Digging For Treasure

Episode 4 (1x4)

Air date: Sep 16, 2022

In the final episode of the current series, the team have permission to set up camp in the shadow of the iconic Southwark Cathedral in London. The team focus on mudlarking on the banks of the Thames foreshore at London Bridge. Thanks to the anaerobic mud, items from many eras regularly wash up — anything from Victorian pots and pipes to a rare sword from the Middle Ages. Leading mudlarking expert Lara Maiklem heads up a team of passionate local experts who regularly turn up remarkable historical artefacts from the capital's rich past. Lara takes us to the north foreshore of the Thames to discuss the history of mudlarking, which began as a survival method for those who were not well off to scavenge dropped items from boats, going all the way to today's hobbyists uncovering hidden history in the mud.