L is for Lions

Art Deco art, ceramics, and architecture took a lot of inspiration from nature – like animals and flowers – as well as from mythical creatures, like sphinxes, which had the body of a lion and the head of a human. Unlike the ethereal nature depicted in the Art Nouveau style, along with the use of fantasy creatures, the Art Deco style favoured domestic animals, like dogs, particularly greyhounds, and any number of different big cats. These graceful animals, with their sleek forms, symbolised power, and elegance.

Jaguars, of course, became the logo and name of British motor manufacturers (now Jaguar Land Rover), which saw its origins in the company of the Swallow Side-Car company back in 1922, but it wasn’t until 1935 that the first Jaguar car was produced.  

Taking the lions as a motif in Art Deco architecture, these were depicted in a static way, often sitting like royalty, and often they were placed at the entrance to a grand building. You can walk around Loughborough today, and see various pairs of lions adorning the gateway to a number of domestic buildings, for example, on Westfield Drive. Back in 1962, however, you’d not have seen the pair of terracotta lions that sat outside a property on Leicester Road, but the following year you might have spotted them on the entry to Quorn Court, on Loughborough Road in Quorn.

But let’s go a bit further back in time, to the 1920s and 1930s! I haven’t been able to find much evidence of lions on our Art Deco architecture, apart from those on the former Burton Tailoring store. And what a treat that is! There are no less than 9 lion heads adorning the string course above the first-floor windows, and just below the parapet.

There are also these on the former Echo Press offices, which are located on the string course between the upper two floors of windows, and are surrounded by an angular motif. There are only 8 of these, but again, they're pretty stunning, but look a bit more vicious than the ones on the former Burtons!  

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Posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

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Dyer, Lynne (2025). L is for Lions. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2025/04/l-is-for-lions.html  [Accessed 14 April 2025]

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Loughborough Lichfield and Southampton

Well, what a varied week this has been! After a weekend in Birmingham, I was out 'Loughborough-connecting' in a few other places, including Lichfield and Southampton. In both places I found plenty of things to remind me of home - as well as many differences, of course, like a distinct dearth of yachts in Loughborough!

Lichfield public library has undergone a staggering change, moving from an expansive Victorian building on the site of a former friary, to a small church in the centre of the Market Square. In order to fit, they had to withdraw quite a lot of bookstock, and some of the seating is now in a most odd place. However, they haven't gone smart, yet. Loughborough library goes smart at the beginning of April, I believe, so at certain times access will be by library card only, and there will be no staff within to help. 

Study tables in the former altar area

Stained glass in Loughborough library

Upstairs in St Mary's church in Lichfield, now part of the library, used to house the heritage centre. Some of the information boards had been retained, and I was rather interested in this one, and whether or not there was any connection with the various branches of the family with that name in Loughborough.

The view out onto the market below in some ways reminded me of Loughborough!

Stained glass above, bustling market through the clear glass

Looking down on Loughborough market

I have a feeling that all Burtons stores are closing, or already have. There's been a lot of disgruntlement about the Abergavenny store which still had its original 1930s signs, as during the re-purposing of the building, there was a degree of lack of care over the valuable heritage. The Burtons store in Lichfield has been long gone: like Woolworths stores and Co-op stores, Burtons shops are quite distinctive, but the Lichfield one also has definitive evidence of its former life.

Lichfield Burtons

Foundation stone in Lichfield

Best I could do for the moment!

And finally in Lichfield, I spotted trams - ok, toy trams!!! Wonder if they are models of those connected with The Brush?

Trams in the Toy Museum, Lichfield

Meanwhile, down in Southampton, markers on the roadside that I think were to do with water, reminded me of the milestones in Loughborough.

Milestone on Leicester Road

Down towards the Ocean Village we happened upon the former railway station and the former offices for the London and South Western Railway (LSWR). The station has been transformed into a casino, while what was the hotel, Southwestern House, to its right is now luxurious flats. It was in a small upstairs room that Churchill and Eisenhower planned the D-Day invasions of WW2.  The building was once extensively used by the rich and those travelling on cruises. Apparently, the staircase was influential in the design of the stairs in the Titanic. The dining room was known as the Wedgewood, Ballroom and, as the name suggests, was painted in those iconic Wedgewood colours of powder blue and white. The building is still joined to its neighbour by the original steel structure. Inside the building there is an original document relating to George III. I haven't been able to ascertain what exactly this pertains to, but in my quest for information did discover that a statue of George III was presented to the borough of Southampton in 1809, and placed in a niche on the Bargate: some of my readers will be interested to note this statue was made of coade stone. Not entirely sure what the LSWR offices are now, but probably housing. 

The former railway station with the Imperial flats to the right

The inspiration for the stairs on the Titanic

The former LSWR offices

Along the same road there was a branch of the Wilts and Dorset bank, whose construction reminded me of the lodge to Aingarth, on Leicester Road, which was originally a lodge to The Elms. I might be wrong but the construction looks similar - Aingarth is ashlar (although I can't find my photo at the moment).

Wilts and Dorst Bank

The final thing that reminded me of Loughborough was a pub called the London Hotel. Nothing to do with the name, more to do with the construction material again. The upper storeys look like Hathern tiles, but further investigation reveals that both the upper and lower floors are constructed of tiles made by Carter and Co. of Dorset. 

The London Hotel, Southampton

Detail of the London Hotel, Southampton

Hathernware on Loughborough's Lloyds Bank

And there I must stop, otherwise I'd go on all night! 


You are welcome to quote passages from any of my posts, with appropriate credit. The correct citation for this looks as follow:

Dyer, Lynne (2019). Loughborough, Lichfield and Southampton. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2019/03/loughborough-lichfield-and-southampton.html [Accessed 24 March 2019]

Take down policy:

I post no pictures that are not my own, unless I have express permission so to do. All text is my own, and not copied from any other information sources, printed or electronic, unless identified and credited as such. If you find I have posted something in contravention of these statements, or if there are photographs of you which you would prefer not to be here, please contact me at the address listed on the About Me page, and I will remove these.

Thank you for reading this blog. 

Lynne