Harper-Thames joins the tide-watchers searching the riverbank for centuries of hidden treasure and comes away genuinely moved
When the tide goes out, centuries of hidden treasures are apparently revealed on the banks of the River Thames, and having watched enough mudlarking footage to feel like a genuine expert while possessing absolutely zero practical experience, I finally went down to try it myself this week.
Why I’d Put Off Actually Trying This For So Long Despite Genuine Curiosity
A vague worry that I’d spend an entire afternoon staring at mud finding nothing but, well, more mud, which turned out to be a reasonably accurate prediction for roughly the first ninety minutes.
What Actually Happened Once I Finally Found Something Worth Stopping For
A small, genuinely worn fragment of pottery, clearly old, clearly discarded by someone whose entire life I will never know a single other detail about, which hit me with a specificity I wasn’t remotely prepared for.
How This Single Small Find Actually Changed My Whole Afternoon
Completely, transforming what had been a slightly boring, muddy walk into something closer to a genuine conversation with a stranger who’s been dead for centuries, which is an odd sentence to write but an accurate one.
Whether I’d Actually Recommend Mudlarking To Other Londoners Looking For A New Weekend Hobby
Genuinely yes, provided you’re prepared for long stretches of finding absolutely nothing punctuated by moments that will completely rearrange your sense of scale regarding your own small life.
What This Whole Afternoon Revealed About How Much Ordinary History Is Simply Sitting There, Waiting, Every Single Time The Tide Goes Out
Mostly that the river has been quietly keeping records this whole time, and that anyone willing to get properly muddy can apparently just ask to see them. More riverbank discoveries continue at bohiney.com.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com
