Edinburgh city centre is home to dozens of historic statues big and small, but our monument to the Duke of Wellington is definitely harder to miss than most.
Paying tribute to Wellington's defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo, the equestrian statue, which depicts the Iron Duke on the back of a rearing horse, was inaugurated in 1852. It has stood atop its large plinth outside Register House at the east end of Princes Street ever since.
But while the bronze landmark has drawn many an admiring glance down the decades, it has also accumulated its fair share of dirty looks due to the fact it takes up so much room on the busiest stretch of pavement in Scotland.
READ MORE: Can you nail our Edinburgh Live nostalgia quiz? Test your knowledge here.
Measuring 13 feet long and six feet wide, the sheer bulk of the Duke's granite pedestal has led to many calls for the statue to be shifted away from Princes Street, with thousands of pedestrians forced to walk around it on a daily business.
The question of the statue's removal was brought up as far back as the 1892, with architect George Shaw Aitken stating that not only was it obstructing the thoroughfare, but that it was out of scale with the finely-tuned proportions of Robert Adam's Register House. As an alternative, Mr Aitken suggested the statue be moved to a new site outside Holyrood Palace. Other suggestions included West Princes Street Gardens and Castle Street.
Sign up to our Edinburgh Live nostalgia newsletters for more local history and heritage content straight to your inbox
Nothing would come of Mr Aitken's proposals of course, but the issue of the road-blocking statue would not go away.
In 1934, the statue came within a whisker of being given a new home when its removal was discussed in length at a meeting of the council's Streets and Buildings Committee.
The Scotsman reported that Councillor Nelson wished for the statue to be removed as it was "an impediment to pedestrian traffic at one of the most important parts of the city."
The Transport Committee were in favour of removal, as it would allow for a new tramway island to be built at the east end of Princes Street.
Echoing Mr Aitken's views from 40 years earlier, Councillor Hardie said the statue obscured the features of the "well-designed" Register House, and suggested that a more fitting location would be next to the Nelson Monument atop Calton Hill.
There were many who protested against the relocation proposals, however. Councillor Darling said the removal of the statue would be "an act of vandalism", while Councillor Ritchie said it was a well-known landmark and "work of art" and that there was plenty room for pedestrians to pass by.
While there would be further calls to relocate it, the Duke of Wellington statue would manage to stand its ground. The landmark defiantly guards its spot outside Register House where it continues to hog the pavement to this day.
Maybe our pals over in Glasgow had the right idea sticking a traffic cone on their own Iron Duke statue on Queen Street after all?
READ NEXT:
Rod Stewart adds extra Edinburgh Castle date due to phenomenal ticket demand
Edinburgh’s ‘politely discriminating’ women-only bank where men were banned
The lost Edinburgh street once buzzing with life before completely disappearing
The time a Midlothian bartender achieved global stardom with unfortunate mishap
The notorious Edinburgh pub that saw gang feuds and guns fired
