For centuries, ‘mudlarks’ have roamed the Thames foreshore in search of rare treasures and a bit of urban solitude. As the mercurial and ever-changing Thames reacts to the tides, it reveals itself in different guises every day. Each ebb and flow provide a little more information about the history of the city it travels through.

Artefacts are found and collected daily by both dedicated novices and knowledgeable experts who comb the foreshore at low tide. Most mudlarks are happy to share their knowledge but are also a little secretive about their most valued and prosperous hunting grounds.