Skyberries and Voidmelons or Voidberries and Skymelons

Public transport dashes

2026-04-21T06:52:10Z

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A listing of the number of carriages on each form of public transport I took for two weeks. One dash is one carriage. I also included buses and used one dash for a single decker, two dashes for a double decker. Most days are quite symmetrical, but not all.

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Mudlarking

2026-04-20T16:30:59Z

I watch the ripples in the river from Blackfriars Station, and the sun is shining, but looking at the foreshore - the heaps of pebbles and bits of wood sticking out and the rocky patches, I feel incredibly sad.

I had a good year, finding treasure, all of it treasure, on the Thames foreshore. In reality I found pottery sherds and bits of glass and all kinds of discarded things, but it seemed like they were the most amazing things I'd ever seen, as they were from the river.

I learnt so much, about everything from Bovril jars to uranium glass to vulcanite bottle stoppers to milk trains to hat polish to aerated bread to bearded men to bullets to knucklebones to eels to fossils to ink. I also learnt a lot more about Londoners of the past, about what people drank (ginger beer and R White’s) and ate (marmalade) and smoked (clay pipes). But also about cafes and pubs that once existed and shops and societies, and also who made the items I found, the factories and the kilns and the bottle makers, and the streets that are no longer there. I saw a different side of London, a side of London directly entwined with the past.

I walked along the foreshore in many different parts of London, from Kew to Putney to Chelsea to Battersea to Vauxhall to the Southbank to Wapping to Rotherhithe to Limehouse to Greenwich to Surrey Quays to the Isle of Dogs, and at different times of day, at sunrise and sunset, early in the morning, sometimes even at night when it was dark and I'd take a torch. I saw London from a different angle, watching commuters walk by above me, oblivious. I hadn't explored the foreshore much before and walking along there, across the pebbles, the sand, the mud, with the river beside me was a delight.

Mudlarking became such an important part of my life. I consulted tide times and organised things around them, I carried wellies around with me and rubber gloves.

Mudlarking gave me a reason to want to get back to London when I'd been away and made London feel like it was my home and the place I really wanted to be.

I am sad that now my permit has expired I can’t go mudlarking anymore. The river and the foreshore will still be there for me though, and London, of course, will still be there, and I learnt to love it even more through mudlarking. In a few years, perhaps I'll get another chance.

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Mudlarking 106 - The last mudlark

2026-04-20T16:24:34Z

Low tide was conveniently just after work so for my last mudlark, I headed to Ernie’s Beach and walked along to the spot outside the National Theatre and to Waterloo Bridge. I've found so much here.

There was one other mudlark there and they said hello to me as I walked past, feeling grumpy. The tide was quite high for a low tide again and I just picked up anything really, sad and desperate, as it was my last time.

A last piece of Willow and a last piece of ABC and a last piece of Express Dairies Aster pattern.

There is a sherd that looks like it could have said Rutland. But what else did it say? Rutland Arms Hotel, J&B G.., London?

The sherd with Burslem on it is from Newport Potteries who were in operation from 1920.

The brown piece is likely to be from a stoneware R White’s bottle.

There's a mysterious number on one piece.

I also found a broken button.

My favourite find on this day was the glass bottle stopper.

(You need a permit to search or mudlark on the Thames foreshore.)

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Mudlarking 104 - Farewell to Beaumont Stairs

2026-04-19T08:03:34Z

Beaumont Stairs in Chelsea have been my go to place when I want somewhere quiet, where I'm definitely not going to be bothered by tourists, and there probably won't be any other mudlarks.

I saw the remains of trees that once grew here and it amazes me that they are still here. The bus stop was also still on the foreshore. I thought once it was gone, but no.

After the tide had turned, I walked along, wondering if I could find the Saxon fish trap. I had seen a picture of it near some boats. I couldn't see any way down to the foreshore near the boats though. I think the tide was just too high on this day to see it. I walked on and found myself in Cremorne Gardens which used to be pleasure gardens from 1845 to 1877. They have saved the grand gate and it's in the little park there still. There used to be all kinds of entertainment there - from tight-rope walkers across the Thames, to hot air balloon rides, fireworks, dances, a marionette theatre, and so on.

