Equestrian statue of the Duke of Wellington, Glasgow

An equestrian statue of Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, is located outside the Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow (formerly the Royal Exchange) in Scotland. It is one of Glasgow's most iconic landmarks. It was sculpted by the Italian-born French artist Carlo Marochetti and erected in 1844, thanks to public funding to mark the successful end in 1815 of the Napoleonic Wars. Since at least the 1980s it has been traditionally capped with a traffic cone by members of the public.

The statue is known for having traffic cones placed upon its head.

Statue

The statue of the Duke on his favourite horse Copenhagen was sculpted by the Italian-born French artist Carlo Marochetti and erected in 1844. It is Category-A listed.^[1] In 2011, the Lonely Planet guide included the statue in its list of the "top 10 most bizarre monuments on Earth".^[2]

Traffic cone

The statue is known for being capped with a traffic cone.^[3] Continued over many years, the act has been described as a display of Glaswegian humour and spirit, and is believed to date back to at least the 1980s.^[4][5][6][7]

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 one.^[5][6]

In 2013 Glasgow City Council put forward plans for a £65,000 restoration project, which included a proposal to double the height of its plinth and raise it to more than six feet (1.8 metres) in height to "deter all but the most determined of vandals".^[8] Their planning application contained an estimate that the cost of removing traffic cones from the statue was £100 per callout, and that this could amount to £10,000 per year.^[7] The plans were withdrawn after significant public opposition, including an online petition that received over 10,000 signatures.^[9][10] As the council indicated that action against the practice could still be considered,^[11] the art-political organisation National Collective organised a rally in defence of the cone.^[12]

In 2014, in support of the Scottish independence referendum, it was fitted with a "Yes" cone as well as a flag fitted in its stirrup.^[13] The cone was replaced with a gold-painted one during the 2012 Summer Olympics as a celebration of Scotland's contribution to the record haul of gold medals won by Team GB.^[14] A replica of the statue, complete with cone, appeared at the 2014 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony,^[15] and a gold cone was then again placed on the statue to mark the success of the games.^[16]

In 2015, Glasgow City Council tested CCTV software worth £1.2 million, checking to see whether it could automatically detect people putting cones on the statue, which it could.^[17] On Brexit Day (31 January 2020), pro-European supporters placed a cone painted to represent the flag of Europe on its head.^[18] During the COVID-19 pandemic it was adorned with a cone and a blue surgical mask around its ears to reflect the pandemic and lockdowns in the country.^[19] In March 2022, in support of Ukraine and as a protest against Russia's invasion of it, it was fitted with a cone with the colours of the Ukrainian flag.^[20] In June 2023, to promote his exhibition at the Gallery of Modern Art, the graffiti artist Banksy declared that the statue was his "favourite work of art in the UK".^[21] On 21 June the Scottish climate change campaigning group This Is Rigged placed a cone with their logo on the statue, and invited Banksy to support their cause.^[22]

Finnie, the mascot of the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, is a unicorn with a traffic cone for a horn. This is an intentional reference to the statue and the tradition of putting a cone on its head.^[23]

See also

• List of Category A listed buildings in Glasgow
• Public statues in Glasgow
• List of monuments to Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington