The Library of Obscure Wonders

The Thames Wonders Cabinets and Tideway project was influenced by the 17th Century “Cabinets of Curiosity” or “Wunder Kabinets”; however, instead of exploring undiscovered parts of the world, these cabinets investigated the overlooked curiosities within the everyday urban environment. The Thames contains many wonders, natural and man-made: from leeches and crabs to old tobacco pipes and coins. Many items that were discarded or lost hint at histories, while the plant and animal life is profoundly determined by the city, which the river helped bring into being. The river can reveal far more than first expected. Once you begin looking there is an inexhaustible supply of finds and discoveries.
On a Sunday afternoon in June, forty people met by Putney bridge. Supplied with plastic bags and gloves each explored the Thames foreshore and then proceeded along the Thames Path to Barnes collecting curiosities as they went.