This is a really interesting little book, bursting with an abundance of information. One can only admire the authors’ achievement at squeezing such a large subject - London’s longest archaeological site – the intertidal foreshore of the river Thames (p.1) - into such a small publication. To my mind this is both its triumph and perhaps its weakness; I’m sure it presented quite a number of challenges to the authors.
The book records the results of this tremendous community project, which included professional archaeologists working alongside an army of dedicated volunteers, to record the surprising quantity, range and variety of archaeological remains found on the Thames foreshore, before it is washed away or reburied. One has only to look at the profusion of names listed in the acknowledgement section to appreciate the enormity of this task. But what a great advertisement for community engagement in a really interesting investigation.
The eleven chapters relate (1) the genesis and development of the project, which set out to explore the structures and deposits left by thousands of years of human activity along the Thames; (2) the development of intertidal archaeology and the role of volunteers; (3) the prehistory of the river, which explores its multifarious roles, including as an artery of communication and as a barrier; (4) fishing, with surviving evidence since the Roman period for its exploitation; (5) ritual and religion, including disposal of the dead; (6) access and infrastructure, including access to, and protection from, the river; (7) London’s, perhaps surprisingly extensive and dominant, shipbuilding history – who knew London at one point was a world leader in shipbuilding; (8) and concomitant ship-breaking industry; (9) the archaeology of Thames watercraft assessing the plethora of vessels that plied the river in its heyday; (10) the river during the Second World War and the threat posed by a breach in the flood defences; and (11) in conclusion, the wonderful benefits of such an extensive study.
The size and format of the book seem to have presented some problems for such a large subject. The book is bursting with images but they are of necessity very small; the way in which the location of sites is illustrated is not particularly conducive to easily finding the site in question or for identifying associations by date or type. For a long time, the title of the book intrigued me but its origin was only explained at the start of Chapter 3 (p 21). The absence of an index is also a shame.
The organisers of the project and the authors of this book are to be congratulated on what was clearly a highly successful enterprise. It is a great testimony for what can be achieved by corralling the enthusiasm and commitment of large numbers of volunteers.