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Quite possibly the first Black lion tamer in England, Maccomo was tamer to Sunderland’s famous taxidermy lion Wallace.
Anyone who went to school in Sunderland is likely to recognise the crooked smile of Wallace, a crude taxidermy lion and a mainstay of the Sunderland Museum since its acquisition in 1879.
What is lesser known today, even in Sunderland, is the story of the man closely associated with the iconic lion, probably the first Black lion tamer in England, Martini Maccomo.
BY SEAN CURRAN
