Episode 199 – Mudlarking on the Thames Foreshore with Alessio Checconi

May 9, 2023 by Natalie

Guest Bio

Alessio Checconi is an Italian micropalaeontologist currently living in London.
His background is academia, where he used to work as lecturer at University of Perugia, doing research on microfossils and how they can help our understanding of the dynamic, causes and consequences of extinction events and climatic changes. He also taught several courses, including stratigraphy and palaeontology to Archeology Degree students.
Alessio is currently working as business developer for the acquisition of subsurface geological data in African and Middle Eastern Countries.
He spends most of his spare time mudlarking along the foreshore of the river Thames in central London. Mudlarks are foragers of the foreshore, looking for historical artefacts that come out of the dark, anoxic mud of the river during daily low tides.
Alessio discovered mudlarking at the very beginning of the pandemic: as he lives near the river, a walk on the foreshore became his daily exercise. From the moment he found his first artefact, a clay pipe, he was hooked, and has been mudlarking since.
Alessio has found several artefacts over the years, ranging from prehistoric tools to modern items. Recently, he has unearthed a rather rare, well-preserved, late Medieval to early Tudor, archer’s wrist-guard made of tooled leather, with metal decorations still preserved. It’s currently being restored by the Museum of London.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/london_madlark

Tudor Takeaway

Buckles by Ross Whitehead

Links of Interest

Thames Discovery Program

http://www.thamesdiscovery.org/

Thames Explorer Trust