Join us at Southwark Cathedral for this day celebrating the River Thames and some of the crafts that helped build London

This year we are filling the Cathedral and the churchyard with history and tying together the crafts that were used to build London and make the objects that are found by mudlarks on the Thames foreshore.

Meet mudlarks and the craftspeople, watch demonstrations, handle ancient artefacts, talk to archaeologists, antiquarians and conservationists, listen to authors, get messy with clay and hands on with history!

This is a fantastic opportunity to learn about traditional crafts and ask the demonstrators questions.

Craft demonstrations include:

• Blacksmithing and Coppersmithing with Urban Crafts Foundation

• Beekeeping with Bee Urban

• Bee Skep making with Nick Dinsmore

• Dyeing, Weaving and Spinning with the London Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers

• Medieval Pilgrim Badge making Lionheart Replicas

• Illuminated Manuscripts with iconographer Hanna Ward

• Decorative Gilding with the City & Guilds of London Art School

• Stone and Wood carving with the City & Guilds of London Art School

• Flint knapping with Jonathan Cope

Also:

• Society of Antiquaries will be bringing their Thames-related objects.

• Get your finds identified by the experts from the Portable Antiquities Scheme

• Meet the mudlarks, including author Lara Maiklem

• Chat to foreshore archaeologists Fiona Haughey and Mike Webber.

• Talk to archaeologists from the Thames Discovery Programme

• Find out about the work of the Thames Estuary Partnership

• Discover the colourful history of Southwark Cathedral by chatting to one of our knowledgeable guides.

• Meet conservation students from the City and Guilds of London Art School who have been looking at the deterioration of the stone arcading and capitals, the presentation of the Medieval timber roof bosses and the conservation of the Sculpture of Shakespeare.

• In our monastic herb garden you can create pomanders, learn about how plants were used for medicine in the past, smell different herbs and make something to take away with staff from The Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret

And for Families:

• Make a decorated clay tile or a medieval figure with ceramic artist Raewyn Harrison

• Face painting

• Join children's author and Carnegie Medal-winner Katya Balen for a storytelling session based on her book The Thames and Tide Club: The Secret City. Taking place at 11.30am and 2.00pm in the Cathedral retrochoir.

Join us in the Cathedral nave and churchyard 10am - 4pm, tickets also available on the door on the day.

Entrance will be via the SW Churchyard adjacent to Borough Market and exit for this event will bon the north side of the Cathedral opposite the River Thames.

We are delighted to be part of the Festival of Archaeology 2023