Lion Head Mooring Rings - Thames Embankments, London, UK
Posted by: Groundspeak Regular Member Master Mariner
N 51° 29.226 W 000° 07.542
30U E 699550 N 5707912
Along the embankments of the River Thames, through central London, lion heads can be seen attached to the river walls with mooring rings held in their mouths.
Waymark Code: WMNB7H
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 02/05/2015
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member lumbricus
Views: 3
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These lion heads can be seen from Vauxhall Bridge in front of the SIS building at Vauxhall Cross. These lion heads appear to be made from stone with metal rings with others being made from bronze.

The Tired of London Tired of Life website tells us:

Watch the flood forecasting lions

The lions who keep watch along the Thames in Central London, holding mooring rings in their mouths, play an interesting role as a flood warning system for superstitious Londoners, keen to keep an eye on water levels in the Thames.

A rhyme helps to remember how to keep watch on the lions. It is said that...

"When the lions drink, London will sink"
"When it’s up to their manes, we’ll go down the drains"
"When the water is sucked, you can be sure we’re all ... in trouble"

So if the level of the Thames reaches their mouths, we are at risk of a flood. Thankfully, it hasn't yet. The rings were, we are told, designed by Timothy Butler and installed as part of Sir Joseph Bazalgette's Victorian sewage works programme in 1868-70.

Physical Address:
Vauxhall Bridge
London, United Kingdom

Web Site: [Web Link]
Visit Instructions:
Take a photo of the lion.
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