??Griffins

I am not sure if these might be Griffins beside the doors of the Minshull Street Crown Court but I noticed them as I wandered around while waiting for a train connection in Manchester.

Griffins are mythical creatures with a lion’s body, eagle’s wings and head and the back covered in feathers with the combination of the lion and eagle making the griffin a very powerful symbol of strength, intelligence, honesty, loyalty and vigilance. As a result they have often been used in architecture since ancient times and the Victorians were especially fond of them.

Perhaps they struck fear into those who had to appear in court for wrongdoings.