The Morven Park lions are two cast iron lions that have flanked the entrance of the main house at Morven Park in Leesburg, VA since at least 1861. The Mansion, once the home of Thomas Swann, Jr., Governor of Maryland during the Civil War and Westmoreland Davis, Governor of Virginia during World War I, is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a Virginia Historic Landmark. Having been in an exterior environment for many years, the lions were suffering from exposure to the elements. Their protective paint coatings were failing, the joints in the castings were separating, and one of the paws had broken off and been inappropriately repaired with concrete fill.

Kreilick Conservation, LLC was retained in September 2015 to conserve the lions. The scope of work included de-installing the lions and transporting them to our conservation studio in Oreland, PA. Once in the conservation studio, the existing deteriorated paint was chemically stripped from the surface. All concrete fill, and other debris, were removed from the interior. The detached paw was re-attached. Additional repair techniques included welding and metal-filled epoxy fills. Once all repairs were completed, the lions were re-painted. The lions were then transported back to Morven Park, and re-installed in their original positions.