Further on and I could see a mudlark on the foreshore but I couldn't work out where steps were to get there. There looked like there was a range of stuff down there.

Finds:
A piece of an Express Dairies milk bottle
A piece of a bottle that says Wells on it

Two patterned pipe stems - one looks to say “d market” on it and “nny” on the other side.

An original vulcanite bottle stopper from Barrett & Elers.

Part of a Hartley’s jam jar

A few pieces of mocha ware

A nice piece of Staffordshire style combed slipware

A chunky glass stem. I have another of these and liked to imagine it might once have been part of a penny lick.

A Bourne & Son stoneware base
A Doulton Lambeth stoneware base

A saucer shaped like a teapot, which I think is modern

A plate with a diamond mark - this shows the plate was made on 6th April 1868.

A toothbrush, missing the handle, made of bone.

Keys, attached to a Lego keyring.

(You need a permit to search or mudlark on the Thames foreshore.)

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Mudlarking 103 - Farewell to Custom House Lower Stairs

2026-04-16T18:30:02Z

Custom House Lower Stairs has been my lunchtime haunt, when the tides are amenable, so I had one last session there. There were a few tourists wandering about and the tide was not low enough to be able to get underneath the wharf, even at low tide.

Finds included:

White horse distillery bottle base

A piece of glass with a curious shape

A squashed pipe

A black thing with green circles, which may be from a fire bucket.

(You need a permit to search or mudlark on the Thames foreshore.)

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Mudlarking 101 - Bottles, a record and golf

2026-04-11T08:57:43Z

It was Easter Sunday and I headed back to Gabriel’s Wharf and along to outside the National Theatre and underneath Waterloo Bridge, and I found so much!

The tide was lower than predicted and I was able to get to the bottle graveyard.

There was a giraffe toy but it was too sad and mud covered so I left it.

To start with I was the only person on that section of foreshore, but other people appeared later.

I was glad to be back at this section which always has plentiful finds, but it seemed like it had less pottery sherds this time and the line of coal/brick debris is shifting along. It was great for bottles though.

It also seemed to have more waste, particularly sanitary towels, than most occasions, which is always sad to see.

Finds included:

Blue sticklebrick - I used to have some of these when I was a child.

Boots Cash Chemists piece of a glass bottle. Boots used this name as at the time, most places accepted buying things on credit, but Boots didn’t. This meant that they could offer items at a cheaper price. They also took part in a court case as they were the first chemist that allowed customers to pick items up off the shelves and take them to the cashier, as opposed to having to ask the cashier for them as they were kept behind the counter. The Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain took them to court for this in 1953 and Boots won.

A piece of a glass bottle that looks to say “ale Bros” on one side and “r hi” on the other side. I wonder what the rest of it said.

Half a small cup

Two vulcanite bottle stoppers. One is unbranded but has an orange band on it. The other says White Ltd, so would be from R White’s.

A sherd that says “sapph” and W & co on it. Probably Whittaker & Co from Hanley, who were in operation from 1886 - 1891.

A sherd that has blue and white leafy patterns on the front and possibly says “ssen” and “England” on the back.

In the second picture:

A piece of a white plate that doesn’t look very interesting from the front, but on the back, it says:
Stone China
E & C Challinor
England

It also has the Royal Arms on it.

It dates from circa 1891, made by Edward & Charlies Challinor in Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent. I wonder what was eaten off it and who used it.
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A nice piece of mocha ware

A glass bottle lid that looks to say Calder - probably Aire and Calder Glass bottle works of 83 Upper Thames Street, London and Castleford.

A base of a bottle that says “J.L. & Co.” - John Lumb & Co. They were also from Castleford.

Half a bottle base that looks like it said “New Cross” on the side. Possibly Kent Mineral Waters Co.

A large piece of an ink bottle - "Encre Japonaise" by N. Antoine & Fils, Paris, from around 1870 - 1900. It must have been a large ink bottle, so I wonder who was using that much ink.

