The Society of Thames Mudlarks

The Society of Thames Mudlarks, formed in the late 1970s, is an exclusive group of amateur history hunters from all walks of life, who search the London foreshore for historic artefacts and treasure.

This select group, restricted to around 50 members, shares a common passion for recovering, preserving and collecting fragments of London’s rich history.

Members of the Society of Thames Mudlarks are the only people to be allowed an exclusive Digging Permit which allows, on certain parts of the North shore, excavation to a maximum depth of 1.3 meters.

Anyone can walk the length of the capital’s exposed shore at low tide but only Mudlarks, who record all their finds with the British Museum, can excavate the rich north bank between Westminster, in the west of the old city, and the Tower of London in the east.

In the modern era, metal detectors are used by some members to search for metal valuables that may have washed ashore. Other members prefer a simple trowel. Most finds are everyday items of rubbish discarded centuries ago, but still shed light on the city’s past.

The wide range of artifacts revealed with the turning of each tide, and the mixed bag of eccentric individual mudlarks who retrieve them, are a testament to London’s own historic diversity.