Ever since man first quenched his thirst in its waters, he has left his mark on the riverbed.
Ivor Noël Hume, Treasure in the Thames (1956)
London would not exist without the River Thames. It is a source of fresh water and food, a path of communication and transportation, and acts as a real and imaginary boundary. More importantly, it facilitates trade using the incoming and outgoing tides that has made London such a functional and successful port.
Since the beginning of time, the River Thames in London has been a great repository, collecting everything that has been deposited into its waters. Once discovered, these objects reveal stories of the capital’s fascinating history and its inhabitants.
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A cheeky Georgian button depicting two people having sex is one of the many fascinating treasures which have emerged from the mud of the Thames.
The piece, which is believed to date back to the 18th-Century, was found by a mudlarker .
The term is given to the people who comb the 100-mile foreshore of the Thames and pick up objects and artefacts revealed in the mud by the twice daily changing tides.
Anna Borzello, 54, found the erotic miniature button, which is small enough it sits on a fingertip, earlier this year as she was walking along the river. I like the idea of someone having this really raunchy pin tucked underneath their collar that they would maybe flap up, she said.