As he got closer to Westminster Bridge, Mr Monkey noticed that someone was repairing the bridge. Then he had a look at the South Bank Lion. This is moulded from a ceramic called coadestone (though its inventor, Mrs Eleanor Coades, called it lithodipyra, which never really caught on as a name). The lion used to stand on top of the Lion Brewery, and was saved by the intervention of King George VI when the brewery was demolished to make room for the festival hall.
You can read about Mrs Coade's liquid stone at the Churchmouse website.
Copyright Rik Shepherd and Mr Monkey. This page last modified 12 February 2007