| The Sea Lion Inn, Waterloo
Road, Burslem is a building dating back some century and a quarter,
to the time when Waterloo Road was laid out. This is not a very common
sign generally but there are several occurrences of it in the Potteries.
Perhaps it may have a heraldic origin, or possibly it was called after
some exhibit in a travelling menagerie which visited the place and made
a great impression on the minds of the inhabitants. The house itself is
either a relatively new one or it has been renamed since the title does
not appear in the old lists.
There seems to be no connection of Burslem with any family having a sea lion in its coat of arms. Perhaps the allusion is to a species of seal called the Sea Lion, and differing from the ordinary seal in having external ears. The heraldic Sea Lion is a very curious beast, having two feat like those of a duck, a head like a lion's and the tail of a fish. It is not known why the sign should be a favourite in an inland district - perhaps it is because the sea lion is fond of liquid and is supposed to be much affected by music! Inns and Beerhouses of Stoke-on-Trent Index
questions/comments? email: Steve Birks |
