Everyone deserves a bit of TLC

Nottingham’s much-loved lions have been given a spring clean following criticism over their “depressing” condition.

Officially named Agamemnon, the left lion, and Menelaus, who sits guard on the right, the pair have been looking a little worse for wear, having not been given a clean amid the council’s past financial woes.

Owing to their condition, some took to social media to brand them “The Green Lions”; with algae, moss, and lichen thriving on the stone in the damp conditions.

However, the Labour-led authority, which has seen its debt levels reduced by hundreds of millions, has now given them a jet wash as the long, dark, and wet winter months come to an end.

Cllr Ethan Radford, the deputy leader of the council, said: “The Lions are a much-loved part of Nottingham life.

“They’ve suffered a bit with the wet weather we’ve been having this winter so council staff have given them a good spring clean.

“Leo and Oscar – or Agamemnon and Menelaus to give them their proper names – have cleaned up really well and look great standing proud in front of the Council House.”

The council told the LDRS the cost of their cleaning was less than £200.

Council documents dating back to August 2005 show the city council set aside £400,000 for cleaning the Council House and Exchange building at the time.

It is not known when they were last cleaned after this time.

Speaking at a meeting in July 2024, Cllr Ethan Radford, the council’s deputy leader, said that given the extent of the financial challenges the council was facing, funding a spruce-up of the façade and lions was “not high on our list of priorities.”

The Grade II-listed Neo-Baroque-style building acts as a forum for debate and decision-making when Nottingham councillors meet for Full Council.

It also acts register office for births, marriages, and deaths.

It is the largest civic building in the city and features a 200ft dome, which houses the Little John bell.

Repairs are still needed for stonework on the building’s façade, as well as the dome, flooring, and areas of the roof that are leaking.

Speaking to the LDRS last year, Ian Wells, of the Nottingham Civic Society, described the condition of the building and resident lions as “depressing”.

Of their cleaning, he added: “We are delighted and hope it is the first part of restoring the rest of the building.”

He said the society had commissioned a report from an expert from Edinburgh concerning how best the historic building could be cleaned and maintained using safer techniques, having been “rather violently” tended to in the 1970s.

The Nottingham Independents and Independent group proposed a budget amendment at the meeting on Monday, during which members of the opposition group tabled their plans to bolster the maintenance budget for the cleaning of civic buildings.

Cllr Radford responded to confirm the lions had been given a clean.

Agamemnon, on the left, was the ruler of Mycanae, good at spear-throwing and hero of the Trojan War, but he was forced to sacrifice his own daughter to appease the wrath of the goddess Artemis.

The right lion is called Menelaus, King of Sparta and husband of Helen of Troy.

Each of the majestic Art Deco-style beasts weighs two tonnes.

The man responsible for sculpting the pair was Joseph Else, the head of Nottingham School for Art in the 1920s.

The Wetherspoons overlooking Old Market Square was named in his honour.

By Joe Locker,
Local Democracy Reporter