In search of 'mudlarking gold' on the River Thames

Mudlarks sift the muddy foreshore of the River Thames for relics of London’s past. Jason Sandy, a licensed mudlark, searches for jettisoned printing material and calls certain finds “mudlarking gold.” One night he heard sirens and voices approaching, then found police officers nearby while he continued collecting. Sandy and other mudlarks have recovered items ranging from Roman hairpins to medieval money. In 1900, TJ Cobden-Sanderson created Doves Type for the Doves Press, producing highly regarded hand-pressed books with Sir Emery Walker. A feud ended their partnership in 1909, and a compromise involved transferring the type after Cobden-Sanderson’s death, which the type’s creator rejected, leading to a secret plan involving the type.

"“I thought I was alone and then in the distance, I could hear sirens coming towards the bridge, and then they stopped above me. I didn't really take much notice of it just because I was so focused on collecting and then I heard voices coming towards me and it was first one police officer and then there were five others,” says the 51-year-old."

"“Mudlarks have been sifting through the banks of the River Thames for hundreds of years in search of relics of London's past. For some, including Jason Sandy, the holy grail of finds relates to a notorious dispute more than a century ago.”"

"“In 1900, an eccentric printer and bookbinder named TJ Cobden-Sanderson created the Doves Type, considered by many to be one of the best examples of font design of the Arts and Crafts movement. Having set up the Doves Press printing business with printer and engraver Sir Emery Walker, the company produced beautiful hand-pressed books which were considered to be some of the finest created in Britain at the time.”"

"“However, a bitter feud broke out between the pair and the partnership ended in 1909, with Cobden-Sanderson accusing Walker of a lack of commitment to their art. As part of a compromise, the younger Walker was meant to be given the type to use once 75-year-old Cobden-Sanderson had died. Yet such an idea was considered abominable by the type's creator who instead came up with a secre”"

Read at www.bbc.com