The Coade Stone or Westminster Bridge Lion
the Coade Stone Lion, which is also known as the Westminster Bridge Lion or the South Bank Lion was created by William Frederick Waddington an English painter and Sculptor in 1837. It was originally painted red and is one of a pair of lions that stood on a parapet above the Thames frontage of the Lion Brewery, which was located by Hungerford Bridge. The Lion Brewery was blitzed during World War II, but remarkable the 13 ton Coade Stone Lion survived in one piece. The Lion Brewery was demolished in the 1950 to make way for the Royal Festive Hall, but on the request of George VI the Lion was saved. The Coade Stone Lion was then moved to Westminster Bridge in 1951 for the Festival of Great Britain celebrations. After the festival it was moved to the entrance of Waterloo Station, and finally in 1966 it was once again moved to it’s present position on Westminster Bridge. Coade stone is an artificial ceramic material, which is made from a mixture that was referred to as fortified clay. It was invented by Mrs Eleanor Coade and was sold commercially from 1769 until 1833 when the company went out of business. Seemingly Coade is the most waterproof stone ever made, which is why after all these years the Lion looks in remarkable condition.
Size: 4256px × 2831px
Location: Westminster Bridge, London, England,
Photo credit: © Derek Adams / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: bank, brewery, bridge, ceramic, clay, coade, eleanor, festive, fortified, frederick, hall, lion, royal, south, stone, waddington, waterproof, westminster, william
