Glasgow’s most iconic traffic cone has mysteriously vanished — and in its place now sits a tiny bronze pigeon wearing its very own miniature cone.
The Duke of Wellington statue on Queen Street, outside the Gallery of Modern Art, has worn its trademark orange-and-white cone for nearly 40 years, becoming one of the city’s most recognisable (and loved) symbols.
But commuters on Monday 17th November morning were met with a surprising sight: Instead of the cone, the Duke was topped with a small pigeon sculpture, calmly reading a newspaper titled The Daily Dropping.
The bird, complete with its own perfectly crafted mini cone, is believed to be the work of anonymous street artist Rebel Bear, often described as the “Scottish Banksy”, STV reports.
@sanaadiaries Only in Glasgow will you see a pigeon claiming the top spot on a historic statue like it is the most natural thing in the world. Glasgow has a long running reputation for adding its own personality to public landmarks and this pigeon clearly understood the assignment. It is almost like an unspoken rule that every statue here gets a bit of Glasgow humour added to it whether it is a traffic cone or a confident pigeon sitting like royalty. Honestly this is the most Glasgow thing I have seen all week. #Glasgow #PeopleMakeGlasgow #Scotland #UrbanWildlife #BirdsOfTwitter
The artist posted images of the installation on social media on Sunday evening with the caption: “The dignified and undignified of beasts. Located: well, youse know where.”
Rebel Bear, whose work has appeared in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Paris and New York, is best known locally for Fear and Love, the large-scale mural of two figures kissing in hazmat suits in the West End.
The unexpected arrival of the pigeon has already sparked amusement among locals and tourists, with many stopping to take photos — and to debate whether this (hopefully) marks the beginning of a new era for the Duke or is just a temporary artistic stunt.
Glasgow City Council has not yet commented on whether the original cone will return. But for now, the Duke of Wellington has swapped his legendary headgear for a well-read pigeon with a flair for accessories — a twist that feels, if anything, perfectly Glasgow.
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Featured image via TikTok/ @sanaaadiaries / @kaitlinwraight46985
