My eye was caught by this colourful fragment on the foreshore - even more pleasing when I saw it had part of a face! It's from an item of royal commemorative china; I haven't been able to find an exact match, but it looks most likely to be George V.

1/2: I've just been putting together another display case for the mudlarking exhibition this weekend; this case shows some of the complete pipes I've found on the Thames foreshore - from the long pipes of the 1700s to the variety of short everyday pipes of the 1800s to early 1900s.

Found on the foreshore a few nights ago, when I was looking for a sign after receiving some very sad news... Not sure if she's a fairy or an angel, but she's appropriately otherworldly and was sitting at attention right in my path, as if waiting to greet me...

1/2: Found lying face-up on the Thames foreshore... the bird in this nest looks rather like a young cuckoo to me, outgrowing its host's nursery. Or perhaps it's just a parent bird on its nest?

1/4: I chanced on this exquisite figural clay pipe bowl in the most unlikely place – I was returning to the river stairs at the end of a search, when I spotted it right in my path, on the tideline, in a barren gravelly patch! Follow the thread for more reasons why this was an extraordinary find..

A couple of new 'pork pie' stoneware inkwells, both with the imperfections of hasty human handling. The other photos show how I found them - one partly exposed in the mud and sand, the other illuminated during an evening search. These inkwells are so sturdy that they frequently survive intact!

This upcoming Sunday the 14th of Sept I'll be taking part in the mudlarking exhibition at Cutlers Hall; the photos give a rough preview of a couple of my displays. The exhibition runs both Sat and Sun, but I'll be there on the Sunday only: thamesfestivaltrust.org/whats-on/mud...

1/2: When I spotted this china fragment on the Thames foreshore, I was intrigued... Who or what are those flying figures? And why is there a little devil to their left?

1/2: I spotted a clay pipe stem in the Thames mud, dug down and saw a decorated pipe bowl at the end of it. Follow the thread to see what it turned out to be...

1/2: I'd just spotted something on the Thames foreshore when a boat passed and stirred up the silt, so my hand had to search around to find it back!

1/3: A welcome sight - a decorated clay pipe on the surface! I didn't initially recognise it upside-down like this, but follow the thread to see it fully revealed...

1/2: I do like this fragment - it's no more than an inch high, yet it contains all the essential information. I could see from the style and lettering it was from a child's cup; the wording looks like Newsboy, and the single detail of the image - an arm holding a newspaper aloft - confirms this.

1/4: Why is this fellow looking so pleased with this simple brick? Because his name is Angus Ramsay...! Read on for the story of how @angusramsay.bsky.social was united with his brick namesake...

1/3: A delightful sight to come across on the Thames foreshore - a cricket-themed clay pipe, lying on the surface waiting for me to find it! Follow the thread to see it picked up...

1/2: I no longer take many bottles or jars from the foreshore, but when I saw this beautifully designed meat paste jar with a slight iridescence, it was an exception. The first photo shows how I found it - on the surface, exposed by the outgoing tide.

1/2: This clay pipe was a lovely sight on a newly exposed patch of foreshore. Follow the thread to see it out of the mud...

1/3: I've come across a lot of wildlife on the foreshore recently, albeit plastic copies thereof... my favourite being this beautiful seahorse:

1/3: Here's some more recent clay pipe finds from the Thames; these ones all date from the 1850-1910 period. This first one was found lying in a pool of water as the tide receded:

1/3: A complete codd bottle, found largely exposed on the Thames foreshore. It's rare to find these unbroken; this is only the third complete one I've found. Follow the thread to see it cleaned up...

1/2: I was cycling past the Vauxhall slipway the other day when I noticed there was something in the lion's mouth... I'm so glad I stopped for a closer look, because it was a lion soft toy that someone had playfully placed there!

A couple of recent clay pipe finds, showing how they were found. The first, even though very worn, has worn beautifully. It was found on the surface among the rocks. The second one has very pronounced beaded seams; this was found in the mud, with just a hint of the decoration visible.

1/2: So - look what I found on the Thames foreshore... a silver thimble, with the owner's initials around the base! I wonder who D L was? And it actually fits me! This thimble will be from the 1700s or 1800s; I'll eventually get an expert opinion. Follow the thread to see how I found it...

Found my first Frozen Charlotte doll - but she's lost her head! Not surprised, as she was lying among shingle and rocks...

1/2: Here's my favourite recent brick sightings! The first is a brick that has been worn down to a rounded rock except for a handful of remaining letters that have somehow survived. The second one is enigmatic in a different way, having no more than a letter 'E' to identify itself...

1/2: Here's an early decorated clay pipe bowl with the Prince-of-Wales' feathers; badly broken, but these pipes are impressively early - mid-to-late 1700s. It has nicely defined feathers, but with something unusual on the front seam (last photo) - this seam is usually foliage or floral motifs.

1/3: This is a small display of foreshore finds that I put together for the wonderful exhibition @surreydocksfarm.bsky.social celebrating the farm's 50th anniversary. Most of these artefacts can be directly linked to the history of the site; this is just a small selection from our collection...

