100-mile Thames treasure hunt gets under way

Hundreds of London schoolchildren and adult volunteers will now be invited to take part in the three-year scheme and learn about London's maritime and industrial history.

The Thames is the longest archaeological site in the capital but so far only part of it has been investigated.

Jill Goddard of the Thames Estuary Partnership, which has received £421,500 from the Heritage Lottery Fund, said the range of material still surviving was astonishing.

"We've got the remains of fish traps from Saxon times but because they're tiny little stumps of wood you don't notice them unless someone points them out," she said.

"You find bits of Roman tiles and clay pipes and plastic dinosaurs. It's very nice for children and adults to see that archaeology is what you leave behind - that you get modern detritus as well."

John Clark of the Museum of London added: "The main point about the foreshore is it's eroding so needs to be surveyed as things get washed out."

A bronze head of Roman Emperor Hadrian found near London Bridge will be the highlight of a forthcoming exhibition at the museum.

Miss Goddard said the project would be useful as well as entertaining for those taking part.

For example, with the development of the Thames Gateway, it was important to identify sites of significance that could be affected by the addition of a new pier or jetty, she said.

Up to 200 London schools will be given the chance of a visit. An exhibition of items recovered will travel to

venues including the museums of London and Docklands and there will be opportunities for up to 75 volunteers.

Sue Bowers of the Heritage Lottery Fund said: "This is an exciting opportunity for Londoners to understand more about how this waterway has shaped and moulded London's history."

FIVE FINDS OF THE FORESHORE

* Bronze head from a statue of Emperor Hadrian, 2nd century AD, right. Found near London Bridge in 1834.

Medieval silver collar of links in S shapes given by a 15th century king to an ambassador or courtier. Found at Kennet Wharf in 1984.

Hoard of fake silver 15th century pennies discovered near City of London Boys' School at Blackfriars in the Eighties. As counterfeiting was treason, they may have been dumped by a forger who feared arrest and hanging.

Hundreds of pilgrims' badges bearing martyr St Thomas A'Becket and miniature swords bought as souvenirs on the pilgrimage to Canterbury have been found in the river.

Bronze age timbers from a jetty or a bridge are still in situ at Vauxhall.