Clay on the Thames
- Thread starter Sloopjohnbee
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My most recent trip to England, about 18 years ago, I happened to take the short boat trip from London to Greenwich and back at the highest tide of the year, so I have a little feel for the territory, though I had no awareness of the vast number of "free" clay pipes available on the river banks. What an interesting idea. Someone could make a tourist business doing a walk and gathering these. Where exactly is the stretch of river bank? Thank you for the video.
I've actually been subscribed to her for a few years. Her videos "mudlarking" on the Thames are fun and relaxing to watch I've found. I think I stumbled upon her channel due to the pipes connection as well.
She doesn't mention it, but I've read that at some tobacco shops "in the day," sold tobacco prepacked in clay pipes. So, it was natural to just toss the pipe after smoking. I think that I read this regarding some riverbank in the Northeast US where tobaccos and Native American made clay pipes were prolific and cheap. But, it makes sense that they would clog easily also, since this was pre-pipecleaner.
Could you imagine trying to carry a clay pipe on horseback or carriage without breaking it?
Could you imagine trying to carry a clay pipe on horseback or carriage without breaking it?
If you dug over any reasonable sized Victorian rubbish dump you can find hundreds of broken clay pipe bowls, I believe that the Thames just throws up tons of clay pipes, many unbroken.
I wouldn't mind going down there mudlarking but need to get a licence; I volunteer with the Don Catchment Rivers Trust doing litter picking and river cleanup work.
One of the sites where we work is the site of a former pottery and we get a lot of fragments!
I found out there used to be a clay pipe factory near where I live in Brampton; my friend Dave has an allotment and is always finding clay pipe fragments.
I think the archaeologists that dig me up in so many hundred years time will think I'm a lot older than I am!
One of the sites where we work is the site of a former pottery and we get a lot of fragments!
I found out there used to be a clay pipe factory near where I live in Brampton; my friend Dave has an allotment and is always finding clay pipe fragments.
I think the archaeologists that dig me up in so many hundred years time will think I'm a lot older than I am!