A 2 Player Championship Golf LCD game, made by Tandy, circa 1991.
There was also a Radio Shack branded version that appeared in their 1992 catalogue. It's on page 163 and says: "An entire 18-hole golf course you can hold in your hand and play anywhere! Musical sound effects add to excitement."
https://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/flipbook/1992_radioshack_catalog.html?fb3d-page=163

A broken Orange Dew bottle. Sparkling Orange. Manufactured by Anchor Springs.The Anchor Brewery in Littlehampton started making mineral waters, under the name of Anchor Springs, when Henty & Constable Ltd took it over in 1921. I can’t find any mention of Orange Dew, apart from an American brand, but Anchor Springs is at least detailed, and there’s a long list of Henty and Constable pubs.

A Schweppes bottle. I often find R White’s bottles, but rarely Schweppes!

An LWD (London Wholesale Dairies) milk bottle.

A Wallingford mineral waters bottle.

A curious red broken bottle. I am not sure what it would have contained.

A plastic City Cruises coffee cup depicting London landmarks.

There were a number of records strewn on the foreshore, as well as their cases, which were separated from the records. It seemed like they probably hadn't been there long. I picked one up and found the matching cover to it. When I got home I listened to the piano music on YouTube: https://youtu.be/32lbp3uylk4

Part of a broken bottle from the Pure Water Company (PWC), Battersea. They had a mineral water factory built around 1870 in Queens Road, Battersea. Advert: https://gll-libraries-production.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/qqh7i5r8teknbg7cb1d4lqtqhx6u

Postcard on Ebay:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/333449128241

A United Dairies bottle.

(You need a permit to search or mudlark on the Thames foreshore.)

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Mudlarking 100 - Kew Bridge

2026-04-06T19:18:15Z

I had imagined that my hundredth day of mudlarking would be spectacular and I would find the most amazing things. In reality, I went to Kew Bridge station and down the ramp at Kew Bridge Draw Dock. The ground was silty and slimy with algae and there were geese who were not keen on me being there. There was little to be found and I picked up one sherd before heading back up.

I walked along a bit and found steps down. I then found a few more pottery sherds but gave up and went up the next set of steps.

It was the day of the boat race, but that was further down the river.

I then walked to Gunnersbury Park and it was an interesting park with a giant wooden Bartmann jug in the garden and the actual one in the museum. There were ruined gothic arches and a bath house. I enjoyed walking around there.

The green and white piece with circles says “ton” on the back, can’t quite make out the letter before, possibly a ‘c’.

(You need a permit to search or mudlark on the Thames foreshore.)

Bartmann jug in the museum:

Giant wooden Bartmann jug in the park:

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Mudlarking 98 - A handcuff and a salt shaker

2026-03-06T20:35:11Z

I had a half day of annual leave to use up, so decided to go mudlarking, see some art, and go to a cafe. As low tide was at 9:15, I got up at 6 to make sure I'd have an hour beforehand. I got to Blackfriars and then queued for coffee and drank it on my way to the foreshore.

BBC had reported 0.00 for low tide, PLA had said 0.2. PLA then reported the actual tide as 0.4, but this time I managed to just about sneak around behind the leg of Waterloo Bridge, for the first time since the really low tide last year. I found a salt shaker! I wanted to look longer but was scared due to firstly the boats causing waves and secondly as the tide had turned. But, two other mudlarks appeared after low tide and they both went there, less hesitant than I.

The first mudlark said there wasn’t so much to find these days, but it doesn’t stop them looking, and the second showed me a nice bottle they’d found.

It was another day when lots of bottles were about, but I tried to be more restrained and only picked up 2 R White's and two little bottles. Plus a broken R White’s, as it seemed like the Thames was attempting to make art as a golf ball had become wedged in the bottle.

I dug a jam jar out of the mud, thinking it was something more exciting, but then put it back.

Finds included:

A necklace made of shells, which I left on the foreshore.

Two buttons and a bead

A Branch GPO sherd. I am not sure which office this is referring to, having previously found GPO West.

A Mecca sherd. I am not sure what Mecca cafe this is from.

Aerated Bread Company sherds

Express Dairies sherds

A different style piece of glass of an R White’s

A London Underground shot glass.

