Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
This set is inspired by a Roman arena.
Bozdağ Film Platolari
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Wortley built the wooden backpack she used while retracing Alexandra David-Néel’s journey from a chair she found on the street in London.
How Elise Wortley Climbed Mont Blanc in 1830s Women’s Attire
26 days ago
Simplicity is key: Just a slice of bread with a sprinkling of salt and pepper is the perfect accompaniment.
The Sweet Second Life of Creole Cream Cheese
27 days ago
My rendition of frog legs, popping mushroom curry, pad prik khing with salted egg yolk, and sweet khanom thuai.
Recreating My Favorite Meal From Thailand
27 days ago
Inside London’s Gorgeously Curated ‘Art Restaurants’
27 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom Scotland Glasgow Duke of Wellington Statue

Duke of Wellington Statue

This stately monument has been wearing a traffic cone hat for decades much to the delight of the locals.

Glasgow, Scotland

Added By
nic mcclure
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Duke of Wellington Statue   Paul Walter on Flickr
Duke of Wellington Statue   Paul Walter on Flickr
The statue without its hat.   givingnot@rocketmail.com on Flickr
Duke of Wellington Statue   byronv2 on Flickr
Katyhorgan   katyhorgan / Atlas Obscura User
The Duke with his traffic cone hat July 2023   Juliejoolz / Atlas Obscura User
Ibis Hotel, Miller Street   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  Ursula / Atlas Obscura User
  Ursula / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Ursula / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Photo taken during Banksy exhibit, August 23’   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  Gavin / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  matthewglidden / Atlas Obscura User
  jlord7 / Atlas Obscura User
  victoriasea / Atlas Obscura User
  rbenn250 / Atlas Obscura User
  CoolCrab / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Maybe one of the most iconic locations in the architecturally rich city of Glasgow, the Duke of Wellington Statue has been harmlessly adorned with an unauthorized traffic cone chapeau since the 1980's and has become so beloved that locals actively encourage the victimless vandalism.

The statue, located just outside of Glasgow's Gallery of Modern Art and has graced the city's urban center since its establishment in 1844. However sometime during the 1980's, cheeky passersby began climbing the proud equestrian statue's plinth and placing a traffic cone on the Duke's head. No one is sure who started the tradition, but inebriated tricksters kept replacing the traffic cone each time the city would take it down. The image of the Duke with his bright orange hat became so common that most came to accept it as the standard look of the statue and it became a popular photo spot for visitors.

In 2013, the city of Glasgow began to work on a proposal that would have increased the height of the statue's plinth in an attempt to discourage the practice. However the Glaswegian public was outraged and formed campaigns to put a stop to the proposal. Outcry against the upgrade was so strong that the city abandoned the plan altogether.   

The prankish practice does not seem to symbolize anything greater than the playful spirit of certain Glaswegians, but that seems to have been more than enough to make sure the Duke of Wellington's head will not get cold anytime soon.  

Related Tags

Statues Graffiti Crime

Community Contributors

Added By

nmcclure85

Edited By

Jaszmina Szendrey, EricGrundhauser, CoolCrab, SEANETTA...

  • Jaszmina Szendrey
  • EricGrundhauser
  • CoolCrab
  • SEANETTA
  • Collector of Experiences
  • rbenn250
  • Ursula
  • Gavin
  • victoriasea
  • cait7911
  • Juliejoolz
  • matthewglidden
  • jlord7
  • emmeliamathews
  • katyhorgan
  • jdev22

Published

March 4, 2013

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g186534-d214111-Reviews-Duke_of_Wellington_Statue-Glasgow_Scotland.html
  • http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-24910216
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wellington_Statue,_Glasgow
  • http://www.theatlanticcities.com/arts-and-lifestyle/2013/11/how-glasgow-saved-its-coneheaded-duke-wellington-statue/7575/
Duke of Wellington Statue
16 Royal Exchange Square
Glasgow, Scotland, G1 3AG
United Kingdom
55.860102, -4.252
Get Directions

Nearby Places

George Square Imperial Measurements

Glasgow, Scotland

miles away

The Lighthouse

Glasgow, Scotland

miles away

Glasgow City Chambers' Staircase

Glasgow, Scotland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Glasgow

Glasgow

Scotland

Places 90
Stories 4

Nearby Places

George Square Imperial Measurements

Glasgow, Scotland

miles away

The Lighthouse

Glasgow, Scotland

miles away

Glasgow City Chambers' Staircase

Glasgow, Scotland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Glasgow

Glasgow

Scotland

Places 90
Stories 4

Related Places

  • Buckeye, Arizona

    Hobo Joe

    A giant mascot, a car bomb, and the mafia mingle in the history of a defunct restaurant chain.

  • Serenity

    Washington, D.C.

    Serenity Statue

    This poor little statue is the most vandalized memorial in Washington.

  • Parkland Walk

    London, England

    Parkland Walk

    Following the trail of an old metro line, this scenic path is haunted by a creepy spriggan statue.

  • Monument to the Soviet Army

    Sofia, Bulgaria

    Monument to the Soviet Army

    A Bulgarian monument to Russia's role in World War II is constantly being painted in pop culture protest.

  • November, 2008

    Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany

    Holbein Horse

    A horse statue that receives constant makeovers from graffiti artists and locals.

  • Statues of Qin Hui and Lady Wang.

    Hangzhou, China

    Qin Hui Statue at Yue Fei Temple

    Visitors take revenge upon the statue of a traitor made to kneel at the tomb of his enemy.

  • York, England

    Tobacconist Napoleon Statue

    A rare tobacconist Napoleon statue stands inside York’s medieval guildhall.

  • This gigantic statue once marked a radio station’s headquarters.

    Topeka, Kansas

    Huntoon Park Wren

    This bird statue was created to mark the site of a radio transmitter.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.