TAS Home Page

Important Information
for Volunteers

COLAS members Simon Smith and Mike Hacker record a wooden drain on the Thames foreshore in Wapping.

May 1997.
Photo © Rose Baillie

The Thames Archaeological Survey (TAS), was a project to record over three years (1996-1998) features of historic or archaeological interest in the inter-tidal zone of the Thames in the Greater London area. The Thames foreshore had not been systematically surveyed before, although it has remains of past human activity of all periods. Few foreshore features were entered in the Sites and Monuments Record, so that they could not be taken into account when redevelopments are considered. Apart from man-made disturbances, the river’s course and behaviour is constantly changing, leading to both erosion of old features and the deposition of fresh water-borne material. The plants and animals of the river have also changed over time, so that the discovery and dating, by the Survey, of ancient foreshores, peat deposits and fossilised trees was also of great interest to environmental scientists.

TAS was led by a full-time Survey Officer and a small number of seasonal assistants, with funding and support from the Environment Agency, English Heritage, the Museum of London, MoLAS and University College, London, but most of the fieldwork was done by members of local archaeological societies and students, who otherwise have few opportunities for practical archaeology in the London area. The TAS programme also included site tours, open days, lectures and training sessions.

TAS was been a notable success, revealing a mass of important discoveries and generating a great deal of public and media interest, as well as providing material for academic research and articles. Important areas of study have included Southwark, Richmond, Greenwich, Tower Hamlets and Wandsworth.

Foreshore fieldwork is ideal for amateurs who can spend a few hours at a time, over months or years, getting thoroughly familiar with their local stretch of river. COLAS has been involved since the 1995 pilot study. It hoped that Heritage Lottery Funding can be secured to carry out a repeat study in 2004.

COLAS has principally worked in the City and Tower Hamlets, which is particularly rich in features relating to the river’s use as a port, with the remains of cargo handling and shipping. Typical findings include barge-beds, water-man’s stairs, causeways, drains and dense concentrations of discarded ships’ nails indicating areas where repairs were carried out. Our most impressive finds to date are a pair of 18th Century timber ships’ rudders over 7m long, that featured in a number of Press articles. They probably came from cargo vessels of c.110ft/400 tons, perhaps a Whitby built ‘collier cat’, that carried coal to London - the type of ship used by Captain Cook.

The COLAS fieldwork season runs from April until October and takes place at weekends, when there are suitable low tides and key personnel are available, generally about twice a month. Each low tide provides a 2-3 hour period to work. The work is not very physical, but can be dirty.

If you are interested in taking part, please read the Important Information for Volunteers.