Farewell to mudlarking passion

Well it's confirmed, I've lost the mudlarking bug. A few months ago I got up at 5am to catch an early low tide. Showered and dressed, suddenly the prospect of spending a few hours closely scanning patches of mud and stone was no longer more attractive than a few more hours in bed. On that occasion bed won out and back upstairs I went. 

Last week I'd failed to tempt my husband on a day trip, so was consoled with a mudlarking trip, family and art. I took along a huge bag of finds to return to the Thames.  As I descended to the stone filled beach I realised I'd left the bag on the train, so my first task was to ring the British Transport Police to try and avert an incident!

The water was much higher than I'd anticipated so I had to make my way precariously along a thin ledge with the Thames deep and lapping to the side. I conjured up remnants of balance and courage from my youth. Fortunately I didn't fall into the muddy murk. 

I was pleased to see Jason who manages to cover the foreshore in a flash and never seems to fail to spot the best treasures. For the next few hours I stooped and looked closely for the small and metal, but it's no good, I really can't spot them and spending hours with my head a few inches from the rubble isn't how I want to be spending my time. Perhaps if I struck lucky more often I would feel differently. It was the beach combing I loved, the gentle ambling along the shore, when pottery is your reward. 

Despite my grumpiness I did find a few nice pieces beginning with this magnified mouth end of a clay pipe stem, still retaining a bit of red from the red wax which would have tipped it. 

Mudlarking Find: Mouth piece of pipe stem with trace of red wax

I suspect this is a piece of Roman pottery. 

Mudlarking Find: Probbly Roman 

An oyster shell with what looks like a worked hole, for what purpose I do not know. 

Mudlarking Find: Oyster shell with a hole made in the middle 

Find of the day was probably this, one of the largest  and nicest delft pieces I've ever found, it's almost the size of my palm 

Mudlarking Find: Delftware

and an unusual piece of delft tartan style 

Mudlarking find:Tartan Delft

Half a Bartmann beard and growling mouth

Mudlarking find: Beard and mouth of Bartmann jug

Centuries old iridescent glass

Mudarlarking Find: Iridescent Glass 

A lead cloth seal , with my clumsy attempt to show the markings by wetting them. The top row is D O and second row Z and I think F and then 16 at the bottom 

Mudlarking Find: Cloth Seal 

Onto the more modern, a section of black clay pipe stem with lettering 

Mudlarking Find: Black Clay Pipe Stem with writing -C--MAU

This English stoneware, possibly a ginger beer bottle was made by Burton's Codnor park Pottery, so it must predate 1833,as the business went bankrupt in 1832 and was then bought by Joseph Bourne. 

Mudlarking Find: English Stoneware 'Codnor Park Burton Superior'

Pre- privatisation railway tableware 

And a few bits of flow blue and transferware which were all just too cute to leave behind. 

After almost 3 hours mooching along the waterside, I made my way over the Millennium bridge to the Tate, where I was to meet my clan. Each of us delivered via different nodes of our transport system, Blackfriars, London Bridge and Moorgate names rooted in centuries past. It was the third time I was coming to see Matisse. His cuts outs and paintings are so joyous they never fail to lift my spirits. A lovely morning was finished off with lunch looking across the Thames to St Pauls and the city. 

Matisse Cut outs at the Tate Modern Until 7 Sept 2014

It is rather sad that my passion for mudlarking is over, it was a wonderful feeling to be so enthralled.  My heart would start to pound with the first whiff of mud, as I wondered what I might find this time.  It has been a fantastic way of learning about London's history, without it I'd know nothing about ceramics and I'm delighted the different periods of history are now finally embedded in my head.  I shall miss being in the heart of London and beside the river so frequently, but I'm sure I'll return to mudlark every now and again.

I still have a few more posts to write, so the blog will trundle on for a bit longer and perhaps it will turn into something slightly different, depending on what my next passion is...