The cat that 'lives' in the Long Gallery at one of the greatest Elizabethan houses in Britain

Emma Barnard stands in the Great Hall of Parham House, begun in 1577. In the background are some of the familiar treasures in the Parham collection, including the 1610 portrait of Henry, Prince of Wales.

On the table, however, is a more modest, but delightful object: a shell lion thought to have been made in the 17th century. It was collected by her great-grandmother Alicia Pearson, who restored the property with her husband, Clive, from 1922.

‘He has a huge Cheshire Cat grin,’ she observes, ‘because he has caught some sort of goat, which he has firmly under his paw.'

The cat may be small, but he gets more than his share of attention.

'He lives under the State Saddle of James II in a glass case in the Long Gallery, with his back to the room,' Lady Emma continues.

'There’s a window seat next to him — my great-grandmother put him there to give anyone who sits down for a quick rest something to look at.’

The lion is one in a whole bestiary of quirky animals incorporated into the building, as Lady Emma adds: ‘There is a dodo, llama and “sea cow” — which looks like a cow, not a manatee — in the 1930s Great Parlour plasterwork and, to keep the lion company in the Long Gallery, Oliver Messel’s painted ceiling includes a monkey and a very surprised-looking owl.’

Visit the Parham House website to find out more about visiting.

This feature originally appeared in the January 21, 2026 issue of Country Life. Click here for more information on how to subscribe.