plus stories of today’s mudlarks – you need skill, patience and a licence to head out in the 21st century.
As you step inside, a replica of the head of the Emperor Hadrian stares solemnly out, a reminder that London has been a thriving city for around 2,000 years – and the river has been everything from a major highway to a dumping ground and a sacred site over all those centuries.
The earliest mudlarks weren’t interested in the history though. Mostly women and children, they were scavenging for anything that they could use or sell – lumps of coal, pieces of rope, anything of value.
But as they looked, they often discovered other items lost in the silt for hundreds of years.
As mudlarking was first recorded in the 17th century, people were getting more interested in history and antiquities, so a new trade quickly began in these archaeological finds… lucrative enough that a couple of enterprising mudlarks decided to create their own ‘ancient’ finds.
The Shadwell shams, several of which are on display, included faked pilgrim badges and figures of kings, cleverly aged using acid and river mud – although as Billy and Charley, the pair behind the frauds, were illiterate, they were less successful making coins with gibberish inscribed around the edges to represent the words which should be there.
And that’s all before you’ve moved into the main gallery, set around a recreation of the Thames foreshore, complete with replicas of genuine finds hidden amid the rubbish and stones – if you can spot them (eyes only).
Peering at the muddy-looking surface, dotted with bits of plastic and bone, I wasn’t sure of seeing anything!
Then you’re whisked on a journey through London’s history, from early inhabitants including the Saxons (and the Vikings drawn by Lundenwic’s increasing wealth) through its increasing importance as a port city, trading around the world, including the trade in enslaved people whose enforced labour brought sugar, coffee and tobacco to London.
Along the way, you can see the decorative Battersea Shield, dating from the Iron Age and discovered by Battersea Bridge in the mid 19th century, as well as the horned bronze Waterloo Helmet, also more than 2,000 years old, dredged up by Waterloo Bridge. But there are also more everyday items: pipes, twists of tobacco, tiny ships created to be toys for children.
Even more fascinating are the stories behind them: a miniature ivory sundial dating from around 1550-1650 travelled all the way from Germany only to somehow end up in the waters of the Thames, where mudlarks found each half in the same place eight years apart, reunited again here.
And there’s plenty to remind us that while life in London has changed dramatically, the things which occupy Londoners are often very much the same – love, loss, religion, fashion, food and drink, sickness, crime and punishment.
Wig curlers, like the ones on display, might have fallen right out of fashion but the bright colours and decorative studs of a medieval leather belt might still appeal.
Finding Roman offerings given to their gods and goddesses might seem like a tradition from the mists of time, but mudlarks have also found 20th century Hindu sacred objects offered in the same way, as well as a Sri Lankan amulet which seems likely to have fallen in by accident, just as medieval pilgrim tokens did hundreds of years back.
There’s ‘rubbish’ too; bones and shells, knives, spoons and even a 17th century bottle, along with current day crisp wrappers and empty cans. Look out for some marvellous medical inventions, from a glass eye to 18th century false teeth, plus evidence of some less successful treatments.
Or imagine the love stories behind the rings, complete with hidden inscriptions, as well as a shilling bent into an S-shape and given by an Elizabethan lover to their sweetheart. From games to chains used on criminals, you could find every aspect of life concealed and then revealed by the river’s tides.
There’s plenty to get you thinking as well. What will future mudlarks find of our present-day civilisation, for example, a question inspiring a sculpture by Kabir Hussain using a hire bike which was fished out of the Thames docks.
But while that’s easily one of the most fascinating parts of the exhibition, Secrets of the Thames also looks at the next step once a mudlark has fished something out of the mud, with a recreation of the office of London Museum Docklands’ Stuart Wyatt, whose job it is to document and research the finds.
These days mudlarks have to be licensed, so you can’t just wander down to the banks and start digging and all finds over 300 years old are brought to the museum. The most fascinating pieces, he says, are the ones with a story behind them – and while eye-catching pieces like the Celtic shield and helmet stick in visitors’ minds, plenty of apparently simple finds have their own tale to tell.
A red clay pipe, for example, only made for a short period in Jamaica as an easily disposable item rather than something to be traded, and which has somehow found its way from the Caribbean to London.
Elsewhere, Delft tiles were fished from their hiding place beneath the river; intended for the old Palace of Westminster, we can only guess why they never made it – a clumsy unloading perhaps? And with the old palace destroyed and replaced, this single box may be the only evidence they were used.
This is one of the most interactive parts of the exhibition, with the chance to look at several finds on the replica desk, open drawers, see a shard of pottery close up on a screen and get hands on drawing your own version of finds in the sketchpad provided.
Realistically, the exhibition is best for older kids, especially tweens and teens with an interest in history, with no specific children’s trail or other activities. Although the chance to see buried treasure, hidden for centuries before being unearthed is going to appeal to all ages.
If kids are learning about the Romans, the penultimate room is all about Roman items which have survived the centuries – remarkably, many of them found in a small stretch of foreshore known as ‘the Roman hole’, close to the first London bridge.
Some are tiny, like the intaglios made from glass and gems, set into rings to be used as seals; some are much larger, including the biggest amphora fragment found in the Thames. Made in Spain as much as 2,050 years ago, it was used to transport olive oil, and it’s fun to speculate how it found itself in the river instead.
Elsewhere, you’ll find statues of gods and goddesses, tiles from Roman homes, even hair pins and pieces from games.
To finish, there’s a reminder of one thing which makes all this possible – the moon, governing the tides which repeatedly cover and uncover the shore, hiding these treasures and everyday items alike, and helping to reveal them many years later.
So the final gallery, along with a few audio tracks from mudlarks and videos of them by the river, houses a Luke Jerram moon sculpture, an unexpectedly tranquil encouragement to pause and think about everything you’ve just seen – and what other secrets might be hidden by the Thames.
Easily one of the most unusual and absorbing exhibitions in London this year.
Secrets of the Thames exhibition: Need to know
The Secrets of the Thames exhibition runs to March 2026, with tickets priced from £16 for adults while kids under 12 are free.
Entry into the main museum itself is also free with various kids’ trails to follow and the Mudlarks interactive play area for kids aged 8 and under (£3.50, prebooking strongly recommended).
Disclosure: My entry to the exhibition was free for the purposes of review – all opinions in my Secrets of the Thames review are my own
Images copyright MummyTravels
