Another lion’s tail

On a miserable wet day back in April 2019, I went to have a look at the Bargate lions. In September the year before a council worker had found the tail of one of the lions on the ground. At first it was thought vandals might have been responsible but it soon became clear that the lion was merely suffering from a bad case of old age. The poor things have been guarding the medieval gate in all weathers for over two hundred and seventy five years after all. These two rampant lions, symbolising courage, nobility, strength and valour replaced the wooden lions who’d guarded the town since Tudor times. They also represent the legend of Sir Bevois, the founder of the town.

The details of that wet walk and the story of Sir Bevois can be found here. At the time no one knew exactly what would become of the lions. Both had developed alarming cracks, probably due to the internal ironwork expanding and corroding, and specialists were trying to work out the best course of action. In November 2020, the lions were removed and taken off to be repaired. By this time we were in a second national lockdown so I couldn’t go along to see for myself and had to be content with a report by the BBC.

The Bargate without it’s lions didn’t bear thinking about so it was quite a relief at the end of March to learn from the Echo that the lions had finally been returned to their plinths . Seeing is believing though so, at the first opportunity, Commando and I went into town to have a look for ourselves.

The town was still in lockdown so none of the shops were open and the palace was pretty deserted. The lions weren’t quite as I remembered them either. When I’d last seen them they were in a sorry state, now, not only had they been repaired, but they’d also been restored to how they’d looked back in 1743. Apparently, conservator, Rupert Harris, had done some detailed forensic work and discovered that the lions had originally been painted as if they were real live lions. This, it seems, was the fashion at the time for statues.

It was quite disconcerting to see statues that I’d known all my life as black, painted to look like actual lions. The buff coloured bodies, dark pink mouths and black claws are going to take some getting used to. It turns out this isn’t the first time the people of Southampton would have to become accustomed to the lions changing colour though. Over the centuries the lions have been repaired, cleaned and repainted several times. In the late 19th century, they were even painted green before being painted black in around 1900.

As for the poor lion with the broken tail. I was pleased to see his tail was once again exactly where it should be. In fact there was no sign at all that he’d ever lost it. Hopefully the repairs and the new paint will add a measure of protection and the Bargate lions will last another few hundred years before they next need attention. By then, I wonder if anyone will remember that the lions once used to be black?

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