Thomas Layton would have been thrilled to see the UK’s first major exhibition dedicated to the hidden world of mudlarks. A landscape unknown to most Londoners is exposed twice a day by the tidal Thames; among the mud and stones remarkable objects from every era of London’s past can be found. The exhibition features over 350 mudlarked objects, from intimate personal items to historical relics, with many on display for the first time. The exhibition provides an opportunity to step into the boots of a mudlark and discover how they explore the foreshore, uncover artefacts and curate their personal...
Thomas Layton collected books, coins, and archaeological items (usually described as ‘antiquities’) for 70 years. In that time he had accumulated what has been described as “probably the largest collection of London antiquities ever amassed by a single individual”.
The vast majority of items are believed to have been bought at auctions. Some came to him from his men working on the river. His businesses provided opportunities for finds from dredging, building of bridges and embankments along the banks of the Thames, for which Layton paid good money. Even by the standards of the day Layton kept poor records of where items were found. Despite this, the collection is considered highly important particularly to archaeologists and pre-historians.
Thomas Layton lived in Brentford, Middlesex between 1826 and 1911...read more