There aren’t many places one can go without booking in advance these days, but Southwark Cathedral is one of them. I went along mainly to see the small exhibition called Treasures of the Thames that is situated in the corridor between the catheral and the shop (closed) and the Refectory (open). There are only three cases showing finds from the Thames shoreline, but all the objects are interesting.
I was alone the cathedral for much of the time. That’s never happened before. It’s usually buzzing with activity. A small service was taking place in the Harvard Chapel (socially distanced and closed to the public). In some ways it was nice to wander in such a place alone, yet a shame to see all the seating removed and this magnificent building so little used at the moment.
I did venture into the Refectory (again, just three people sitting together at a table). I bought a hot drink and sat inside this normally bustling cafe. Afterwards I walked back to the station along the south bank. The weather had been sunny when I’d ventured out that morning, but clouds were gathering. It was only a matter of time before rain would start. However, I took the opportunity to go down to the shoreline myself. There is a gate not far from Gabriel’s Wharf that is often open. It is here you usually find a sand scuplturer and kids playing on this sandy section. It’s very beach-like.
I began searching, prodding with my foot, looking for something to take home. One is supposed to have a Licence to Mudlark (as it is called), but I didn’t think I would find anything anyway. What I did bring home were pieces of coloured glass, bits of pottery a bone (everyone has had a laugh about that one, telling me it’s a chicken bone – it probably is) and some pieces that could be pipe stems. Once you get your eye in, you can find all sorts of things. Some of it is modern, like the bottle cap I found, but you never know what might be there.
By the time I left rain was spitting. I’d had the best of the day, and one day, I promised myself, I would book a session with the expert Mudlarkers and get some knowledge!
My London+ 