Final days to find the Portsmouth Lion Trail

If you have been meaning to track down the lions scattered across Portsmouth, the clock is ticking. The Pride of Portsmouth Lion Trail, which has been quietly taking over the city since the summer, is entering its final days, and the whole lot vanishes after Sunday 13 September. That leaves you with just a few days to catch what you have missed before the sculptures are packed away.

The numbers are worth repeating, because they are part of the appeal. There are 45 uniquely decorated lion sculptures spread across the city, plus one cheeky addition: a unicorn statue sitting at Aspex Gallery, which stays put until the same closing date. The lions are not all in one place, either. They are dotted through Port Solent, Cosham, Hilsea, Copnor, Baffins, Fratton, Eastney and Southsea, so a full set will take you right across Portsmouth rather than keeping you in the centre. One to look out for is The Town Crier, designed by Andrea Martin and standing in Victoria Park.

The whole thing is free to follow, and there are two ways to do it. The Pride of Portsmouth app lets you find and 'unlock' each lion as you go, with extra information and rewards along the way. If you would rather have something in your hand, paper maps are available from Portsmouth libraries: they are free for library card holders, or free if you sign up for a card on the spot, while a map for anyone without one is £2. You can also find the map at prideofportsmouth.co.uk. Each lion has been decorated by a local artist, with the designs leaning into the character of the area it sits in or celebrating Portsmouth more broadly.

There is a reason for all the lions in the first place. The trail is the centrepiece of Portsmouth100, a year-long programme marking a century since the city was granted city status by King George V on 21 April 1926. The unicorn, meanwhile, has a home with some history of its own: Aspex Gallery sits at 42 The Vulcan Building in Gunwharf Quays, a former Navy storehouse that is itself a Scheduled Ancient Monument.

As for what happens next, the future of the sculptures is still being finalised. Some may be kept by their sponsors, while others could remain as permanent public art, so a few may well outlast the trail itself. For now, though, the deadline is the same for all of them: Sunday 13 September. If you have a few lions left to find, this weekend is the time to go out and get them before the trail closes for good.