Equestrian statue of the Duke of Wellington, Glasgow

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The Duke of Wellington statue with a cone

The equestrian statue of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington located outside the Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow, Scotland, is one of Glasgow's most iconic landmarks.

Sculpted by Italian artist Carlo Marochetti and erected in 1844, it is notable for being typically capped with a traffic cone, a practice which has become traditional in the city, representing the humour of the local population.

In 2011 the Lonely Planet guide included the statue in its list of the "top 10 most bizarre monuments on Earth".[1]

History[]

The statue in June 2010

The statue was sculpted by Italian artist Carlo Marochetti and erected in 1844. The statue is a Category-A listed monument.[2]

In recent times the statue has become known for being capped with a traffic cone.[3] Adorning the statue with a cone had continued over many years: the act was claimed to represent the humour of the local population and was believed to date back to the 1980s,[4][5][6][7] if not before.

In 2005, Glasgow City Council and Strathclyde Police took a stance of asking the public not to replace the cone, citing minor damage to the statue and the potential for injury when attempting to place a cone.[5][6]

In 2011 the Lonely Planet guide included the statue in its list of the "top 10 most bizarre monuments on Earth".[1]

In 2013 Glasgow City Council put forward plans for a £65,000 restoration project, that included a proposal to double the height of its plinth and raise it to more than six feet in height to "deter all but the most determined of vandals".[8] Their planning application contained an estimate that the cost of removing a traffic cones from the statue was £100 and to frequently do this could amount to £10,000 a year.[7] The plans were withdrawn after widespread public opposition, spearheaded by a Facebook campaign called "Keep the Cone" (which accumulated more than 72,000 likes within 24 hours)[9] started by Scottish musician Raymond Hackland and Glaswegian photographer Steven Allan.[9] An online petition defending the cone received over 10,000 signatures.[10] As the council indicated that action against the practice could still be considered,[11] National Collective organised a rally in defence of the cone.[12]

A replica of the statue, complete with cone, appeared at the 2014 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony.[13]

In 2015, Glasgow City Council tested hi-tech CCTV software worth £1.2m, checking to see whether it could automatically detect people putting cones on the statue, which it could.[14]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b McCloskey, Katy (29 September 2011). "Scottish sights among world's best". The Herald. Glasgow. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
  2. ^ "QUEEN STREET DUKE OF WELLINGTON STATUE (LB32823)". portal.historicenvironment.scot. Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  3. ^ Leadbetter, Russell (12 December 2019). "Those were the days – the Duke of Wellington statue, 1950 and 1959 (NB: no cone)". The Herald. Glasgow. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  4. ^ "Hat's not on, says lord provost". BBC News. 2 August 2000. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Historian unamused by city's joke about the duke". The Herald. 25 January 2005. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  6. ^ a b Todd, Stephanie (16 February 2005). "Council in road cone statue plea". BBC News.
  7. ^ a b Farrell, Mike (11 November 2013). "Glasgow's iconic 'cone head' statue could be raised to stop vandals". STV News. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.
  8. ^ Hall, John (12 November 2013). "'An iconic part of local heritage': Glasgow Council drops £65,000 plans to raise Duke of Wellington statue that reguarly has traffic cones placed on its head". The Independent. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  9. ^ a b McFadyen, Siobhan (12 November 2013). "Cone Man the Bavarian". glasgow.stv.tv. STV News. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013.
  10. ^ "Plans to end cone tradition on Glasgow's Wellington statue 'to be withdrawn'". BBC News. 11 November 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  11. ^ "Doubt remains over Glasgow Wellington 'cone hat' statue". 12 November 2013. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
  12. ^ "Glasgow rallies to save Wellington Cone". 12 November 2013. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
  13. ^ McDonald, Gillian (16 March 2017). "Why Glasgow's Duke of Wellington statue was allowed to keep his cone". i. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  14. ^ "New city surveillance system sparks call for urgent law change". The Ferret. 5 November 2015. Retrieved 17 March 2016.

Further reading[]

Coordinates: 55°51′36″N 4°15′07″W / 55.86009°N 4.25199°W / 55.86009; -4.25199

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