South Bank Lion

The South Bank Lion stands on its granite plinth beside Westminster Bridge as a survivor of a lost industrial skyline. This thirteen-tonne sculpture was originally cast in 1837 to sit atop the parapet of the Lion Brewery, a massive building that once dominated this stretch of the river. While the brewery was demolished in 1949 to make room for the Royal Festival Hall, the lion escaped destruction after King George the Sixth intervened to ensure its preservation.