The Story of the Lion
Visitors to Twickenham Stadium may be familiar with the golden lion that graces the top of the Rowland Hill Memorial Gates at the entrance to the West concourse. Here from
The lion has not always been gold. When he first arrived he was stone coloured - although he is not actually stone but instead a false stone, known as Coade stone. Coade stone was made in a factory owned by Mrs Eleanor Coade. She named her stone "Lythodipral" after a Greek word whose literal meaning is "Stone twice fire". Mrs Coade ran her factory from 1769 until her death in 1821. Her formula for the stone has since been lost.
The lion was gilded in 1991, at a cost of £6,000 - greater than the cost of the original 10 ¼ acre plot of land purchased in 1907 for £5,572 12s and 6d on which the stadium now stands.
But how did it arrive at Twickenham and where did it come from? A plaque on the gates states:
"This lion made of Coade's artificial stone stood in front of the Lion Brewery, Lambeth from 1837 to 1948 when the site was cleared for the Royal Festival Hall. It was preserved - with the lion now standing on Westminster Bridge - at the express wish of King George VI".
The RFU minutes from 1971 record that the lion was to be a gift
from the Greater London Council (GLC) and that it would be
presented by Sir Desmond Plummer, then leader of the council. It
was in need of some repair at the time, but the costs, including
those of its installation, were to be borne by the GLC. It was
eventually unveiled on 27 April 1972.
The personal memoirs of Harold Clark, formerly Clerk of Works at
the stadium, record that the lion was one of a pair that once stood
at Waterloo station.
So, what had that to do with the Lion Brewery? On investigation, it was confirmed that a lion had indeed stood at the approach to Waterloo Station. However, there was only one and not two. The lion in question had been installed at Waterloo in 1951 and was removed in 1966 to make way for some redevelopment at the station. It had been painted red - British Rail's colour. Once removed from the station, it was cleaned up and re-sited at the South end of Westminster Bridge, where it still stands. That lion definitely came from the Lion Brewery, where it stood imposingly over the front of the building overlooking the Thames. Moreover, this is the lion that was saved at the express wish of King George VI.
Come and see the Twickenham Lion for yourself by visiting the World Rugby Museum and taking part in one of our Twickenham Stadium Tours.