For over two decades, Lara Maiklem has scoured the banks of the Thames to find objects – lost or discarded – that tell the greatest stories. Now, having propelled mudlarking into the popular consciousness with her debut book Mudlarking, Maiklem returns with A Mudlarking Year. Reflecting on a year of her life searching the foreshore, she reminds us that it’s possible to draw meaning from the most unlikely of places.
Lara carefully searches the riverbank through the changing seasons of 2022 – at times aided by the illumination of the falling winter sun or hindered by overcast skies and the high tides of spring. Yet, working in harmony with the unpredictable foreshore, she finds solace in the elements and wonder in the treasures bestowed by the tide. From medieval pilgrim badges and Tudor shoes, to Georgian wig curlers and Victorian pottery, each passing day unearths the ordinary objects that tell the rich story of London’s history and its inhabitants.
Guided by Maiklem’s curiosity, wisdom and obsession, A Mudlarking Year is an invitation to discover the forgotten objects in the most overlooked part of London – uncovering the stories patiently waiting to be told.
Join Lara Maiklem as she discusses A Mudlarking Year, the follow-up to her bestselling book, Mudlarking: Lost and Found on the River Thames.
