Objects of potential archaeological value can also be voluntarily submitted for analysis and review via the Portable Antiquities Scheme. My paperback edition has both photographs and amazing watercolor sketches to help illustrate the various relics she’s unearthed over the years, and it feels like peering into a naturalist’s personal diary.

As comprehensive as it may be, the history is never dry, and spans so much further than just that of Britain.

Firstly, whereas riverbeds in locations like Cardiff, Bristol and Newcastle can be dangerous due to the dense mud – which you can sink into and drown in, since it goes above your head – when the tide recedes on the Thames, it’s a reasonably gravelly foreshore, which is safer to walk on. Fascinating and beautifully written from start to finish, Mudlarking is a treasure of a book that’s made me look at the world (and some of its “junk! Every drowned, unwanted or lost object is precious to Maiklem, who reveals, as she takes us downriver from Richmond to the Estuary, a preternatural sympathy for the broken, mud-caked and out of context. The author has extensive knowledge of the geography of London over the centuries and the Thames tides and her enthusiasm for her subject matter is infectious. In all these endeavours and historical asides she reveals more of herself and her journey into collecting things the river offers.

The Thames is one of the greatest and largest archaeological sites in the world, and the entire history of Britain can be told from items found on the foreshore. There are also slippery rocks, broken glass and nails on the riverbed, as well as the danger of catching Weil’s Disease, a form of leptospirosis contracted from the urine of rats. The term ‘mudlark’ was originally used in the late 18 th and 19 th centuries to describe people, often living in poverty or with limited employment options, who scoured London’s riverbanks at low tide. a mud that acts as a preservative to tobacco pipes, coins, buttons and shoes, old weapons, bones and bottles, and so much more.I have never been into metal-detecting but since childhood who has not enjoyed beachcombing, rockpooling and pond dipping? Lara’s enthusiasm has enable my creaking knees and stiff back to get down on all fours and take a worm eyed view of London’s rich mud, sand and shingle. By omitting them the reader can join the dots on their own (or not), but openly stating she won't share the locations made her seem arrogant in my view. I have carefully arranged meetings and appointments according to the tides, and conspired to meet friends near the river so that I can steal down to the foreshore before the water comes in and after it's flowed out. When you apply for a standard permit you need to upload a passport style photograph, and allow a minimum of 4 weeks for processing.

It turns out that Ms Maiklem is a very modern mudlark, but that didn't make the book any less fascinating - moving from the tidal head of the Thames to the Estuary, she describes what she finds on the foreshore and tells fascinating stories about the people who lived, worked and died on the river, and whose lost possessions the tides still erode out of the mud. Items also often end up on display to the public, whether as part of a permanent or temporary exhibits. Thoroughly enjoyed this book and I am full of envy for all the wonderful things the author finds on the shore of the Thames.It has never been easier for people to explore the Thames: anyone looking for inspiration just has to follow the mudlarking hashtags on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.