THAMES
MUDLARK PLA L3 / 0417
Field record No. 8351°30′27″ N · 0°05′16″ W

Licensed foreshore historian · Lower Thames

What the river
refuses to keep.

At low water, London turns a page. I read its edges in silt, pipe stems and blue-glazed crumbs—then leave the river lighter than I found it.

Enter the tide window

01 / FIELD SIMULATION

Work the
foreshore

The river is covering the record. Drag the tide marker toward 06:42—or watch the water withdraw. When the blue field opens, brush a glint until its true edge appears.

Carry the raking light · brush a glint · retain its grid

SIMULATED TIME05:51
HEIGHT AT LONDON BRIDGE2.8 m
FORESHORE STATUSRIVER OVER

Move the slider toward low water to expose the foreshore.

TIDE GATE / QH–4 Water over record

The working line is still under tidal water.

F83·01
F83·02
F83·03
F83·04

02 / READING THE LAYERS

Four objects.
Four Londons.

A date is never guessed from romance. Material, manufacture, river wear and the layer it left all argue together.

1953Elizabeth II
F83·04 / CU ALLOY

Coronation penny

The shoulder portrait and toothed border fix the issue. Bright edge abrasion says decades of river roll, not centuries in situ.

c.1680Restoration wharf
F83·01 / KAOLIN

Clay pipe bowl

A small heel and tight 7/64-inch bore narrow the bowl to 1670–1690. Soot in the chamber survives the Thames wash.

c.1540Tudor city
F83·02 / CU ALLOY

Dress pin

A wound-wire head and drawn shank match pins common after 1480. It came from a compact grey lens below Victorian rubble.

c.120Londinium
F83·03 / CERAMIC

Box-flue tessera

One face carries combed adhesive; the red fabric holds fine quartz. Likely a reused tile cut for a riverside mosaic.

03 / FIELD BOOK · JULY 2026

The river
sets the hours.

DateLow waterHeightWorking window
10 FRI06:420.72 m05:12–08:12
11 SAT07:310.66 m06:01–09:01
12 SUN08:190.61 m06:49–09:49
13 MON09:060.59 m07:36–10:36

04 / NOTEBOOK LEAF 217

“You learn to see
the wrong shine.”

Most finds do not announce themselves. A clay stem is a white interruption in brown. A Tudor pin is a line too straight for reed or root. The first duty is not to pull, but to notice what the water has already moved.

I am Mara Venn, PLA permit holder and volunteer recorder with the Thames Finds Liaison team. Since 2017 I have logged 1,406 fragments—each one photographed at the point of recovery, six figures on the grid before a name is ever attached.

Mara VennForeshore log, 18 June 2026
Queenhithe sector QH–4

05 / THE FINDER’S PROMISE

Find it.
Record it.
Report it.

The riverbed is an archaeological site, not a cabinet of curiosities. Context is evidence. Treasure is never a private discovery.

  1. 01

    Stop before lifting

    Photograph in place with scale. Note the National Grid reference, tide time and exposed layer.

  2. 02

    Bag separately

    Use an inert bag and a pencil label. Never scrub, polish or dry wet organic material.

  3. 03

    Report the record

    Potential Treasure goes to the coroner within 14 days; other significant finds to the Finds Liaison Officer.