Sunday 8 April 2018

Sunday Snap – Cone Head

We were going back in time with John Logie Baird for last week's Sunday Snap. I asked which Scottish city the first long distance television pictures were transmitted to from London and the answer is

Glasgow

Broadcasting the right answer were Anne and Susan.

We are still in Glasgow for this week's Sunday Snap and another photograph courtesy of Mr JibberJabber. Our location is the Gallery of Modern Art but our featured work of art is not inside but out the front. The equestrian statue was designed by the Italian Carlo Marochetti and erected in 1844. However since the 1980s the statue has become best known for the traffic cone that is placed upon the head of the statue. Whether the practice was started by a drunken reveller or as a result of a student prank no one quite knows. Such is the iconic status of the cone it was named in the 2011 Lonely Planet 'top 10 most bizarre monuments on Earth'. Perhaps not a fitting tribute to the Iron Duke that led the defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo but one that is now well remembered.

Despite its popularity with locals and tourists alike Glasgow City Council isn't so keen on people continuing to put cones on top of the Grade I listed statue. It spends ten of thousands of pounds each year to remove the cones. To stop the practice the council proposed to double the height of the plinth that the statue stands on. It withdrew the plans after widespread disapproval. Rumour has it that it is actually Glasgow City Council that places the different cones on top of the statue in order to attract tourists to the city and fuel the sales of postcards and other souvenirs. This week's question is

Who is the statue of?

We were joined last week by Sara and some of her favourite flowers including a hydrangea, Mexican poinsettias and an Easter lily. We had unicorn, Yoda and a gumball machine egg from Susan's trio. Kara has been to the zoo and there's been posing as a lemur and a ride in the van. Finally, Anne had laid out the Easter eggs ready for the morning.

If you want to join in with this week's Sunday Snap then add your link to the linky below. Any theme is allowed. It doesn't have to be published today as you have until 23.55 on Friday 13th April 2018 to join in. Grab my badge below for your blog post. Just make sure it is your photo and you hold the copyright for it.

Sunday Snap

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3 comments:

  1. I know this one, it’s the duke of Wellington. I spent many a drunken night out in Glasgow passing this dude in my teens. Always with his cone on x

    ReplyDelete
  2. Pahahahaha - that is so funny - I have no idea who he is though - poor man

    ReplyDelete
  3. I believe it is the Duke of Wellington. I can see why people have found it worth a visit, it does look bizarre.
    thanks for hosting x

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