Dhe water is gradually receding, it’s time for the next mission. My hotel room is 49 stories above the Thames, with a good view of the river from up here. The hotel management has kindly provided binoculars so that you can also see details in the distance. Usually, guests with the likely bedroom peek out in the other high-rise buildings. I watch the level of the Thames. In the heart of London, the river has a tidal range of up to seven meters. As soon as the stretch of shore over there in front of the Custom House is dry, I’ll be on my way. With waterproof hiking shoes, rain trousers, rubber gloves and collection bags. I’ll be a Mudlark for a few days. Someone looking for treasure in river mud.
London is an old city. It was founded by the Romans, after which it grew steadily, becoming the largest metropolis on the planet in the mid-19th century. The Thames has always been London’s aorta and gateway to the world, and much of life has always taken place along its banks. For two thousand years ships were loaded and unloaded here, captains brought goods from all over the world or had their four-masters and freighters filled with goods. But things were also lost here for two thousand years. Drunken legionnaires slipped their sesterces out of their bags, medieval craftsmen overturned carts with roof tiles, dockworkers fell into the water while unloading crates of porcelain. And of course what was no longer needed was thrown into the Thames. There’s still a lot in there. With each tide, things are washed ashore that the river has long kept to itself. Buttons, vases, knives or rings that have slipped from fingers at some point – all of this can be found on the banks of the Thames. All you need is time, patience and a license. Mine is valid for three years.