Maiwand Lion, War memorial in Forbury Gardens, Reading, England.
The Maiwand Lion stands in Forbury Gardens and is one of the largest cast iron sculptures in England, towering over the surrounding space. It rests on a solid stone base and dominates the garden with its impressive size and weight.
The monument was built to honour 329 soldiers from the 66th Berkshire Regiment who died in the Battle of Maiwand in Afghanistan in 1880. It became an enduring memorial to this distant military campaign in the heart of Reading.
The lion has become a symbol of Reading over many decades and appears on the local football club's emblem. Visitors and residents gather around it as a familiar meeting point in the garden.
The memorial sits in the central Forbury Gardens and is easy to reach on foot from the town centre. The surrounding area has benches where you can sit and view the monument from different angles.
The character of Doctor Watson in the Sherlock Holmes stories was inspired by a medical officer who served at the Battle of Maiwand. This literary connection links the memorial to a famous work of English fiction.
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