Wow! What an amazing evening! Monika Butling-Smith gave a fascinating presentation on her experiences as a mudlarker on the Thames and showed us a wide range of her finds. She explained how all mudlarkers require a permit from the Port of London Authority and whilst there were thousands with a standard permit, she was one of only fifty members of the Society of Thames Mudlarkers. She also described how she preserved and restored her finds as, even though they had been protected by the mud for centuries, once they were out of the water they quickly rusted or disintegrated. We were able to handle some of the finds, and there were audible gasps when some objects that were hundreds of years old were passed around, and Monika brought them to life with her wonderful descriptions. There was also a local angle when she showed us some of her finds from the Welsh Harp reservoir when it had been drained recently and she had been among a number of mudlarkers invited to see what emerged from the mud, including a camera from the beginning of last century that she had carefully restored.