With Glasgow's well known sense of irrevernet humour, it is perhaps appropriate that the last page in this Photo Library should be of a statue which permanently has a traffic cone on its head. Of course, the statue to the Duke of Wellington, the conqueror of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, is not supposed to have a traffic cone. Wellington stands imposingly outside the Gallery of Modern Art and some years ago, a cone appeared overnight, presumably the result of a youthful prank. Although it was removed, it kept magically re-appearing and eventually the authorities gave up.
It has become such a landmark that the statue and its cone have featured in tourist guidebooks. A few years ago, when Greater Glasgow & Clyde Valley Tourist Board wanted photographs to launch their new Web site, they removed the cone. Immediately, the Lord Provost, Alex Mosson, expressed disappointment, saying that it highlighted the Glaswegian sense of humour. His predecessor, ex-Provost Pat Lally joined in and also agreed it should stay. The end result is that Wellington (and sometimes his horse too) can be seen sporting traffic cones! Not that anyone is suggesting that the Provost and ex-Provost were personally involved....
Willow Tearoom
