Tartan Army's World Cup traffic cone high jinks are taking over Scotland

A significant story is unfolding on the international scene. Tartan Army's World Cup traffic cone high jinks are taking over ScotlandImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, The Duke of Wellington's cone has been an iconic image of Glasgow for more than 40 yearsByJames DelaneyBBC ScotlandPublished3 hours agoThey came. The Tartan Army's coronation of statues in Boston baffled locals and global audiences alike, however the practice has divided opinion at home. Monuments across the country have now received the treatment usually reserved for the Duke of Wellington in Glasgow.

But is this the last throes of World Cup fever? Or is the Scotland faithful's new calling card here to stay? The coning of the Duke, Arthur Wellesley, outside the Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA), is thought to have been started by students returning home from nights out in the 1980s.

The Details

The monument, showing the Duke on his faithful horse Copenhagen, was designed by the Italian artist Carlo Marochetti and erected in 1844 to commemorate his victory over Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo. Why are Scotland fans putting traffic cones on statues in Boston? Published18 JuneCouncil in road cone statue plea Over the next 30 years, Glasgow city council and some residents engaged in their own conflict around the cone.

Every time the local authority removed it, at a cost, the cone would reappear and appeals for it to stop only heightened resolve. The council eventually gave up after an attempt to raise the height of the statue's plinth was defeated. It has since become something of an iconic symbol of the city and was even named by artist Banksy as his "favourite" artwork.

Image gallerySkip image galleryImage caption, Edinburgh's own Duke of Wellington statue has been conedImage caption, David Hume has also received the same treatment on the Royal Mile... as has Adam SmithImage caption, The Robert Burns statue in Dumfries has also been coronated with a traffic coneImage caption, Nessie has also been given new headwear in Inverness1 of 5 Previous image Next imageSlide 1 of 5 , The Duke of Wellington statue in Edinburgh with traffic cones on it. , Edinburgh's own Duke of Wellington statue has been conedEnd of image gallerySo, when the Tartan Army descended on Boston, and saw the city's statues coneless, nature took its course.

What Experts Say

The people of Boston seemed to love it, so much so that a proposed twinning of the two cities has been marked by the gifting of a signed cone from Glasgow to the city where that birthed the American revolution. Back home, however, the reaction from some has been less than positive. Edinburgh's own Duke of Wellington statue, outside Register House in the city centre, was spotted sporting fetching, orange headwear earlier this week.

Monuments to Adam Smith and David Hume on the Royal Mile have also been anointed with plastic crowns. While the image is more closely associated with Glasgow, some capital locals say this is nothing new.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.