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This week’s Rewind episode brings back one of our most memorable conversations—perfect for anyone who’s ever felt that jolt of wonder holding a fragment of the past. Anne Marie sits down with noted mudlark Jason Sandy—member of the Society of Thames Mudlarks, trustee of the Thames Museum Trust, and co-author of Thames Mudlarking: Searching for London’s Lost Treasures—to explore the River Thames as the longest open-air archaeological site in London.

Jason shares how a National Geographic segment sent him down to the foreshore, the thrill of finding a Roman bone hairpin now on display at the Museum of London, the camaraderie (and ethics) of the mudlarking community, and what it was like to metal-detect in the Tower of London’s moat. We also talk permits, recording finds, Totally Thames exhibitions, and why ordinary objects—buttons, pipe stems, combs—tell extraordinary stories.

Highlights

• What makes London’s tidal Thames uniquely rich for finds
• From Native American arrowheads to Roman London: Jason’s path to mudlarking
• The Roman hairpin “holy grail” and donating to the Museum of London
• How the Society of Thames Mudlarks works (and why there’s a waitlist)
• Recording artifacts with the Portable Antiquities Scheme
• Community spotlights: fellow mudlarks, favorite finds, and a life-changing Victoria Cross discovery
• Behind the scenes: searching the Tower of London moat and what those regimental buttons revealed
• The vision for a hands-on Thames Museum where visitors can learn on the foreshore

About Our Guest

Jason Sandy is an American-born architect/developer who moved to London in 2007 and discovered mudlarking in 2012. He’s a Society of Thames Mudlarks member, a Thames Museum Trust trustee, and co-author of Thames Mudlarking: Searching for London’s Lost Treasures. He lectures widely, appears on television, and shares finds on Instagram @jasonmudlark.

Links & Resources

• Jason on Instagram: https://instagram.com/jasonmudlark
  
  
• Thames Mudlarking: Searching for London’s Lost Treasures (book)
• Thames Museum Trust: https://thamesmuseum.org
  
  
• Portable Antiquities Scheme (UK): https://finds.org.uk
  
  
• Museum of London: https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk
  
  

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