November 5th 2019
The Archaeology of the Thames Foreshore
Will Rathouse
THAMES DISCOVERY PROGRAMME
Running through the heart of London is a mighty river: the Thames. It has played a central role in the history of the city, and when the tide is low, the capital’s longest archaeological site is revealed.
As the tides of the Thames reveal evidence of the past, this talk reveals the work of the Thames Discovery Programme in monitoring and recording London’s history on the river’s foreshore.
This project was initiated over ten years ago by the noted archaeologists Gustav Milne, Nathalie Cohen and Eliott Wragg. They had noted that the river was continually revealing and washing away archaeological features, some of which were going unrecorded.
Funding for a sufficiently large dedicated team of professional monitoring archaeologists was (and still is) unlikely to be forthcoming. They therefore decided to involve interested members of the public who were trained and organised into the Foreshore Recording and Observation Group, FROG for short.
In March I spoke to you about the Thames Discovery Programme and the work it does facilitating communities in London to monitor and record the appearing and disappearing archaeology of the Thames Foreshore (or tidal zone). This November talk describes the work we’ve been doing on the foreshore over the summer and will introduce our sister project CITiZAN which monitors and records erosion threatened archaeology on the British coast.
Finally I will reveal plans for the next phase of funding for TDP which aims to support mental health and well-being through outreach to people in need.
One of the objects of research this summer has been the RN motor launch ML 286. She was produced as a kind of 'flat-pack' by the Electric Launch Company in the USA and shipped for assembly in Canada to avoid US laws against arming belligerent nations. She is the last survivor of over 580 launches bought to watch for and hunt German U-Boats during the first world war. After the war she was sold off and became a live-aboard (houseboat with an engine) and was renamed Cordon Rouge. She was subsequently renamed Eothen and in 1940 joined the flotilla of 'Little Ships' rescuing British troops from Dunkirk in Operation Dynamo.
We also started work at a new site: Trinity Buoy wharf where a causeway used by water taxis was plotted. I will also introduce your members to our sister project CITiZAN which monitors and records threatened archaeology around the UK's coast. I am particularly keen to outline the plans to use volunteering in archaeology to promote mental health and well-being by building self-esteem, teamwork, and fostering new skills and enthusiasms.
Will Rathouse.
William Rathouse is a community engagement archaeologist for MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology) working on the Thames Discovery programme and other community projects. His responsibilities include outreach to over 75s and bringing in new groups to benefit from the project including people with mental health problems and forces veterans.
Previously, he was a support officer for Mind Aberystwyth and led archaeology projects to promote mental health. His PhD research investigated contestation of prehistoric monuments and ancient human remains by contemporary Pagan groups in the UK.
Linked in profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-rathouse-84253759/
Academia.edu profile: https://lamp.academia.edu/WilliamRathouse
Running through the heart of London is a mighty river: the Thames. It has played a central role in the history of the city, and when the tide is low, the capital’s longest archaeological site is revealed.
As the tides of the Thames reveal evidence of the past, this talk reveals the work of the Thames Discovery Programme in monitoring and recording London’s history on the river’s foreshore.
This project was initiated over ten years ago by the noted archaeologists Gustav Milne, Nathalie Cohen and Eliott Wragg. They had noted that the river was continually revealing and washing away archaeological features, some of which were going unrecorded.
Funding for a sufficiently large dedicated team of professional monitoring archaeologists was (and still is) unlikely to be forthcoming. They therefore decided to involve interested members of the public who were trained and organised into the Foreshore Recording and Observation Group, FROG for short.
In March I spoke to you about the Thames Discovery Programme and the work it does facilitating communities in London to monitor and record the appearing and disappearing archaeology of the Thames Foreshore (or tidal zone). This November talk describes the work we’ve been doing on the foreshore over the summer and will introduce our sister project CITiZAN which monitors and records erosion threatened archaeology on the British coast.
Finally I will reveal plans for the next phase of funding for TDP which aims to support mental health and well-being through outreach to people in need.
One of the objects of research this summer has been the RN motor launch ML 286. She was produced as a kind of 'flat-pack' by the Electric Launch Company in the USA and shipped for assembly in Canada to avoid US laws against arming belligerent nations. She is the last survivor of over 580 launches bought to watch for and hunt German U-Boats during the first world war. After the war she was sold off and became a live-aboard (houseboat with an engine) and was renamed Cordon Rouge. She was subsequently renamed Eothen and in 1940 joined the flotilla of 'Little Ships' rescuing British troops from Dunkirk in Operation Dynamo.
We also started work at a new site: Trinity Buoy wharf where a causeway used by water taxis was plotted. I will also introduce your members to our sister project CITiZAN which monitors and records threatened archaeology around the UK's coast. I am particularly keen to outline the plans to use volunteering in archaeology to promote mental health and well-being by building self-esteem, teamwork, and fostering new skills and enthusiasms.
Will Rathouse.
William Rathouse is a community engagement archaeologist for MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology) working on the Thames Discovery programme and other community projects. His responsibilities include outreach to over 75s and bringing in new groups to benefit from the project including people with mental health problems and forces veterans.
Previously, he was a support officer for Mind Aberystwyth and led archaeology projects to promote mental health. His PhD research investigated contestation of prehistoric monuments and ancient human remains by contemporary Pagan groups in the UK.
Linked in profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-rathouse-84253759/
Academia.edu profile: https://lamp.academia.edu/WilliamRathouse
