King’s Road’s Lion

In 1969 an Australian antiques dealer named John Rendall and his mate Bourke bought a lion pup over the counter at Harrods for about £260, at a time the purchase of exotic animals was legal. 

They named the cub Christian and as he grew too large he was moved to Rendall’s furniture shop in Fulham, aptly named Sophisticat, scroll right to see photo. To ensure Christian could exercise, the vicar of the Moravian Church on the edge of King’s Road, granted them permission to let the lion exercise and play in the Moravian Burial Ground.

As Christian grew larger he became unmanageable and the pair was convinced by a friend to reintegrate the lion in the wild. A conservationist proposed the Kora National Reserve in Kenya. After many setbacks which saw some of the members to the pride killed, Christian became the head of said pride.

In 1971 both Kendall and Bourke visited the reserve, but were warned the lion would most likely not recognise them. The video below, is an extract from a documentary which recorded the reunion.

The Moravian Burial is the starting point of my King’s Road Heritage Walk