Fulham foreshore reveals ancient findings

The team from the Thames Discovery Programme made the find in front of Fulham Palace, close to Putney Bridge, where they are also charting the rich archaeological contents of a dry dock which has been cleared of tonnes of thick silt for the first time in decades.

At the bottom of the site at the very end of Fulham High Street is a newly unveiled cobbled ramp, leading down to the remains of the previous Putney Bridge.

The wooden structure featured a toll house on the Fulham side and was built in 1729, with the intention of lasting 30 years. It remained there for 150 years until today's stone bridge was built to replace it in the 1880s.

Mud and silt which built up to 12 feet since a previous excavation attempt has finally been removed with help from the waterways charity Thames 21.

Volunteer Rick Davis, who lives round the corner from the site in Ranelagh Gardens, said: "Thames 21 turned up with fire pumps to break the mud up and wash it out, but it's taken three years to get down to the original level. It's been a hard job at times.

"It seems to have been a bit of a dumping ground for local pickpockets - we found one purse with a bank card dated to 1997, so we knew how far down we'd gone.

"There's the possiblilty for lots of nice things to be found. People have been crossing here for millennia, and right next to a toll house we're expecting people to have dropped things out of their pockets into the water."

Volunteer Andy Brown described the discovery of the iron age post as 'very, very significant'.

He said: "An actual structure which we can date to prehistoric times is a first for this area. It's a sharpened tree trunk that has been banged into the ground, maybe as a support for a jetty or that sort of thing."

And fellow worker Yvonne Masson said: "The foreshore is about the only thing left in which amateurs can get involved.

"We're talking about the largest archaeological site in Europe - it's always been very exciting and you find the most extraordinary things.

"The Thames is a mighty river and it changes the foreshore all the time. New stuff is appearing and getting eroded and we're having to record it before it disappears."

It is now hoped the dry docks can flourish as a nature reserve, with ducks, fish and other creatures attracted to its calm waters and clean environment.