The equestrian statue of William III in Cathedral Square,

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, is a 1735 work by an unknown sculptor.

Description

The bronze sculpture depicts

William III of England William III (William Henry; ; 4 November 16508 March 1702), also widely known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of County of Holland, Holland, County of Zeeland, Zeeland, Lordship of Utrecht, Utrec ...

in Roman attire mounted on a horse. It is said that the tail of the Glasgow statue is designed to move to prevent it being broken by means of a

ball and socket joint The ball-and-socket joint (or spheroid joint) is a type of synovial joint in which the ball-shaped surface of one rounded bone fits into the cup-like depression of another bone. The distal bone is capable of motion around an indefinite number o ...

. In front of the plinth is a plaque that reads "In commemoration of the Tercentenary of the Glorious Revolution of 1688-89". The statue is a A listed building.

History

The statue was financed by

James Macrae James Macrae (1677 – July 1744) was a Scottish seaman and administrator who served as the President of Fort St George from 1725 to 1730. He is known for naval exploits against the pirate Edward England and for reforming the administration of ...

in 1735 and erected in front of Tontine Hotel in

Trongate Trongate is one of the oldest streets in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. Trongate begins at Glasgow Cross, where the steeple of the old Glasgow Tolbooth is situated, being the original centre of medieval Glasgow, and goes westward changing its na ...

. Although the sculptor is unknown a similar statue of William III by

Peter Scheemakers Peter Scheemakers or Pieter Scheemaeckers II or the Younger (10 January 1691 – 12 September 1781) was a Flemish sculptor who worked for most of his life in London. His public and church sculptures in a classicist style had an important influenc ...

was erected one year earlier in Hull. In 1897, due to the statue obstructing traffic it was moved to a

traffic island A traffic island is a solid or painted object in a road that channels traffic. It can also be a narrow strip of island between roads that intersect at an acute angle. If the island uses road markings only, without raised curbs or other physical ...

in front of the new

Glasgow Cross railway station Glasgow Cross was a railway station in the city centre of Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th l ...

. In 1923, the statue was put in storage. In 1926, it was moved to Cathedral Square where it remains to this day. In June 2020, following the

actions against memorials in Great Britain during the George Floyd protests A number of statues and memorials have been the subject of protests and petitions during the George Floyd protests in the United Kingdom in 2020. Background For several years, a campaign entitled Rhodes Must Fall had worked towards the removal ...

, the statue was graffitied, William III having been connected to the

Royal African Company The Royal African Company (RAC) was an English mercantile (trade, trading) company set up in 1660 by the royal House of Stuart, Stuart family and City of London merchants to trade along the West Africa, west coast of Africa. It was led by the J ...

and

Edward Colston Edward Colston (2 November 1636 – 11 October 1721) was an English merchant, slave trader, philanthropist, and Tory Member of Parliament. Colston followed his father in the family business becoming a sea merchant, initially trading in wine ...

. In May 2021, the statue was damaged after the horse's tail was broken off. The

Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland The Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland, or Loyal Orange Institution of Scotland, Orange Order in Scotland, The Orange Order is the oldest and biggest Protestant fraternity in Scotland. It is an organisation of people bonded together to promote the ...

said the vandalism was due the "continued demonisation and stigmatisation of all things Protestant and Unionist" and that it only encourages "vile vandalism and attacks on Glasgow’s historical and architecturally renowned statues."

References

1735 sculptures Buildings and structures in Glasgow Category A listed buildings in Glasgow Equestrian statues in the United Kingdom Listed sculptures in Scotland Outdoor sculptures in Scotland Statues in Scotland Statues of William III of England {{UK-sculpture-stub

Description

History

See also

References