The Thames Discovery Programme, now in its fifth year, aims to involve the public in recording and monitoring the fast disappearing archaeology of the Thames foreshore. Over millennia, archaeological deposits, features and finds have built up, but much of the foreshore is now eroding and the archaeology is being washed away. As there is little available funding to record this fast diminishing resource, the 400 or so volunteers are performing vital work in taking ‘ownership’ of stretches of the foreshore and recording the archaeology as it emerges and before it is washed away.
Between May and September, volunteers will be working with a small professional team based at Museum of London Archaeology, helping to record archaeology in locations including Greenwich Palace, the House of Parliament and the Tower of London. Finds so far include Mesolithic structures, Anglo-Saxon fish traps and a number of fascinating Medieval and Post-Medieval human burials.
Volunteers must attend the four-day training course at the end of April. All fieldwork thereafter is free, although donations are very welcome. No experience is required. Volunteers must be over 18 to participate.