A reminder that I'll be leading these tours at @surreydocksfarm.bsky.social next Saturday. The 3pm tour is nearly full, but the 12 noon tour still has plenty of places, with some £5 tickets available for those on lower incomes. www.surreydocksfarm.org.uk/product/secrets-of-the-sites-history

Here's a couple of miniatures/toys I recently found on the Thames foreshore - a china jug, and a tiny version of the ubiquitous white preserve pot, only 1.5 inches high!

1/2: Can you make out the face here? I was rather pleased with this find as I recognised it as a clay pipe with the face of Ally Sloper on the base, with his big red nose and tall narrow top hat. The pipe bowl itself is broken but his face is perfect, as you'll see if you follow the thread...

1/2: My latest vulcanite bottle stopper finds! The Barretts one depicts a bottle stopper at the top - very appropriate as Barrett was the inventor of these bottle stoppers! Here's a great introduction: www.tidelineart.com/tideline-art-blog/my-story-of-vintage-vulcanite-screw-bottle-stoppers

1/3: You'll never guess what this curiously shaped piece of china I dug out of the mud turned out to be...

It's a rat pipe! This is a clay pipe bowl with a rat on its base; it's not a very clear one as the rat's head is rather squished, so I only knew from past experience what it was. The last photo shows the clearer example I found last year, with a rat also running along the stem.

This really was exactly how I found her - washed up against the riverwall - yet perfect! This doll's head is tiny - just over 2cm high, and is painted with precision. On the back you can just make out the number 16 between her shoulders. Isn't she a delight...!

1/2: On Saturday July 19 I'll be leading more tours at @surreydocksfarm.bsky.social, revealing the fascinating history of this former wharf through all the artefacts we've found on the foreshore and all the structures around the site. And we'll be having a closer look inside the display cabinets...

1/2: Last week I got my two best china marbles back from the Museum of London where they were being recorded. (China marbles are German-made hand-painted marbles from the 1800s, which are now very collectible.) In this photo I've displayed them like pearls in my Thames-found scallop...

1/5: I recently got together with mudlarks Amy, Lesley and Gail at @surreydocksfarm to try to match up the latest china and glass finds from the foreshore... (These fragments all originate from the Metropolitan Asylums Board's smallpox receiving station formerly on the site.)

Here's a closer look at that eagle (?) pipe bowl I found recently. It was lying exposed on the surface; at first glance I thought that wing was an Irish harp! This eagle has an unusually long curving neck; the last photo shows my two other eagle pipe bowls as comparison.

This stoneware inkwell was so difficult to get out - with cemented material above and densely packed ground below; it took several attempts to dig it out from underneath. It's complete though, and a quality little inkwell!

1/2: Here's a closer look at the two RAOB (Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes) clay pipes I found recently. These photos show how they were found. The second one is just a bowl without any stem, but the first one has an interesting detail...

1/2: When I found this on the foreshore, I knew it depicted something, but couldn't work it out until I turned it upside-down...

1/3: My favourite sight: a decorated clay pipe showing through the mud! I could already recognise what this was going to be; follow the thread to find out...

Four partial toothpaste pot lids found on the Thames foreshore - some just small fragments, but all with the essential words telling us what they were for... And with some beautiful use of typefaces!

Here's a closer look at that unusual acorn clay pipe bowl I found recently! I'm calling it a 'triple acorn' design - the pipe bowl itself is in the form of an acorn, and there's two smaller acorns on its base. The third photo shows it just after I'd pulled it out of the mud of the Thames foreshore.

1/3: Just a tiny strip of blue in the mud led to my best Metropolitan Asylums Board find in several years! This bowl comes from the smallpox receiving station formerly on the @surreydocksfarm.bsky.social site. Follow the thread to see more...

This ceramic horse head was found lying on top of the shingle on the Thames foreshore. I'm guessing it comes from the sort of ornament that would once have adorned a mantelpiece...?

The London Museum recently asked me to write about clay pipes for their online blog linked to their exhibition 'Secrets of the Thames'. Read about how I first started pipe-larking, and see some of my favourite photos: www.londonmuseum.org.uk/blog/mudlarking-clay-tobacco-pipes-thames-foreshore

Decorated pipe bonanza: very occasionally I'm in the right place at the right time. On this occasion, it was an extra-low tide, I was at a pipey patch, and I had it all to myself! Six decorated pipes in one day might be a record for me though. I'll show them here individually in later posts...

I stopped to admire this gorgeous border of orange and yellow poppies in Bermondsey, then I turned around and saw the street name - and the name on the former pub! I wonder if someone seeded those poppies specifically for Orange Place...?

1/2: I'm a ladybird enthusiast, so was very excited to see this hop plant @surreydocksfarm.bsky.social absolutely covered with them - both adults and larvae. They're mostly two species: the tiny Two-spots, and the large Harlequins. All the larvae you can seen in these photos are of the Harlequin...

From the Thames foreshore: a nicely-broken china fragment with a frieze of fauns and goats - enhanced by staining from the river, so I won't clean this any further!