Experts Pulled The Plug On This Old London Canal – And Made A Startling Discovery In The Mud

For almost 200 years, this historic canal has provided an aquatic passage through East London’s Tower Hamlets, collecting plenty of human detritus along the way. Then, in January 2021 experts decided to drain its muddy waters in order to carry out a program of repairs. And when they did, a number of startling artifacts were revealed on the bed below.

Strapping on waders and reflective jackets, the dedicated volunteers climbed down into the belly of the canal, keen to take a closer look. As they sifted through beer cans and discarded trash, they realized that there were some much more valuable treasures lurking there too. So what exactly did the team uncover?

Given the long and varied history of the Hertford Union Canal, it should come as no surprise that all manner of artifacts have slipped beneath its waters over the years. First opened back in 1830 the mile-long channel was intended to act as a shortcut between two of London’s busiest waterways.

With the construction of the canal, traffic traveling from the River Lea was able to bypass the challenging Bow Back Rivers area and emerge directly onto the Thames. But despite this convenience, the waterway was not a success. And after just a year of operation, its owners were already considering scrapping the access toll.

Then in the 1850s a dam was constructed across the Hertford Union Canal, making it impossible for boats to navigate its length. Apparently, there was concern that water from the far-busier Regent’s Canal was being lost to its smaller, less significant neighbor. But that wasn’t the end of the story for this historic waterway.

In 1857 the channel was acquired by the Regent’s Canal Company, which removed the dam and incorporated the route into its network. And with that, the Hertford Union Canal became part of a vital lifeline connecting Paddington Basin with the River Thames. Nearly 200 years after the canal first opened, it remains a fixture of London life.

Today, the Hertford Union Canal forms part of the much larger Grand Union Canal. Beginning on Regent’s Canal at Hertford Union Junction, it extends east towards the River Lea – which is also confusingly known as the River Lee along in navigable stretches –pushing through the sedate greenery and shaded picnic benches of Victoria Park. But what treasures has it hidden over the years?

Of course, London has altered drastically in the two centuries since the Hertford Union Canal was built – and the waterway has borne witness to many of these changes. Over the years, it has choked in the smog of industrial activity, played its part in the war effort and, finally, become a place of relaxation and recreation for many city dwellers.

But all this time, the waterway has been hiding a number of secrets beneath its dark and murky waters. And in January 2021 the time came to uncover them. Needing to carry out vital repairs to the infrastructure of the mile-long stretch, the Canal and River Trust decided to drain its depths.

According to a BBC news report, it was the first time in two decades that the Hertford Union Canal had been emptied. And over the years, an overwhelming amount of trash had found its way into the waters. With the bare bed of the structure exposed, it soon became clear exactly how much had accumulated – and how much would need to be removed.

But with waterways covering some 2,000 miles to maintain, the trust has plenty on its plate. So, it enlisted the help of a team of volunteers to assist them with clearing the debris from the bottom of the canal. And although that might seem like unpleasant work, there was one group of Londoners to whom it definitely appealed.

Known as mudlarkers, these hobbyists make a habit of scavenging riverbeds, searching for objects of interest. And in London, they can often be seen scouring the mudbanks of the Thames. Over the years, they have uncovered countless items of trash – but they have stumbled upon some treasures as well.

Mudlarker Anna Borzello, for example, has built up an impressive collection of antique pins, including ones from the Tudor era, simply by scouring the riverbed. In fact, she is so obsessed with the hobby that her home is filled with fascinating artifacts that she has retrieved from the famous river which flows through England’s capital.

As you might expect, the items discovered by mudlarkers are incredibly diverse. Over the years, these hobbyists have spotted everything from Tudor pottery and animal bones to ceramic roof tiles bearing scorch marks from the Great Fire of London. Importantly, if the finds are deemed to be of historical value, they must be turned over to the authorities for proper study.

“You feel like you’re contributing in some way,” Borzello told writer Amelia Clarke in December 2020. “It’s rather exciting to have your find on a list somewhere… it’s thrilling.” And while some discoveries, such as the Tudor gold she once unearthed, are confiscated by the government, others find their way into the mudlarkers’ collections for good.

It should come as no surprise, then, that when the call went out for volunteers to help declutter the bed of the Hertford Union Canal, Borzello and her fellow mudlarkers answered. After all, here was an opportunity to explore a stretch of riverbed that had been concealed for an entire generation.

Arriving at the canal, Borzello soon realized that their task would be a perilous one. In an April 2021 article for the BBC, she wrote, “I [sank] straight in above my knees, and spent the next five minutes trying to dig myself out with a shovel. Canal mud is treacherous, deceptively solid-looking on the surface but giving way to thick sludge beneath.”

Describing the scene, Borzello continued, “Shallow water pooled in the center of the three-quarters-of-a-mile-long trench, but sediment swirled with every step, making it hard to see anything.” Despite the difficult conditions, though, the volunteers could see that the canal bed was strewn with previously-submerged artifacts.

According to reports, much of this was the typical trash that you might expect to find at the bottom of a canal in one of the world’s most populous cities. As they scoured the exposed bed, the team spotted tires, bicycles and even lampposts sunk into the mud. Meanwhile, everyday litter such as tin cans and plastic packaging made their progress arduous and slow.

But even these seemingly worthless objects can give us an insight into the life of the canal. In her article, Borzello attributed much of the trash to fly tippers who illegally dump in the area. Other items, such as traffic cones, were likely tossed in the water by bored teenagers desperate for a moment’s entertainment.

