Famous Thames mudlark Lara Maiklem has been appointed Southwark Cathedral’s first Mudlark-in-Residence.
Lara Maiklem curates the permanent free-to-view mudlarking display inside the cathedral’s main entrance on the Thames Path.
It is a changing display showcasing recent finds.
Admission to the Cathedral is also free.
Lara has been mudlarking on the River Thames for almost 25 years and is the author of four books on the subject, including the Sunday Times bestseller Mudlarking: Lost and Found on the River Thames (Bloomsbury, 2019).
As Mudlark-in-Residence, Lara will continue to develop the Cathedral’s relationship with the river and its history. This will include supporting public engagement programming that connects with the heritage and stories found from the Thames.
‘I’ve so enjoyed bringing mudlarking to Southwark over the last seven years, and being made Mudlark in Residence really is a great honour,’ says Lara Maiklem.
‘Being so close to the river, the Cathedral is where mudlarking belongs and I’m looking forward to working with the wonderful Cathedral team to continue the exhibitions, talks, tours and festivals that have put Southwark Cathedral at the heart of the mudlarking community.’
The Very Revd Dr Mark Oakley, Dean of Southwark, says: ‘For more than 1,400 years people have arrived here by river, worshipped beside it, traded across it and crossed it on journeys of pilgrimage. Even our ancient name, St Mary Overie – St Mary ‘over the river’ – reminds us how deeply Southwark Cathedral’s identity is bound to the life of the Thames.
‘Lara’s work helps us to connect to our riverine past, enabling us to see the humanity behind the objects that are found on the foreshore. She has become a cherished friend of the Cathedral and we are delighted to recognise her continued contribution through this appointment.’
Southwark Cathedral’s sixth annual Heritage Craft and Mudlarking Festival on is on Saturday 25 July bringing together mudlarks, craftspeople, archaeologists, antiquarians, and authors for a day of demonstrations, talks, exhibitions and family activities.