Stories behind five of Glasgow's most famous statues

Home to hundreds of statues, we take a look at just five of the most-recognised sculptures in our city. Which is your favourite?

Lobey Dosser

This statue of Sheriff Lobey Dosser on Woodlands Road is a lasting physical symbol of the legacy of his creator, cartoonist Bud Neill.  

Lobey Dosser was one of Neill’s most famous characters, and he shared his tales of adventure and mischief in a series of cartoons published in the Evening Times in the 1940s and 1950s.

There was a healthy dose of Glaswegian humour in every tale, set in the ‘Wild West’ of Calton Creek.

Lobey and El Fideldo – the “only two-legged horse in the West” – fought to protect their citizens from his arch nemesis Rank Bajin, who was a “rank bad yin”.

Even the hero’s name is also inspired by local slang, as 'lobby dosser' was a term used to describe someone who dodged rent payments by sleeping in the lobby of a tenement building.

Mercury

This sleek black figure of the Roman god of finance and commerce is aptly placed in the Italian Centre of the Merchant City, a symbol of the trading and business that went on there.

It was designed by Alexander Sandy Stoddart, who was appointed as the royal sculptor by the late Queen Elizabeth and now King Charles III.

Its presence is so treasured that two Christmases ago, the community rallied to have the statue returned to its plinth after council workers removed it due to safety concerns.

Months went by and Merchant City locals were concerned about how ‘sad’ and ‘neglected’ the area looked without it, but thankfully, their prayers were answered and the sculpture was restored to its former glory.

La Pasionaria

Meaning the Passion Flower in English, this statue can be found on Clyde Street by the river and represents Dolores Ibarruri, a communist politician.

During her incredible career, she founded a women’s anti-war movement, rescued over a hundred starving children from a small mining town, and delivered inspirational speeches to thousands.

In 1974, the statue was commissioned by the International Brigades as a dedication to the 65 Glaswegians who fought the fascists in the Spanish Civil War of the late 1930s.

A then-83-year-old Ibarurri sent her thanks in a telegram, saying that she felt ‘honoured’ by the representation.

Duke of Wellington

We can’t forget to mention the city’s arguably most recognised statue – the Duke of Wellington outside the Gallery of Modern Art.

The equestrian sculpture was designed by Italian artist Carlo Marochetti in 1844 and was erected to mark the end of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars.

Its significance as the most famous and photographed statue in Glasgow is down to one very small – and bright – feature.

A mystery prankster first placed a traffic cone on the Duke’s head in the 1980s, and after the authorities removed it, it reappeared. It then became a tradition that each time the cone was taken down, it wasn’t long before a new one arrived.

It is now the statue’s defining feature, and over the years people have added to it or put their own spin on it for a special reason, from a Santa hat to celebrate Christmas to a crocheted cone cover representing the Ukraine flag.

Queen Victoria

As one of the most influential monarchs in British history, it is little surprise that there are hundreds of statues of Queen Victoria across the world. But only two of these depict the queen riding a horse – one is in Liverpool while the other is in our very city.

This equestrian statue was unveiled in George Square in 1854 and, like the Duke of Wellington, it was designed by Marochetti. Also like the Duke of Wellington, Glaswegians attempted to create a new trend by putting their own spin on it and in 2017, an umbrella appeared atop the statue in the young queen’s hand.

Unlike the statue that inspired the idea, the umbrella never stayed.