This rare wooden club came from the Thames foreshore at World's End,
Chelsea. It was found in 1996. It has been scientifically dated to
3600-3300 bc. The club is currently on display in the Museum of London's
London before London gallery which tells the vast story of London prior to
the coming of the Romans.
Weapons in the wet
The club is made of alder wood. It is roughly the size of a modern cricket
or baseball bat. It would have been a formidable weapon. It was lost at
the river's edge at a time when climatic changes were causing sea and
river levels to rise. It owes its survival to the waterlogged conditions
in which it lay.
Religious offerings
Many other ancient objects have been found in the river in the Chelsea
area. Some may have been deliberately placed there as gifts to the gods or
to tribal ancestors.
