Wellington’s Hat

Probably most British citizens will be aware of the “Duke of Wellington”. Why he is famous and what he did might be less well known to the current generation beyond being a figure from British history, probably a military one.

Arthur Wellesley was the 1st Duke of Wellington and although there have been subsequent ones, the first is the one whose statue adorns the plinths in many United Kingdom cities, not least Edinburgh and Glasgow. As a Scot I wondered why he should be so honoured north of Hadrian’s Wall.

Having taken these pictures of this equestrian statue of Wellington, my curiosity has got the better of me.

My research has discovered that he was born and lived his early years in Ireland. He grew up to follow a prominent career, among many notable things as a General in the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars, going on to become Commander of the Allied forces that defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo.

His career led into politics, he was an ambassador in France, he was granted a Dukedom, he became the British Prime Minster from 1828 to 1830, subsequently moving on into the House of Lords. He became and remained Commander-in-Chief of the British Army until his death.

As a politician and having played significant military roles in 60 battles, he was clearly pivotal in securing power and in influencing British Empire and European interests, lasting throughout his life and for many years afterwards. His hand in military and political affairs arguably made a significant contribution to culture of peace and prosperity enjoyed throughout the Victorian era in Britain.

Although he was undoubtedly popular and a “celebrity” of his time for his military prowess and victories, it wasn’t all ‘rosy in the garden’.

A publication that sought to extort money or expose scandal over a ‘kiss and tell’ by an alleged ‘mistress’ was told to ‘publish and be damned’. It didn’t seem to affect his political career.

As a politician he was a “hated Tory” of his day and the subject of riots. Some things never change! Attacks on his property for his opposition to electoral reforms resulted in the installation of iron shutters, earning him the title of “The Iron Duke”.

Despite strong Socialist and Scottish Nationalist political tides in the city, the traffic cone ‘hat’ that adorns the statue of the Duke of Wellington in Glasgow’s Royal Exchange Square is probably not a ‘political statement’ as another statue in the vicinity, of Scottish statesman and leading Labour Party politician Donald Dewar, has on occasion suffered a similar fate.

Although Wellington’s traffic cone is periodically removed by ‘officials’, another one quickly takes it’s place. It has been a feature for very many years now and has become an iconic feature of the city.

It is most likely a symbol of the Glaswegian sense of humour. Perhaps it is a slight poke at authority in general but it is certainly about having a bit of fun and not taking things too seriously.

Although it has performed different functions for various organisations over many years, the neoclassical building outside which the statue stands has been Glasgow’s very popular ‘Gallery of Modern Art’ (GoMA) since 1996, which makes it a fitting place for the ‘installation’.

Perhaps the city authorities should consider formally and permanently fixing the traffic cone to the Grade A Listed statue. As such it is apparently a ‘criminal’ offence to climb on the statue to deface it or with the intent to deface it. Despite this any attempts by the authorities to eradicate the traffic cone feature is always thwarted. The statue has been slightly damaged over the years by the perpetrators.

The next shot has been Photoshopped in the spirit of modern art.