Lara Maiklem

Lara Maiklem is the founder of The London Mudlark.

The mudlark was born amongst the filth and chaos of Victorian London. These poor degraded creatures were scavengers, wading through the foul-smelling mud to collect anything they could sell, such as rags, coal and rope. Most mudlarks were children and old people - society's most vulnerable - these days, however, mudlarking is a term used by a band of amateur archeologists that scour the foreshore of the River Thames for signs of history. All of her finds are made by eye only, and without disturbing the foreshore in any way, she believes there is no need to dig or to use a metal detector, a keen eye and some patience will usually throw up some fascinating finds.

The London Mudlark is the largest and friendliest online community of people who enjoy spending their time in the mud by the river or are just interested in what’s being found, with over 100k followers across social media platforms. Lara regularly posts her finds - the good, the bad and the ugly.