A salt shaker, with lid that says Cerebos salt on it. https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Cerebos

A pink handcuff

A ceramic pot that says No 1 on the bottom

An interesting piece of pipe (sadly the other side is damaged) - possibly Masonic?

A piece of a small bottle - on the bottom it looks kind of like it could say “lner” but it might say something else.

A piece of a large bottle that says “ard”.

A piece of a torpedo bottle

A golfball stuck in a broken R Whites bottle.

A metal bowl that looks like one you can get from B&Q. https://www.diy.com/departments/urbnliving-4-stainless-steel-ice-cream-cups-170ml-dessert-bowls-sundae-dishes-pudding/5063536181075_BQ.prd

Two R White’s bottles

Two large bits of a plate that were near each other. I did try looking for the rest, but didn’t see it. I only really picked these up as I could see a tiny bit of a logo and was hoping to find the rest of it.

Plate with Leipsic pattern on by Joseph Clementson. (The back has this stamped on it.) This pattern was exhibited at the Great Exhibition at Crystal Palace in 1851.

Then after that I went to the Hayward Gallery and then to Nagare.

(You need a permit to search or mudlark on the Thames foreshore.)

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Mudlarking 97 - chemists and mouflet

2026-03-06T18:50:38Z

A Friday evening on the foreshore and I found:

Express Dairies pottery sherds and glass

Two French pieces, to prepare me for an upcoming trip:
A piece of a small House of Worth perfume bottle. It says Worth on the side and Paris on the bottom.
A sherd that says “mouflet”, which apparently means kid.

Part of a Lewis & Burrows Chemist bottle. They formed in 1895 as an amalgamation of different pharmacies.

Part of a Boots Chemist bottle. The style matches Boots bottles from 1910s/1920s.

A coin! Except it is actually just the foil from a chocolate coin. So close.

Gray & Son

OXO mug sherd

Hotel Ware - possibly Grindley Hotel Ware. I remember I found a piece previously that said Grind on it, which was also probably Grindley.

Aerated Bread Company (ABC) sherds

(You need a permit to search or mudlark on the Thames foreshore.)

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Mudlarking 96 - Bottle Day

2026-03-03T16:35:45Z

Sunday 22nd February was a day of bottles! I picked up far too many as they just kept washing in.

Clear bottles:

Coca-cola bottle.

R White's - two different styles of R White’s bottles. One of them has a broken neck.

Presta bottle. Presta was made by Apollinaris and they made squashes and other drinks.

Presta advert:
https://www.reddit.com/r/vintageads/comments/1qqg13o/ad_poster_for_presta_sparkling_orange_and/#lightbox

Apollinaris company: https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/people/cp122659/the-apollinaris-company-limited

Brown bottles:

These three I am unsure of. Two of them could be modern beer bottles.

One says H4 CTC on the bottom. The other says R 10. The one with a label mark is much lighter than the other one, so I guess the one without the label is older.

The third makes me think of a cough mixture bottle and has B4 200 on it. When I hold the bottle up to the light I can see rainbow colours.

I might just recycle these ones.

A good chunk of a green torpedo/hamilton bottle, designed to be kept on its side. On the side I can read words that probably spelt:
Lemonade
le soda
Mineral waters
Wales

I can’t quite make out:
orth
le soda (table soda?)
R. H.
T’s

There’s also a glow stick and a bit of something that possibly said London Bridge.

Also, a pretty sparkly button!

I also found a glass jar. On the bottom it has an R in a circle and a 9. Perhaps it once contained jam. I’m thinking I might keep some pieces of colourful glass in it.

There was also a mysterious rusty thing. Google Lens said it was a grenade, which it definitely is not, but it could have been an oil lamp? It has a handle on the bottom.

And then there were a few other items:
A Libbey Duratuff glass, probably modern, as it’s quite jagged.

Part of a Thomas Keating bottle. The bottle would have read “Thomas Keating, Chemist, St Paul’s Churchyard”.

Thomas Keating was apparently based at 79 St. Paul’s Churchyard from around the 1780s, although records show this from around 1815.

Thomas Keating was a chemist and was known for their cough lozenges. One article I found said they sold cough lozenges in the winter and insecticides/flea powder in the summer!

