The work was originally on top of the Lion Brewery, South Bank, in 1837, and was relocated to York Road, outside Waterloo Railway Station, in 1951. It was erected on its present site 1966. The sculpture is a large stone lion, painted white mounted on a tall granite plinth, weighing 13 tons, and made of multiple parts. Historically, it was painted red, however the paint was stripped off in 1951 when the lion was removed from its original setting. Because the statue was made with artificial stone, it was necessary to paint the surface to protect the surface and to prevent blemishes on the stones surface. The new coat of paint was described as 'cream', but present day the lion is painted white. During the 1951 cleaning, a trap door was found cut into the lion's back.