Teen mudlarker Emmy Lou Vaxby publishes guide to the Thames
A 14-year-old who has mudlarked on the Thames since she was five or six has published Mudlarkers Guide to the Thames, a book about finding historical objects on the foreshore.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
A 14-year-old mudlarker has published a guide to searching the Thames foreshore. Emmy Lou Vaxby began mudlarking when she was five or six, after going with a friend called Robin and Robin's mother, Charlotte. She remembered finding lots of pottery on that first trip.
Now 14, she still mudlarks every weekend. Her favourite find is a pipe bulb with lettering and a mark, though she does not know where it came from.
Her book, Mudlarkers Guide to the Thames, came about after a publishing company approached her and asked her to write it. Mudlarking involves searching the riverbed when the tide is out for historical objects, from Roman artefacts to other pieces from the Thames's past.
The activity is regulated. A licence is required. The Museum of London and the City of London have an interest in finds, and mudlarkers may need approval to keep what they discover. Finds can be taken away at any point. Different stretches of the foreshore yield different pieces from across history.
The broadcast discussion also covered why the rules exist. Speakers suggested the licence system helps control numbers and limit damage to the foreshore. They questioned the lack of financial reward for mudlarkers, noting that people clean up the area while searching, and described mudlarking as a live treasure hunt. Emmy Lou's pipe bulb remained a personal highlight.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| Emmy Lou Vaxby began mudlarking on the Thames at age five or six. | |
| Emmy Lou Vaxby wrote Mudlarkers Guide to the Thames after a publishing company asked her to write a book. | |
| Mudlarking on the Thames requires a licence. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The segment treated the book as a feelgood example of a teenager doing an offline hobby, then spent much of the discussion on licensing and who owns mudlarking finds. It was broadly supportive but sceptical about the lack of financial reward and the role of the Museum of London and City of London. The tone was chatty and light, with studio jokes about treasure hunting and the rules.
- “There's a young lady called Emmy Lou Vaxby, who when she was five, six, started mudlarking on the Thames.”
- “So much so that a book publishing company came to her and asked her to do a book and she's written the Mudlarkers Guide to the Thames.”
- “The Museum of London and the City of London all have a stake in, basically, you have to get approved to keep the things that you find on the foreshore.”
Broadcast Timeline
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