The company later diversified and made scientific instruments, and components used in telephone exchanges and satellites! They still exist as TK Instruments: https://www.terahertz.co.uk/tk-instruments/history

A bit of glass I picked up as it said “ass” on it.

A sherd that says “Wells, 63 Wood Street, London” on it. It was made by Wells and Son, and could have been the base of a hat/wig shop display stand, like this one: https://www.easyliveauction.com/catalogue/lot/d11b0ba1e5d511d3ce164df1a086c0f4/0af8d24542e81eb9357e7ef448a6646f/antique-and-good-quality-modern-and-collectables/

It’s likely to be from the late 1800s.

They also made stands for mannequins and blanket racks.

A few pieces of Express Dairies Aster pattern.

A pink plastic heart bead.

A piece of a James Keiller marmalade jar. Keiller’s marmalade dates back to 1797, when Janet Keiller made some marmalade and then opened a factory in Dundee with her son, James Keiller, to produce it.

The green and white pattern is the Adams pattern by Collingwood, who were in operation from 1887 - 1948 in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, It may have looked like this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/376753433746 I have seen this pattern before, but hadn’t managed to identify it previously.

(You need a permit to search or mudlark on the Thames foreshore.)

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Mudlarking 94 - Valentine's Day

2026-02-24T10:06:38Z

On Valentine’s Day, the Thames gave me a curious bouquet. Sherds with flowers and other plants on:

More finds, including some with bits of words:
A sherd that looks like it says “James”, but I’m not sure
A sherd that looks to say “grind”
A sherd with “dge”
A shard of glass that looks to have “chy” on it.

And also:
Some Express Dairies Aster

A colourful Carter, Stabler & Adams sherd. This colourful piece would have been from between 1925 - 1934 and was made by Carter, Stabler & Adams in Poole, Dorset.

I haven’t found an exact match for the pattern but I imagine it could have been something like this: https://20decoarts.com/carter-stabler-adams-poole-pottery-art-deco-bowl.html

(You need a permit to search or mudlark on the Thames foreshore.)

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Mudlarking 93 - a high low tide

2026-02-16T16:44:31Z

After work, I headed down to Gabriel’s Wharf, and walked down onto the foreshore, but even at low tide, it was too high to walk along to the bit of foreshore outside the National Theatre. That day the low tide was apparently 2.15.

I found a few bits of Staffordshire style slipware and a piece with a few letters, and some leafy pieces, and a round yellow thing. But mostly I was just annoyed I couldn’t walk further along.

(You need a permit to search or mudlark on the Thames foreshore.)

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Mudlarking 92 - tack and barnacle

2026-02-16T16:14:58Z

It was lunchtime and low tide had just gone. I feel like I'm not finding so much at Custom House Lower Stairs now, but I did pick up some bits of Bellarmine and some green bits. I also picked up what I think is a tack. And also a barnacle! These aren't native to the Thames so perhaps it could have come from a ship?

Did you know that there is a barnacle goose but also a goose barnacle, and according to folklore, barnacle geese are born from goose barnacles?

(You need a permit to search or mudlark on the Thames foreshore.)

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Mudlarking 91 - A milk bottle, a pint glass and a farm

2026-02-12T20:34:42Z

I decided to try somewhere new again! Trinity Wharf Stairs outside Surrey Docks Farm.

When I reached the foreshore, there was someone digging to the right of the stairs. I walked that way a little bit and then decided to walk to the left. It was pebbly on the upper bit of the foreshore but lower down, there was a lot of mud. I took tentative steps and felt myself sinking in it so tried to be careful. Another mudlark appeared and was a lot more confident than me at walking over the mud nimbly!

This seemed much more like the kind of place I see the famous mudlarks finding things, prying items out of the mud. A lot of the foreshore I walk on isn't muddy at all, it's just pebbles.

I walked up to where there was a sign saying "Engineers Mills". The full sign apparently said:
Engineers
Mills & Knight
Nelson Dry Dock
Ship repairs

I found a pint glass with a handle, buried in the mud, and was glad I had my trowel, so I could dig it out. It has a pint symbol on it and looks like it says 1370 on it, which means it's from Chesterfield and was made between 1971 and 2006, so quite recent really. It has survived at least 20 years in the mud though! It's quite heavy.

