Duke of Wellington Statue

If your a tourist reading this and thinking should I make the trip to see this famous statue, the first thing you should know is that this is not going to blow your mind. It’s a pretty standard statue of a dude on a horse like you would see in many European cities across the continent.
So why go and see it you might ask? Well it’s more about the sense of humour of Glasgow and the difference (we think) to other cities. At some point a traffic cone was put on the guys head by some drunk (I would imagine very drunk) local and when it used to get removed by the council it would always be replaced with another cone by somebody else. To the point where it is never removed and Glaswegians now accept and expect it to be there all the time.
So that is it really. I like it. You may well be completely underwhelmed, it is what it is. A old statue with a modern traffic cone on its head.

It’s a statue of the Duke Of Wellington. On a horse. Atop a huge plinth.
Now, I’m a total ho for a good statue. And this one is certainly iconic. But I just don’t like it. Anything about it. Irrationally so.
That said, the traffic cone on the Duke (and sometimes his horse) makes for one of Glasgow’s most recognisable landmarks.
My opinion, don’t go out of your way to see it, but if you’re in George Sq or Gallery Of Modern Art drop by.

«Here mate! HERE MATE! See dat big statue of dat bloke on ra pure mad big horse, aye? Know whit would be MENTAL??? Go an get wan ae they traffic cones and let’s plank it on the tap ae it! That’ll be pure dead BRILYANT, so it would. HAHAHA!»
I’d imagine the initial conversation about the now legendary cone on the top of statue was something along those lines… let’s face it. We all know it was done in a drunken haze, and probably as a result of one of THOSE ideas.
Those ideas that usually start with the sentence «Here, hold my beer» or «I’ll be back in a minute» or even better — «watch this!».
But, yes. To the uninitiated, this is a fine sculpture of the Duke Of Wellington atop a mighty steed, that sits on a plinth proudly outside the Gallery Of Modern Art. That’s the basics. The legendary part? At some point, a traffic cone appeared on top of the Duke’s head.
The legend that I heard told a tale that it was perhaps the police that planted the cone up there on a Friday night to stop drunken eejits from climbing, falling and hurting themselves, thus bleeding all over the freshly cleaned streets and causing the council to have to pay to clean the streets afterwards. Whether or not it’s true, who knows… but it makes a cracking story.
The council removed the cone on a regular basis, and made plans to keep it down. Glasgow rebelled. A petition and a campaign began to KEEP THE CONE. Yes, Glasgow rallied around a traffic cone. Possibly only Glasgow. It’s what we do, people.
In any case. Go see the cone. Go take a picture, have a giggle and let the absurdity of the whole thing make your day just a little brighter.
‘mon the cone!

A really iconic Glasgow photo opportunity and right beside top shopping areas Royal Exchange Square and Buchanan Street too. Take the photo from Ingram Street in order to capture the wonderful Glasgow Modern Art Museum building in the background.

I remember once walking past here and seeing a traffic cone on this statue’s head. Or should that be, I remember once walking past here and NOT seeing a traffic cone on this statue’s head. Oh, the banter.
In saying that, every Glaswegian carries a soft spot for the poor old Duke and his statue. An excellent meeting place and an iconic image, it’s the city’s Eiffel Tower or Trevi Fountain and a constant source of amusement for those who walk by it on a daily basis.

Usually a statue is pretty standard fare in a city like Glasgow, but this is a statue with a story. Not a particularly long story, but he’s well known for his — ahem — fitting attire. Yes, it’s the iconic traffic-​cone hat!
Word from my informants in the council say that they used to remove the offending headgear from time-​to-​time, but it always mysteriously returned within 48-​hours or so. I have actually once or twice seen the Duke without the traffic-​stopping glow atop his heid, and unfortunately both times I was escorting some friends who were new to Glasgow. What dreadful luck!
The Duke sits proudly upon his horse on Queen Street at Royal Exchange Square, right in front of the Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art. You cannae miss it, and you certainly cannot beat it!

The Duke of Wellington Statue has become an icon of Glasgow. There is a legend that the famous cone that is usually seen on his head is, in fact, placed there by Glasgow City Council and that the famous image of the drunk clambering astride the horse to «crown» the Duke is merely a myth.
In itself, it’s a fairly standard, old fashioned piece: inappropriate for the outside of the Modern Art Gallery, but a clear landmark and a good place to meet: if you get lost, every Glaswegian can tell you where it is.

A pretty standard statue of a guy on a horse, there are loads of these in any British city or town centre. It is the traffic cone that permanently resides on his head however, that makes this one of the city’s best known landmarks.
I must agree with the previous Unilocaler that perhaps old dukey’s headgear is deliberately placed there by the powers that be, it does after all, appear on postcards and tourist guides in that guise, as an indictment of West of Scotland humour. Despite my cynicism though, it’s still funny, and a great meeting point.

The statie of Wellington can be found outside the museum of modern art, at the back of Royal Exchange Square, looking towards the fashionable Merchant City.
The statue’s claim to fame lies in the fact that it is almose never without a traffic cone atop Wellington’s head. In the photo I have taken, it shows a rare occasion when the horse doesn’t also have a cone on its head.
In the tourist shops you can buy postacrds with a picture of this statue on them. I’d estimate it’s about 4 metres tall, so can only imagine how a drunken hero would scale thr statue to replace the cone when the council remove it.
It’s always worth coming by here to see how the statue is decorated and to witness a piece of classic Glaswegian humour.