Equestrian statue of the Duke of Wellington, Glasgow facts for kids
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".
Challenge to cone practice
In a bid to reduce the cost of removing traffic cones from the statue, alleged to be £10,000 a year, Glasgow City Council put forward plans in November 2013 to double the height of its plinth as part of a £65,000 restoration project. The plans were withdrawn after widespread public opposition, spearheaded by a Facebook campaign called "Keep the Cone" (that accumulated more than 72,000 likes within 24 hours) started by Scottish musician Raymond Hackland and Glaswegian photographer Steven Allan. An online petition defending the cone received over 10,000 signatures. As the council indicated that action against the practice could still be considered, National Collective organised a rally in defence of the cone. In 2015, Glasgow City Council tested hi-tech CCTV software worth £1.2m by checking to see whether it could automatically detect people putting cones on the statue, which it could.
- Public statues in Glasgow
- List of monuments to Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Images for kids
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Statue of the Duke of Wellington on his horse Copenhagen unveiled in front of the Royal Exchange, in Royal Exchange Square, Glasgow in 1844.
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The statue in June 2010
See also
In Spanish: Estatua de Wellington para niños
