Children will learn historical enquiry skills used by archaeologists through the Victorian activity of “Mudlarking”. On the foreshore, pupils will find and identify artefacts to build up a picture of the past. Hands-on activities are designed to deepen chronological understanding of major historic periods.

Suitable for Year 3 and upwards.

Session 1

​Indoor activities teach pupils how to distinguish between different materials found on the foreshore as well as identify and date artefacts using sorting mats divided into 4 historical periods: Roman, Medieval, Tudor and Stuart, Victorian and Industrial. Pupils will investigate how artefacts found around the Thames help us to build a picture of London’s history.

Session 2

Fieldwork on the foreshore involves collecting and deciphering historical artefacts as evidence of river settlement. The session will enable pupils to gain an understanding and awareness of the past and to compare it to the present.

Locations

Wapping, Greenwich, Southwark (H) and Millennium Bridge (H), Fulham Palace

Duration

Full-day programme – 4 hours plus half an hour for lunch.

Full-day programmes are available at all sites except Southwark and Millennium Bridge.

Half days are available on request (session 2 only) and the session times depend on time of low tide.

Learning Objective

You will be asked to indicate your learning objectives as part of the booking process in advance of your trip so we can tailor the programme to your requirements.