The River Thames has been a site of constant human activity for at least two millennia… is it any surprise that so much evidence of this history washes up on the foreshore every single day? Mudlarkers are those who search for such treasure, and they have a fascinating history of their own.

In this podcast, Lara Maiklem, author of The Sunday Times bestseller Mudlarking: Lost and Found on the River Thames, spoke to Olivia Hartley about how mudlarking on the Thames foreshore has changed her relationship with the city, how she felt during lockdown when she was unable to visit the river, and some of her favourite finds from over the years (including an incredibly preserved child’s shoe dating back to the Tudor period).

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