Wellington statue

The equestrian statue of the Duke of Wellington in the heart of Glasgow is considered one of the most significant and humorous monuments of the city and even included in the list of “10 strangest monuments on Earth”. The author Carlo Marochetti, who created the monument in 1844, hardly laid in his brainchild the humorous meaning with which the monument is associated today.

The fact is that back in the 1980s, if not earlier, there was a steady tradition of putting a road cap on the poor duke’s head. This was done mainly by students, and no matter how the local authorities fought this hooliganism, the next night the cap reappeared on the head of the statue. Even the honorable location of the statue literally near the Royal Exchange and in front of the Museum of Modern Art does not save it from the manifestation of folk love.

The monument belongs to the highest category of protected monuments of history and architecture, so local authorities are concerned for its integrity. At the moment, the monument already has minor damage, and the process of placing a cone on the head of the Duke of Wellington constantly threatens to increase their number.