Artistic Programme

Our Artistic Programme

Cultural, active and community events in healthy river environments. Accessible by all, enjoyed by all.

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Reflections Seed Funders Sing for Water Thames Lens Totally Thames Other artistic projects...

Education Programme

Our Education Programme

Inspiring the next generation of river ambassadors. Our creative education programme helps children and young people to connect and learn about rivers, creating work inspired by its culture, community and ecology.

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Kids' Choir River of Hope Rivers of the World The Story of Water Other education projects...

Heritage Programme

Our Heritage Programme

Unearthing and reconnecting local communities to the river's rich history and cultural importance.

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Lost & Found Foragers of the Foreshore London's Lost Village Places of Change The Islanders Other heritage projects...

About Our Charity

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Lost & Found

Untold maritime histories of Greenwich and Deptford revealed through a mudlark’s finds. A Thames Festival Trust project made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Greenwich and Deptford are areas rich in shipbuilding and other maritime heritage, as well as archaeology, natural ecology and local history. But the stories of everyday life, and particularly the experiences of those connected with maritime industries, are largely submerged within written records.

In Lost & Found, a diverse group of heritage trainees will reveal these untold histories using objects found by mudlark Nicola White: from fragments of crockery and handmade gaming tokens to a Nkisi Nkondi power figure and a button from the Woolwich Workhouse. Mudlarking is the practice of retrieving objects which were lost or discarded into the Thames; these intriguing, complex and meaningful finds will provide the heritage trainees with opportunities to research people, places and activities which are not usually recorded in written history. In doing so, this exciting new heritage project seeks to reflect the historical diversity of Greenwich and Deptford as told by young people who are representative of local riverside communities today.

As part of this project, we will:

Run a traineeship programme focusing on research and curation skills.
Interpret the maritime histories of Greenwich and Deptford via a pop-up exhibition.
Commission photographs of mudlarked objects by artist Hannah Smiles.
Share trainees’ research in a limited-edition book and a series of short films for YouTube by mudlark Nicola White.
Deliver a programme of in-person events and guided walks as part of Totally Thames 2025.
Work closely with public archives.
House all our project outputs on a freely accessible website.

Using money raised by National Lottery players, The National Lottery Heritage Fund supports projects that connect people and communities with the UK’s heritage. Lost & Found is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, we have been able to reveal untold maritime histories of Greenwich and Deptford.

Photo of Totally Thames volunteer showing a child how to create casts out of the moulds and clay | Photo: Gabor Gergley

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Lost & Found Trainees

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Supported by:

Foragers of the Foreshore

Dig deep into the history of mudlarking.

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London's Lost Village

The history of Trinity Buoy Wharf and the Leamouth Peninsula.

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Places of Change

Lodging houses and other spaces in London’s Royal Docks

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The Islanders

The industrial and community heritage of Silvertown & North Woolwich.

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