There are five fundamental concepts which will
distinguish the Thames Museum from other museums in
London and will create a unique, unforgettable
experience.
1. The Thames Museum will be specifically dedicated to the archaeology and history of the River Thames which is currently the UK's largest archaeological site. Much of what we know about London's history has been discovered through artifacts recovered from the river, from Mesolithic stone tools to Medieval toys, Celtic sacred offerings to remnants of The Great Fire. Unique, historically important artifacts are continually being found in the river, and the Thames Museum would be a place for academics, visitors and school children to research and learn from these important finds.
2. ‘Hands on History’ will be the most important
aspect of the Thames Museum experience and is proven to
be one of the best ways to aid learning. The museum will
be ideally located on the river, and daily tours using
the foreshore as a ‘classroom’ will be designed for
pupils and students to get their hands dirty and
discover archaeology for themselves. The expert museum
guides will help identify these finds and explain the
history behind the objects. These history lessons
will enthuse and inspire visitors in a revolutionary
way.
3. The Thames Museum’s collections will be forever changing. With new discoveries being made on a daily basis, each visit will be different from the last. The museum will also be unique as visitors who participate in the tours of the river foreshore will be able to add to the collections themselves. Some of their artifacts could change the way we look at London’s history forever.
THE VISION
As well as creating a fantastic and original new museum
for London, the museum founders want to share their
passion for history in order to inspire, enthuse and
inform a younger generation. The museum will offer
educational trips to the foreshore to schools and other
educational bodies. The purpose-built classroom within
the museum will act as a hub for creativity and
innovation whilst supporting teachers in a variety of
ways in order to meet educational agendas. This approach
will change the perspective of history linking actuality
with education. This would include the types of things
we could expect to find on the foreshore, orientation
and information about the area we will be searching as
well as safety tips and do’s and don’ts.
Teaching aids including real artifacts, visual
displays, wall maps, etc. will be used to bring history
to life. A resin flooring system full of coins and
artifacts will act as a virtual foreshore so students
can ‘get their eye in’ before going down to the
foreshore. The educational foreshore tour will be a real
'hands on history' experience for all and a great way to
be inspired. One idea is to provide a check list
with 10 - 15 photos of the most common foreshore finds,
and students will try to find as many of those items as
possible. The list would include Tudor pins, lace
chapes, fragments of salt glaze (Bellarmine), fragments
of slip ware, Medieval pottery (e.g. green glaze), fly
buttons, lead tokens, clay pipes, musket balls, Tudor
bricks, ship nails, etc. The foreshore is packed with
unusual objects, and every item has its own story to
tell. Kids really love a treasure hunt, so the
Thames Museum’s educational programme is an exciting way
to learn about London’s history. Museum guides will be
on hand during the foreshore visit to identify finds and
offer plenty of help and encouragement.
Once the foreshore tour is finished, students can
return to the museum to get cleaned up. Finds can
then be examined carefully and anything of importance
recorded. As members of the Thames Mudlarks, the
founders regularly record their finds with the Portable
Antiquities Scheme (PAS) which has an online database of
UK finds. The museum will offer a simple and easy
to use version of the PAS database so students can
record their important finds themselves directly after
their foreshore visit. This recording system will
be linked to the main PAS database so that all relevant
finds are added. Imagine how cool it will be to
record your own find! History Kudos. Your
name will be associated with the discovery of a piece of
history.
The museum will have a display board with the best
finds during that month. This will include a description
of the find and the name and age of the finder. This
‘leader board’ will be updated daily on the museum’s
website, as well as on our social media channels -
Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest. Certificates for
find of the month and find of the year will be
awarded.
History lessons need never be the same again! Through the finds that they take back to school with them, they can delve further into the history of their treasures in class projects. The excitement can continue as they will see their finds listed on our website, and see if any of their finds are still top of the rankings.
Old timbers, masonry and brickwork, original and
authentic items such as barrels, wooden crates and
decking will be used as display cases.
Larger artifacts such as anchors, pulleys and
ship ropes will adorn the walls inside and out.
The use of audio and digital equipment will add to
this experience.
Museum Interior Character
Museum Concept
Searching and discovering clues to our past
Educational trip to the Thames foreshore with museum guide
'Hands on History' -- learning about London's history
Educational Agenda
4. Working closely with the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS), the Thames Museum will assist in identifying and recording artifacts on the online database which is an invaluable resource to researchers, historians and the general public. The museum will be a place of discovery and recording where knowledge will be made available for current and future generations.