Who stole out red lions? In the early hours of Friday 12th September, thieves made off with the two stone red lions form outside the former Red Lion Inn (shown below in its heyday).

Below is the text from the Berwickshire News of 17th September 2008, which hopefully may jog memories and help find the thieves and recover our Lions, so that future generations can enjoy them once again.

"Ayton's historic lion statues stolen - Village residents stunned by theft"

17 September 2008

By Kenny Paterson

BERWICKSHIRE may have a fine selection of wildlife that roams the countryside but the chances of spotting a lion have always been slim. They are even more remote now, however, as the two lions of Ayton are missing from their natural habitat. Before fears are raised that the lions may be out on the prowl in the county, it should be said they are ornamental ceramic red lions taken from the front of the former hotel of the same name.

However, their value to the village has been shown through the stunned reaction of Ayton's residents after callous thieves removed the 80-year-old lions and their plinths, which could be worth as much as £4,000, last Thursday night.

It is feared they have been stolen by rogue antique dealers and will never be seen again. The lions were first noticed missing by Cliff Barker, who lives in Red Lion House, which was formerly part of the hotel. The 45-year-old paramedic said: "I went to work at Chirnside on Thursday night and they were still there. "I arrived back home about 7am and noticed they had both been lifted. "I lived in London for many years and nothing happened. Then I move up to quiet Ayton last December and I find my lions have been nicked. "It is bizarre. "They could have been stolen to order but we are only guessing at the moment, no-one knows what has happened to them. "The value is not a concern – I never really felt they belonged to us despite owning the house. It is more the value to the history of the village. "Older people say they remember sitting on top of them as children and you still see children sitting on them. "It is a bit of history that has disappeared from the village and a lot of people are upset by this."

Generations of schoolchildren have memories of posing for photographs on the backs of the red lions which became a focal point for Ayton. They include Anne Cowe, who was pictured with sister Hazel in 1962 posing beside the one of the lions as young children. She said: "As soon as you were a toddler you were lifted onto the lions. "A lady in her 80s from the village remembers being told she was too young to climb on them so they must be at least 80 years old. "They have always been part of the village but I am worried they could be gone forever."

Fellow villager Laurie Pettitt added:"They are as much part of the village as the famous tower or castle. "Kids have played on them for years. "Everyone who has lived in the village has known them to be there for all their lives. "They are beautiful but someone has had them away during the night. "There were two lions, one at each end of the car park. I reckon they are worth about £2,000 a piece but we are more interested in the value to the village."

The Red Lion Hotel opened for business in 1766 and it was during the 1920s that the lions, in a posturing position, were added as a feature. It closed down in April 1991 during a recession which saw the value of the hotel drop by 50 per cent. The owners at the time pinned the blame on the Prime Minister of the time by writing on the front door: "Thank you Maggie Thatcher for the economic cock-up the Tories have made."

The hotel fell into disrepair after closure and Scottish Borders Council ordered £1,500 worth of repairs to be made to loose masonry after the owners had failed to do remedial work in 2003. However, the lions remained in place, watching across the village even when the old hotel had been turned into houses. A spokesman for Lothian and Borders Police appealed for anyone with information about the theft to come forward. He said: "We are looking for two male lions which sat on plinths, and have been removed from their cement base during Thursday night. "They are described as 18 to 20 inches in height and are three foot long. They are made of ceramic and were a faded red colour. "Due to their weight a vehicle must have been used. "Anyone who saw anything suspicious between 7pm on Thursday and 7am on Friday is asked to contact police."

The full article contains 745 words and appears in the Berwickshire News:

http://www.berwickshire-news.co.uk/news/Aytons-historic-lion-statues-stolen.4500555.jp