Originally this very impressive lion – made of Coade stone (a type of ceramic stone which is particularly resistant to weathering) – was mounted on top of James Goding’s Lion Brewery building in the 1830s. He was sculpted by William Frederick Woodington and stayed in place until 1949 when the brewery was demolished to make way for the Royal Festival Hall.
Reportedly it was King George VI who requested that the lion be saved from the demolition site and it was first put on display outside Waterloo station (and painted red as the symbol of British Rail) before being relocated in 1966 to its current position on Westminster Bridge (and the red paint was removed).
There were actually three lion statues at the brewery – one is now covered in gold leaf and is on display at Twickenham Stadium and the other is missing, presumed destroyed.
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