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Autumn 2025Features
The Dead Marshes: Excavations at 1 Liverpool St A long sequence included 2nd-century Roman activity, the Moorfields Marsh, 1 6th/ 1 7th-century occupation and substantial, relatively recent, industrial building foundations. James Langthorne Excavations at 14-19 Tottenham Mews, Camden They ranged from early 1 8th-century quarrying to consolidation and levelling, prior to the construction of brick buildings and associated structures for P Wilkinson & Sons' brass foundry, a firm that continued into the 20th century. Kathy Davidson, with Guy Thompson, Berni Sudds & Märit Gaimster Plus reviews, letter, commentary, news, and diary On the Cover This iron eel spear was designed for use in clear shallow water. It captured the eel without injuring it, by gripping it or holding it down. Eels caught in this way were sent live to market. Eels have long been a delicacy. In medieval times, they were trapped or caught in the Thames using just such an eel spear. There had been a plentiful supply of eels in the Thames, but numbers began to dwindle as the weather became colder in the 14th century. So Dutch merchants increased their eel imports, keeping them fresh in specially adapted ships. The ships' mooring spots were along the Thames at Queenhithe and Billingsgate. The spear is currently on display in the Mudlarking exhibition at London Museum Docklands until 1 March 2026. Photo © London Museum |