Our city boasts some of the most unusual symbols ever – a traffic cone – that has now become a tourist attraction in itself. And in the most Glasgow news ever, Glasgow City Council is looking for a “Cone Specialist” to place and look after the cones on top of the Duke of Wellington Statue.
The tradition has defied Glasgow City Council for over 30 years, costing them tens of thousands of pounds in removal fees since the 1980s. Edinburgh and Stirling might have their grand castles, but that traffic cone is ours. And No matter how many times it was taken down, locals made sure it found its way back onto the Duke’s head every single time.
To put its fame into perspective, Lonely Planet even dubbed it one of the “most bizarre monuments on Earth” back in 2011. By 2013, the council officially threw in the towel and abandoned their removal plans, which makes the cone’s current disappearance a complete mystery.
And now, the council is making it official – one lucky local will be hired as a “Cone Specialist”, looking after and making new cones for locals and visitors alike to enjoy.
The job listing includes taking down old cones and placing new, themed ones on top of the Duke of Wellington Statue, making their own creative cones, creating and social social media channels for the cone and liaising with tourism boards across the world. The role has been created to help encourage tourism to Glasgow.
What does the cone actually mean to Glasgow?
You don’t have to look far to see why we’re so attached to it. The cone is the ultimate symbol of the Glaswegian sense of humour. What started as a cheeky act of rebellion against authority decades ago has evolved into a bright orange icon for the friendliest city in the UK.
It shows that we don’t take ourselves too seriously and that we always find a reason to smile. If I’m being honest, that cone has always meant more to the people of this city than the actual statue ever did.
April Fools! I know, we kept your hopes up for a dream job, but this is Secret Glasgow’s yearly version of an April Fool’s joke. However, last year’s article was my favourite, depicting the first Haggis Petting Zoo in the world, and Glaswegians got the memo immediately, telling tales of their time at the zoo. You can check it out for yourselves down below!