I found a bottle, and it's still full of mud, and I'm trying to get the mud out of it. It's a UGB (United Glass Bottle Manufacturers) bottle, but on the side it says LWD - London Wholesale Dairies. Here's a photo of their building in Vauxhall in 1927: https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/photos/item/BL29277/001 They were the wholesale arm of United Dairies.

I found an Amazon Basics plate, which I left on the foreshore.

I found a small cowrie shell with holes in it. I also found a bit of coral, which may have been used on a ship as ballast. There's also a stone that looks like it has tiny bits of fossils in it.

I found a piece of glass that was probably once a Royal Arsenal Co-operative Society milk bottle. Written on it is "Royal Arsenal" and "RACS". RACS were in operation from 1872 to 1987 when they merged with the Co-Op. Their headquarters were in Woolwich. As well as shops selling food, they ran everything from hairdressers to bookshops to undertakers to hotels, and also built houses. Their motto was "Each for all and all for each". I also found a second piece of glass.

I found a piece of glass from a Walker’s Kilmarnock whiskey bottle. They later became Johnnie Walker, in 1909.

I found a red and white sherd, that might be from Hilti.

I found a piece of green glass from an R White's bottle that said "Camberwell" on it.

I found a bit of a pipe with the initials I I on it.

I have yet to figure out the piece of glass with "KS" written on it.

Surrey Docks Farm had signs around that explained the history of the area, of how the area was used for shipbuilding and how there was a smallpox receiving station there. There was also a mudlarked finds box but unfortunately there was a lot of condensation on it, so it was difficult to see. They had pottery from the smallpox receiving station and from London County Council (LCC). They also had a mosaic made from clay pipes and bits of pottery.

I had a quick look around the farm after mudlarking and they had a few more signs about the history, as well as pigs, goats, cows, sheep, and other animals.

After that, I walked past some more steps that were a bit green, but the gate was open, near the Ship & the Whale and wondered if the glass had come from that pub.

I then saw people running to get on a boat at Greenland Pier, so I decided to do the same, not knowing where the boat was going. I ended up getting off the boat in Woolwich.

(You need a permit to search or mudlark on the Thames foreshore.)

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Mudlarking 90

2026-02-10T19:36:30Z

There were a few other mudlarks on the foreshore at low tide, and I was late, so felt like I'd missed all the good things.

But! I did solve the mystery of my previous find, which people had guessed was grapeshot or milling balls or sheep poo! It's kind of concretey, and the concrete must have broken away, leaving just the balls.

There were crab legs on the shore which made me sad.

I found a few tiny pieces of Westerwald.

(You need a permit to search or mudlark on the Thames foreshore.)

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Mudlarking 89 - A witch's finger and a Mickey Mouse purse

2026-02-10T19:17:35Z

I had been tempted to book the morning off work when I noticed a very low tide, but was only properly swayed when a fellow mudlark asked if I was going to the foreshore.

BBC predicted the tide as 0.00, so we were keen to visit the bottle graveyard. PLA’s prediction was 0.22, but in the end it was actually observed as 0.36, so we were not able to get there, but we did find some interesting items anyway.

In the first picture:

A finger! Don’t worry, it’s a plastic one. Possibly a witch’s finger.

A Codd bottle marble

A button

A pink bead and a blue bead

A brown piece of glass that says 6oz on it. Possibly from a large Bovril jar that was 16oz. It’s a different shade of brown to the other Bovril jar I found though.

A piece of uranium glass that glows brightly under UV.

A Minton sherd with a globe mark. Possibly 1863 - 1872.
https://www.thepotteries.org/potters/minton.htm

A JC Oriental sherd. Joseph Clementson, circa 1850s. It would have originally looked like this:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/186907264126

A tiny opalite

Part of a pork pie inkwell.

And in the second picture:

Another piece of an old Fanta bottle

A Bailey and co sherd:

The Fulham Pottery dates back to around 1672, when it was founded by John Dwight.

Bailey and Co were in operation there from about 1864 - 1889, run by Charles Bailey.

