Friends Of The Golden Lion
Charity 1174816
Overview
Summary
Friends Of The Golden Lion appears to be a place-based heritage restoration organisation whose intended value extends beyond conserving a historic building. Its role is to return the Golden Lion to public use in Cannon Hill Park, using restoration as a platform for heritage learning, recreation and community benefit. The organisation’s model appears dependent on volunteer and professional contribution, with collaboration—especially with the local authority and other not-for-profit bodies—embedded in its charitable purpose.
Operational geography
Coverage: Neighbourhood
Operational areas:
Evidence and reasoning
Supporting evidence
Remaining uncertainties
- The latest available Friends of the Golden Lion annual report covers the year ended 31 December 2024 and states that the charity undertook no activity that year. It does not establish whether activity restarted during 2025 or 2026.
- The charity's stated purpose remains tied to the Golden Lion in Cannon Hill Park; however, this is an intended and historic focus rather than sufficient evidence of current Friends of the Golden Lion operations there.
- Birmingham Conservation Trust is currently leading restoration-related work on the Golden Lion with Birmingham City Council. Available evidence does not establish that Friends of the Golden Lion is a current delivery partner in that work.
- The registered address should not be treated as an operational site: the Charity Commission records that the charity does not own or lease land or property.
Additional evidence needed
- A Friends of the Golden Lion annual report or annual return for the year ended 31 December 2025, or other current official statement, confirming whether it resumed activities.
- A current Friends of the Golden Lion project update identifying any active site, events, volunteer activity or delivery role at the Golden Lion.
- Official confirmation from Friends of the Golden Lion, Birmingham Conservation Trust or Birmingham City Council of any formal current partnership and the charity's role in the Golden Lion project.
Areas of work
- Arts/culture/heritage/science
- Economic/community Development/employment
- Recreation
Who they help
- The General Public/mankind
How they help
- Provides Buildings/facilities/open Space
Discoveries involving this organisation
The Atlas has not published any Discoveries involving this organisation yet.
Observations
Restoration is framed as a route to public life, not an end in itself
The available evidence suggests that preserving the Golden Lion is intended to enable a renewed civic asset: a place for recreation, leisure, learning and wider public benefit, rather than solely a protected historic structure.
Why it matters
This distinguishes the organisation from a narrowly conservation-focused friends group. Understanding it as a future-use organisation helps explain why heritage, recreation and community development all appear in its charitable classification.
Show evidence
“The charity aims to provide facilities for recreation and leisure time occupation in the interests of social welfare.”
Source:Charity Commission“The group is working towards restoring and reopening the Golden Lion.”
Source:Organisation
The organisation occupies a bridging role between heritage and inclusion
It appears to use a historically distinctive building as a shared public resource, while explicitly positioning its intended benefit as open to people without distinction across protected and social identities.
Why it matters
This indicates that inclusion is not merely incidental to access in a park setting; it is written into the organisation’s public-benefit rationale. It raises useful questions about whether future programming and governance reflect that ambition.
Show evidence
“The charity's objects include providing facilities for social welfare without distinction of age, disability, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, nationality, race, religion, sex, sexual identity and orientation or political or other opinions.”
Source:Charity Commission“The charity helps the general public.”
Source:Charity Commission
Collaboration is part of the organisation's intended operating model
The organisation appears unlikely to see restoration and reopening as something it can achieve alone; its objects anticipate working with the local authority, charities and not-for-profit organisations.
Why it matters
This suggests that its effectiveness may depend as much on relationship-building, permissions and complementary partners as on heritage expertise. It may be a useful connective organisation between park, heritage and community sectors.
Show evidence
“The charity's objects include working together with the local authority, charitable and not-for-profit organisations.”
Source:Charity Commission“The group consists of volunteers and professionals.”
Source:Organisation
- Whether the Golden Lion is currently accessible, and what reopening would involve in practice.
- Which organisations or public bodies are active partners rather than intended collaborators.
- Whether education, recreation and community-development activities are already being delivered or remain planned outcomes.
Remaining uncertainties
- Current restoration status, timeline, funding position and plans for the building's future use.
- Evidence of partnerships, volunteer participation, public engagement and accessibility arrangements.
- Information on proposed or delivered programmes, audiences and community outcomes.
Additional evidence needed
Charity Commission profile
Activities
The Friends of the Golden Lion are a group of volunteers and professionals working towards restoring and reopening the Golden Lion, a 16th Century timber-frame building located in Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham.
Charity objects
THE OBJECTS OF THE CIO ARE: (1) TO ADVANCE HERITAGE FOR THE PUBLIC BY PRESERVING AND PROTECTING THE HISTORY, ARCHITECTURE AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE 16TH CENTURY BUILDING KNOWN AS THE GOLDEN LION, SITUATED IN CANNON HILL PARK, BIRMINGHAM. (2) TO ADVANCE THE EDUCATION OF THE PUBLIC BY PRESERVING AND PROMOTING THE HISTORY OF THE GOLDEN LION AND ENCOURAGING HISTORICAL RESEARCH AND INTEREST IN MATTERS CONNECTED TO THE PRESERVATION OF THE BUILDING. (3) TO WORK TOGETHER WITH THE LOCAL AUTHORITY, CHARITABLE AND NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANISATIONS TO PROVIDE FACILITIES IN THE INTERESTS OF SOCIAL WELFARE FOR RECREATION AND LEISURE TIME OCCUPATION WITH THE OBJECTIVE OF IMPROVING THE CONDITIONS OF LIFE FOR THE PUBLIC, WITHOUT DISTINCTION OF AGE, DISABILITY, ETHNICITY, GENDER IDENTITY AND EXPRESSION, NATIONALITY, RACE, RELIGION, SEXUAL IDENTITY AND ORIENTATION OR POLITICAL OR OTHER OPINIONS.