Established in Victorian times, Forbury Gardens is a sweet haven from the hustle and bustle of Reading. As it is a walled garden, the noise of the town is kept well at bay. The statue of the lion is formally called the Maiwand Lion and was built to commemorate the local lives lost during the 2nd Anglo-Afghan War between 1878 and 1880. There is a local rumour that the sculptor, George Blackall Simonds, took his own life after realising that the lion's stance was impossible, as should the lion walk, it would fall over. However, this is not true as the sculpture is based on his observations of lions at London Zoo and he lived until he was 86.

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Elevation 50 m

Weather

Today

Thursday 30 October

13°C

11°C

10 %

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Max wind speed: 7.0 km/h

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Location: Reading, South East England, England, United Kingdom

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