In 1889, they were fined for emitting smoke.

Today, you can still see the bottle kiln from the Fulham Pottery on the site and it is a Grade II listed building.

--

A rather rusted blue Mickey Mouse purse. Similar style one here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/389226667721

An SW Dean sherd. They were in operation in Burslem from 1904 - 1910.

A pink bicycle bell.

And in the third picture:

A pair of sunglasses

A green bottle

An R Whites bottle, found by a fellow mudlark.

(You need a permit to search or mudlark on the Thames foreshore.)

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Mudlarking 88 - Poison and a bobbin

2026-02-10T19:06:18Z

I got up early so that I could go mudlarking before work.

The forecast had looked like it would be dry, but it was drizzly and wet.

The seagulls were squawking as the sun rose.

I bumped into two other mudlarks - one who I had seen there before, so I said "hello" as we passed each other in our wellies.

I found:

What I think is another lace bobbin, but I'm not quite sure.

Part of an old Fanta bottle, perhaps from the 1960s.

A green cabochon.

A sherd that says “Lond”. London!

A piece of a poison bottle. It would have said “Not to be taken”.

Another piece of Express Dairies Aster pattern pottery.

A colourful chunk of glass. Maybe from a bowl?

(You need a permit to search or mudlark on the Thames foreshore.)

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Mudlarking 87

2026-02-03T19:38:32Z

I can't believe I've been mudlarking on 87 days!

It was lunchtime and I arrived at the foreshore just before low tide. There were a group of people who walked up and underneath the wharf. I weren't sure if they were mudlarks, although at least one person was wearing gloves. The easiest way to spot other mudlarks is wellies.

Then after that there were a few tourists about. Much easier to spot, no wellies, no gloves, picking things up with their bare hands.

I stumbled across a very large but sadly no longer living crab.

Finds included a stripey stone, a piece of Metropolitan Slipware and a piece of a Bartmann jug.

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Mudlarking 85 - Melted maltesers

2026-01-27T11:38:36Z

A man asked me to take his photo next to some words he’d scrawled on the wall and said it was to send to his kids. I agreed as I hadn't put my gloves on at that point.

He thanked me and I walked on and overheard two people saying they couldn't believe they'd found a gold chain. Obviously I had got there too late!

The tide was coming in so I didn't have a lot of time.

Finds include:

A piece of glass that has gone kind of orange.

Melted medieval maltesers. I’m still unsure what these are really - suggestions on a Facebook group have included: grape shot, grinding media from a ball mill, iron ore.

(You need a permit to search or mudlark on the Thames foreshore.)

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Mudlarking 84 - submerged forests and a UGB bottle

2026-01-22T10:23:36Z

Low tide was early that Sunday, but a little later in Chelsea, so I headed there on the first train out.

I reached the foreshore around sunrise, but the skies were grey and cloudy. Just past Battersea Bridge, on the foreshore, you can see the remains of trees that once grew there, a forest that is now submerged.

I found:

The largest intact bottle I’ve found so far! It’s about 18cm tall.

United Glass Bottle Manufacturers) apparently used the UGB mark from 1913-1968.
The marks on the bottom look like they say:
H781
UGB
S 28

It possibly contained disinfectant.

Another rounded bottom bottle, perhaps from the 1880s?

A piece of glass that says “W & M”

A piece of glass that looks like it says “edon” but I am not sure of the letters before that.

A mysterious white cube object with patterns that has broken off something. Possibly a spaceship.

A handle from something (possibly bone)

A piece of glass from United Dairies.

A marble

Two and a half buttons.

Part of a ginger beer bottle by W&W. Western and Wolland (W&W) were in business in Bermondsey from about 1865 to 1896, making ginger beer and lemonade. As this bottle is stoneware as opposed to glass, it’s likely to be from the earlier period.

I likely walked past the premises where this was made on the day I found this sherd but didn’t realise at the time.

Part of a bottle that says London on it.

The base of a bottle that says:
London the property of Id (letters cut off)
Not to be refilled
Regd no
853390
B&Co

B&Co could be Bagley & Co.

A green bit of a Batey bottle.

