Mudlarking 19 - Oatine and a face
Jun. 17th, 2025 03:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
I was going to visit the Thames Barrier and wanted to go mudlarking on the way, but didn't quite manage to.
I started at Woolwich - the first set of stairs I looked down were too muddy and the foreshore was similar. The second set, I walked down but they got muddier and I started slipping so turned back. A man saw me doing this and told me there were steps further on that would be better. We walked together to the steps but then found them padlocked.
The steps nearest to the Thames Barrier, outside the Hope & Anchor pub (now closed) seemed to be missing steps and also looked very slippery, so I gave them a miss too.
So mudlarking 19 did not happen that day, and instead the day after.
I headed to Rotherhithe and it was blissfully quiet, I was the only person on the foreshore.
I found a few pieces of shoe soles and picked one up, wondering if anyone had worn it or if it was just surplus.
I found some pottery sherds and a few pieces of glass, and a few bits of pipe.
I headed back up the steps.
“Are you okay?” a man asked after I'd taken my gloves off and wiped my nose.
“Yeah”, I said, nodding.
“Are you a tourist or you live around here?” he asked.
“Neither,” I replied, and he walked off before I could elaborate, seeming annoyed. Then he started cheering random joggers who were running past, who looked at him confused.

I headed to Limehouse after that and there were Canada Geese and goslings, and swans.
I found my first face! I am not sure who he is, although he looks familiar somehow. It may have been part of a Bellarmine jug.

I found quite a lot of sherds with words on:
“Oat” - A part of what looks like a small white pot that says “oat” on the bottom. It seems there was once a face cream called Oatine, so this little pot likely held that. It looks like Oatine was sold in the UK from 1905 to 1960s, but was most popular around the 1920s. Article I found on Oatine: Oatine: The food for the complexion.

“unt” - a small sherd with what looks like “unt” visible. The letter before could have been a “o” so perhaps it spelt county or mount?
“ho” - a sherd where most of the glaze has come off and all that is left looks like it spells “ho”.
Also glass shards with words on:
“ark” - this shard was obviously from Noah’s Ark.
“c.” - a nice letter c and a full stop, but whether the rest of the word was Isaac or maniac or automatic, I don't know.
“by” - possibly, or it could be “ry”, but I think it looks more like “by”.
One where they are obviously letters but what remains of them is too difficult for me to tell.
I found a terracotta coloured stone that looks like it has a little pink heart on it.
I found a button and a blue circle of glass with two holes, which could have been a button also but it could have been on a necklace, perhaps?
Limehouse finds are colourful!

I started at Woolwich - the first set of stairs I looked down were too muddy and the foreshore was similar. The second set, I walked down but they got muddier and I started slipping so turned back. A man saw me doing this and told me there were steps further on that would be better. We walked together to the steps but then found them padlocked.
The steps nearest to the Thames Barrier, outside the Hope & Anchor pub (now closed) seemed to be missing steps and also looked very slippery, so I gave them a miss too.
So mudlarking 19 did not happen that day, and instead the day after.
I headed to Rotherhithe and it was blissfully quiet, I was the only person on the foreshore.
I found a few pieces of shoe soles and picked one up, wondering if anyone had worn it or if it was just surplus.
I found some pottery sherds and a few pieces of glass, and a few bits of pipe.
I headed back up the steps.
“Are you okay?” a man asked after I'd taken my gloves off and wiped my nose.
“Yeah”, I said, nodding.
“Are you a tourist or you live around here?” he asked.
“Neither,” I replied, and he walked off before I could elaborate, seeming annoyed. Then he started cheering random joggers who were running past, who looked at him confused.

I headed to Limehouse after that and there were Canada Geese and goslings, and swans.
I found my first face! I am not sure who he is, although he looks familiar somehow. It may have been part of a Bellarmine jug.

I found quite a lot of sherds with words on:
“Oat” - A part of what looks like a small white pot that says “oat” on the bottom. It seems there was once a face cream called Oatine, so this little pot likely held that. It looks like Oatine was sold in the UK from 1905 to 1960s, but was most popular around the 1920s. Article I found on Oatine: Oatine: The food for the complexion.

“unt” - a small sherd with what looks like “unt” visible. The letter before could have been a “o” so perhaps it spelt county or mount?
“ho” - a sherd where most of the glaze has come off and all that is left looks like it spells “ho”.
Also glass shards with words on:
“ark” - this shard was obviously from Noah’s Ark.
“c.” - a nice letter c and a full stop, but whether the rest of the word was Isaac or maniac or automatic, I don't know.
“by” - possibly, or it could be “ry”, but I think it looks more like “by”.
One where they are obviously letters but what remains of them is too difficult for me to tell.
I found a terracotta coloured stone that looks like it has a little pink heart on it.
I found a button and a blue circle of glass with two holes, which could have been a button also but it could have been on a necklace, perhaps?
Limehouse finds are colourful!
