LIQUID HISTORY: ARCHAEOLOGY, CLIMATE CHANGE AND EROSION ON THE TIDAL THAMES
Channel: European Association of Archaeologists
Date: 2020-12-28

Historically and culturally the River Thames plays a crucial role in the life of both London and Britain as a whole. This is reflected in the archaeology of the Thames foreshore as well, with sites that reveal the industry, trade and recreation that has defined the Thames for centuries. As a tidal river, the Thames is affected by climate change through both increased rainfall and the impact of storm surges up the estuary. This means that many archaeological sites and three of London’s four World Heritage Sites are vulnerable to climate change. For the past 10 years the Thames Discovery Programme (TDP) has worked with local communities to monitor and record the unique archaeology of the Thames foreshore. In this time we have trained over 650 volunteers as part of our Foreshore Recording and Observation Group (FROG) who carry out fieldwork on sites along the Thames. In doing so the project and it’s volunteers have added to the understanding of the archaeology of the Thames foreshore. This paper will examine the vital work of the TDP in monitoring the rapid erosion of the Thames foreshore and the threat that this poses to both the archaeology of the foreshore and major heritage sites in London.


Author(s): Frost, Josh - Johnston, Helen (Thames Discovery Programme; MOLA)