THEY once stood proudly on one of the most iconic buildings in Birmingham city centre with an unrivalled view of the city’s skyline at the turn of the twentieth century.
But six stone griffins which looked out from the roof of the former Lewis’s department store on Bull Street and Corporation Street now find themselves at ground level – on a housing estate in Shard End.
It is believed the statues of the mythical Greek creatures, which guarded treasures, were gifted to the city from a Tsar of Russia.
After the original store was demolished they were moved to mark the entrance to the old Yorkswood Scout Camp, set up by the Birmingham & District Association of Boy Scouts which bought 80 hectares of land in the area in 1923.
The scout camp closed in 1972 and the housing estate was built.
But the griffins stayed and now line up along Horne Way and Kendrick Avenue.
Now residents are campaigning for them to be preserved by Birmingham City Council.
A Heritage Lottery bid is being processed and they have been locally listed.
There was talk that the local authority wanted to move the griffins back to the city centre near the old Lewis’s site where the Minories building and the Square Peg pub now stand.
But the council has decided not to relocate them.
Lynda Bradbury, chair of the residents association, said: “There is a tremendous amount of history behind the griffins.
“They ended up here when the scouts were here, before the houses were built.”
Miss Bradbury, 58, who moved to the estate in 1993, said: “There’s six in a line about 20ft apart and I guess they can be a bit scary. They used to have stones in their eyes, but they were plucked out by the kids.
“When you look at them every one is different, they all have different features. We want to get them restored but it will cost a lot of money. They can’t just be blasted because they will disintegrate.
“The residents like having them here and they don’t scare any visitors. A lot of men in their 50s who came here for scout camps when they were boys often talk about their memories of them.”
A heritage lottery fund bid is now in its early stages. Planners from Birmingham City Council are due to carry out a site visit before the next step can be taken.
Councillor John Cotton (Shard End) said: “It’s a fascinating bit of history. When the site was sold off and redeveloped in the early 70s the griffins remained on site. It’s just amazing – the last place you would expect to see them.
“They give the area character. Unfortunately, we have never been able to confirm the rumour that they were a gift to the city from the Tsar of Russia.
“We have been in touch with the Heritage Lottery Fund about conserving them. We’re also working on projects with schools and we have just got them locally listed with the council, which is great news.”
Historian Carl Chinn said: “Lewis’s was an iconic building in Birmingham – the only real Father Christmas lived in Lewis’s. It’s good that residents are trying to preserve them and keep them in the area.”