Part of a torpedo (hamilton) bottle. It says on it “E&C” and possibly “waters” and “street”. It also says “rior” - Prior? It is dark green and quite thick glass. Thicker than the other bits of torpedo bottle I’ve found.

A Van Den Bergh & Co gin bottle fragment. This would have been from a Dutch gin bottle from around the 1870s.

(You need a permit to search or mudlark on the Thames foreshore.)

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Mudlarking 83

2026-01-20T21:07:10Z

Another dark and wet attempt at mudlarking! At least the tide was going out this time and it wasn't raining to start with.

I don't much like mudlarking in the dark but as I now only have a few months left, it seems like I should do it.

I found a bit more this time:

An ABC sherd - from the Aerated Bread Company.

A piece of a Maling jar, but this is smaller than the usual Maling Newcastle marmalade jars I find and looks like it says “rage” on it. Rage flavour jam, perhaps.

“Trent” - pottery made by Trent Reznor.

A curious piece that has “London” written on it, and some buildings that are either on a scroll or on the back of a swan. I can’t read what the other word says on it as a number is stamped over the top.

A sherd with 033 on it.

A sherd that looks like it says Cox on it.

Mann & Co, Staffs.

(You need a permit to search or mudlark on the Thames foreshore.)

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Mudlarking 82

2026-01-18T19:46:40Z

It was dark and raining and low tide had already passed. I crossed Blackfriars bridge and hesitated about going down to the foreshore. I found just a piece of Staffordshire style combed Slipware before giving up.

(You need a permit to search or mudlark on the Thames foreshore.)

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Mudlarking 81 - Half a leafy marble and a rounded bottle

2026-01-18T19:34:21Z

A lunchtime lark. “Have you found anything?” the tourists asked and I told them I hadn't.

I headed underneath the wharf, further from tourists.

I walked back up the steps and a man asked me what I was looking for and I told him anything, and that I'd found bits of pottery and glass. He sounded disappointed when I said I hadn't found any coins.

Finds including:

A piece of a bottle that is rounded on the end and is quite thick glass. Different design to the usual torpedo bottles, but presumably also designed to be stored on its side. Possibly 1880s? Seems like these ones: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/85594594/1800s-round-bottom-bottle-collection-set?show_sold_out_detail=1&ref=nla_listing_details

A few pieces of Westerwald salt glazed stoneware.

A sherd that says “FPC” on it, which stands for Fine Pottery Company. This could be from the 1980s. Perhaps it has this kind of print: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/4351064965/vintage-fpc-england-stoneware-mugs?show_sold_out_detail=1&ref=nla_listing_details

A stone with a face.

Half a stone marble? It has a little green leaf pattern on the side and a zig-zag pattern on top.

A glass thing that looks like it has something metal inside it. Not sure what this has broken off of.

(You need a permit to search or mudlark on the Thames foreshore.)

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Mudlarking 80 - a circus and a bobbin

2026-01-15T21:10:10Z

I miscalculated and only gave myself just over an hour on the foreshore before I had to be elsewhere but perhaps that was just as well as it was cold.

This time I wore gloves underneath my plastic gloves and thicker socks under my wellies and that helped me to keep warmer.

There were plenty of tourists, both on the foreshore and staring down at me, which is why I prefer to avoid this bit at weekends, unless it's early.

I found my second glowstick, and also some sherds including:

Four pieces of Express Dairies Aster pattern
Brown piece of Dudson
Some delicious strawberries
Dunn Bennett & co
J & G Meakin

A mysterious piece that says “Drew” and “Circus”. Wondering if it could be from St Andrew St, Holborn Circus, but difficult to tell.

Also, what I think is a bobbin, possibly bone and possibly for lace.

(You need a permit to search or mudlark on the Thames foreshore.)

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Mudlarking 79 - leaf

2026-01-15T21:06:31Z

A brief lunchtime wander along the foreshore.

“Have you found anything?” I asked.
“Nothing much,” the mudlark replied.

I did find a leaf sherd though! It looked almost like it could be from Animal Crossing if it had a bite out of it.

(You need a permit to search or mudlark on the Thames foreshore.)

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