Photo-a-Day  (Saturday, 22nd October, 2022)

I can't understand the mentality of some folks who take it on themselves to do things like this to a popular with children stone lion, and which has stood for a great many years without any damage being done to it. It will probably end up having to have the attention of a professional stone cleaner/restorer to be cleaned at a great deal more than the can of yellow paint some fool bought or stole. It's the same with those stop oil morons who threw tomato soup on the painting of Sunflowers by Van Gogh, it was behind glass thank goodness, but it will still have to go to art restorers to be unframed to see if any of the soup leached behind the frame, and if so to be cleaned, and all at many more times the cost of that can of soup. The culprits should be charged with wilful damage and made to pay these costs - but knowing the police these days they'll just say the usual - its a civil matter.

No it doesnt

Now this takes me back.

I like the worn look of the lion. The green verdigri on the whiskers and the white lichen under its beard. Also the worn paws were countless children have touched them

Good photo, Dennis. The Lion seems to have a human quality about his face.

I have a photo of this somewhere with my granddaughter sat on Leo’s back (aged about four). There must be many more photos of Leo with children wrapping their arms around him.

The lion brings back happy memories of visits to the Hall with a friend some years ago, along with visits to the cafe and the fish-pond. Certain places, along with certain people, are a constant in our lives as the years pass by. Hello again, Leo!

Apparently the lion has had this paint on it for the past few years, admittedly I haven't been to Haigh Hall for around eight or more years and I'm sure it didn't have the paint on then. So when was the lion spattered by a Picasso delusional having their yellow period, anyone know?

In this link you can see the lion in 3 Dimension and by scrolling you can magnify the image for more detail.

https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/the-gasworks-lion-haigh-woodland-park-ebcb2316e2e74381a85fe2059a8b3275

Looks like some kind of moss or lichen,hope it not paint.

Great photo. The lion's face has a human like quality about it.

Don't panic the colour on the lion is just a natural thing that happens over the years when stone lion are left out in all kinds of weather.

Looks like some kind of moss or lichen,hope it not paint.

I may be quite wrong but that looks like lichen to me. I believe when you see grey lichen on trees etc, its dead, when yellow its alive because the air is clean.
Someone might know otherwise.
I think he's a nice lion, with a friendly face.

Oh come on! This is Nature’s ‘natural ‘ reaction and breakdown , to man made ‘impure’ products . How long are we going to treat Nature as secondary to us ? We are servants , not the other way around !

The lion was sprattelled with magic paint by four Witches from Leigh disguised as Friends of Haigh Country Park, it is a special recipe made from sautéed old pumpkin, semolina pudding, earwax and fungus infected toenails. This was done in protest because we want the lion back along with the other two in their rightful home of Lilford Park and placed on a magically reconstructed Lions Bridge. This magic paint has the means to ensure the lion disappears from Haigh Hall on All Hallows Eve in a puff of sparkling dust and to magically reappear in Lilford Park. You have 9 more days of the lion remaining at Haigh Hall- then puff - it belongs to Leigh again.

Old video of Haigh Hall, showing wallpaper, lavatory, roof view some dusty stairs, roaring log fire and a Manchester tart

https://youtu.be/bOgdQn-fAgE

I think the stone mason used the wizard of oz lion as a model

Looks like Leo has been moved? I've not seen him near the cafe before. He has never belonged to Leigh, he has been in Haigh Hall, as long as I can remember.