In some cases, the objects found on the canal bed tell us more about those who live on London’s waterways. According to Borzello, items can sometimes fall from passing houseboats and barges, soon disappearing into the murky depths. Many of the tires, for example, probably once hung from boats, providing protection from bumps and scrapes.

Elsewhere, the canal seems to have served as a sort of makeshift graveyard for unwanted technology such as mobile phones. Were these items simply tossed into the water when their usefulness reached an end? Or were they accidentally dropped, causing no small amount of consternation for their unlucky owners?

While some items retrieved from the Hertford Union Canal were commonplace, others were decidedly unusual. One volunteer, for example, stumbled upon an entire birdcage sticking out of the mud. And another mudlarker, Monika Buttling-Smith, unearthed three statuettes depicting Hindu deities. Apparently, objects such as these are sometimes placed in the water as an offering to the gods.

In a terrifying twist Nicola White, another mudlarking enthusiast, discovered the head of a doll with a screw driven through its nose at the bottom of the canal. Was it a relic from some voodoo practitioner, designed to cause harm to its intended victim? Or simply an art project accidentally cast aside?

Bizarrely, it wouldn’t be the first time that White has encountered a voodoo doll in London’s waterways. As a mudlarker who frequently searches the banks of the Thames, she has found the figures, alongside magic spells and religious trinkets, in the city before. But, wisely, she tends to leave these more esoteric artifacts undisturbed.

“I draw the line at voodoo dolls,” White told Clarke. “Those I wouldn’t take for obvious reasons. Like no, thank you. I’ll leave you right there.” But potential curses weren’t the only sinister objects recovered from the Hertford Union Canal. Elsewhere, the mudlarkers also unearthed traces of the criminal world.

In one instance, volunteers found a vehicle license plate that had been cut into small pieces and stashed inside a plastic bag. And although we can never be sure why someone might carry out such a bizarre act, the assumption is that they were up to no good. Similarly, the empty safes retrieved from the depths of the canal may well have been cracked open in an illicit manner.

There were signs of violence, too, including an airsoft gun and even a sword. At the moment, researchers have been unable to date the latter, meaning that it’s just as likely to be an historical artifact as a modern weapon. But there was one find, discovered by mudlarker Mike Walker, that was comparatively easy to place.

According to Borzello, Walker stumbled upon the object submerged in water when he accidentally kicked it with his foot. Reaching down, he pulled out a helmet dating back to World War II. And this wasn’t the only historic artifact that the team retrieved from the mud beneath the Hertford Union Canal.

In one instance, a volunteer discovered a horseshoe – probably a relic from a time when the animals pulled barges along the canal. Elsewhere, White found an old ink reservoir and an ancient ginger beer bottle crafted from stone dating back to the end of the 19th century. And in yet another part of the waterway, a curious cluster of animal figurines was unearthed.

“I don’t know why there was a collection of tiny ceramic polar bears, horses and a gorilla beneath a bridge,” wrote Borzello for the BBC, “but I imagine an angry child hurling in his sibling’s collection.” If true, this wouldn’t be the only case of someone flinging something into the canal out of frustration.

According to Borzello, onlookers often shared their thoughts on the operation while passing the empty expanse of the Hertford Union Canal. One, it seems, questioned whether the volunteers had found a friend’s bicycle, thrown into the muddy waters by a driver experiencing a fit of road rage. Meanwhile, another pair wondered about the provenance of a motorbike found abandoned amid the muddy sludge: they apparently suspected it might have belonged to a friend of theirs.

So what will happen to all the trash and treasure recovered during the operation? Apparently, the general litter will be classed as toxic by the authorities and disposed of via barge. But some of the more interesting items, such as Walker’s World War II helmet, will remain with the Canal and River Trust for further study.

After that, the future of the objects will depend on their historical significance. And while they could be returned to the mudlarkers to take pride of place in a private collection, they may also end up on display in a museum or official facility. For those who spend their time searching for artifacts in London’s rivers, it’s a familiar scenario.

In fact, while mudlarking might seem like a delightfully anarchic pastime, it’s actually subject to some fairly strict regulations. People like Borzello and White, then, have to obtain licenses in order to legally pursue their hobby. And if they discover anything dating back over 300 years, they must hand it over to the Museum of London to be recorded.

In the case of the Hertford Union Canal, the artifacts don’t seem to be quite that old – although as previously mentioned the precise provenance of the sword is yet to be determined. According to Borzello, this could be because dredging has stripped the bed of any earlier objects. Anything left over, such as historic coins or jewels, may have disappeared into the mud without a trace.

Writing for the BBC, Borzello also speculated that hobbyists fishing the canal with magnets could have gotten to any additional artifacts before the mudlarkers arrived. But even so, the volunteers were left with a fascinating haul. Perhaps one of the most memorable London river finds, though, occurred some years earlier in 2014.

That March, another team of volunteers were helping to clean up Salmon Lane Lock on Regent’s Canal, a few miles south of the Hertford Union stretch. But things ground to an abrupt halt when they pulled an unexploded World War II grenade from the water. As a result, the police were called in to cordon off the area and military experts carried out a controlled detonation – quite the dramatic turn of events.

According to reports, the Canal and River Trust were due to refill the Hertford Union Canal in April 2021, likely covering up the bed for another 20 years or more. But work on London’s waterways is always ongoing, and this is far from the last time that a section will be drained. When that next happens, the city’s mudlarkers will be on hand to see what treasures have been revealed.