|
Description:
Undated.
One of the four Portland Stone lions guarding the entrance to the Town Hall from Victoria Square. It is thought that Brodrick was inspired by ones he had seen in Italy when making his choice of subject. Lions were a fashionable theme of the day. William Day Keyworth (1817-1897), the Hull-born sculptor and architect, was awarded the commission for sculpting the huge beasts. They were unveiled in 1867, nine years after the opening of the Town Hall, two on 15th February and the other pair on 7th June. Each lion is made in two parts held together by zig-zag joints in the Portland Stone. The four lions were created at a cost of £550 to the Council. Keyworth was a pupil of one of the greatest English sculptors, Sir Francis Legatt Chantry RA (1781-1841).
|