A long time ago I trained as an archaeologist. It’s where my love of objects, of the narratives we weave about our lives, and of searching out unseen things comes from. If you’ve ever nosied around on London’s Thames foreshore, you’ll have had a glimpse of these things for yourself. I’ve written about it before (and no doubt will again) as it’s an amazing experience and connection to the past, a connection to things people have made.
My book choice this month (August 2016) is: London in Fragments: A Mudlark’s treasures by Ted Sandling (published on the 1st September). You can follow him on Instagram too @london_mudlark. This book is a wonderful compendium of finds the author made on the foreshore, and the history of each object. There are beautiful illustrations and really great photographs of the bits and pieces. A lovely mixture of discovery memoir, detective novel and site record.
[2017 update: I went on a foreshore walk last spring with Clayground Collective who, amongst other fantastic ceramic-based activities, organise walks led by archaeologist Mike Webber. There have been recent changes to the rules about activities on the foreshore so they don’t have any walks scheduled at the moment – check their website for more details.]