WE WALK past them every day. Their solemn, craggy faces gaze eternally into the distance as we scurry about our business beneath them. But who are these men and woman captured in stone or bronze, who form part of the landscape of our cities? While many depict well-known political leaders, monarchs and academics, others are more obscure, their stories long since faded from our collective cultural identity.

Glasgow is often described as a city where you have to look upwards to appreciate the architecture. Most of the intricate stonework is above ground level but the majority of stone faces staring down are those of cherubs and allegorical characters, as opposed to actual portraits. Historian and author Dr Ronnie Scott says: "Generally, there aren't many representations of people in sculptures in Glasgow. People tend to be commemorated by fountains or other structures."

However, a handful of statues have become almost as iconic as the people they represent. In Royal Exchange Square, the Duke of Wellington's horse-backed figure, complete with traffic-cone hat, has become an image associated with Glasgow while the diminutive Greyfriars' Bobby in Edinburgh is a tourist hot-spot. Comic-strip characters such as Lobey Dosser, in the west end of Glasgow, and DC Thomson creation Desperate Dan in Dundee, are also regarded with great affection.

In Glasgow, Cathedral Square and George Square are home to the most prominent of the city's figurative statues but keen observers can spot less obvious ones. For example, Buchanan Street is the city's busiest shopping thoroughfare but most pedestrians are oblivious to John Mossman's carved figures of pioneering printers William Caxton and Johannes Gutenberg on the front of the former Glasgow Herald building.

For as long as there have been statues, there have been wrangles about who merits one and where it should be placed. Despite the prominent location, not all of the statues in George Square are well-known figures, a bone of contention for many. "If you're in a cemetery you almost expect not to know who the people are. But not in George Square - you expect to recognise statues in the public realm," says Scott, who argues that statues should not be treated as sacred. "For every Donald Dewar that is erected, you should expect a Thomas Campbell Scottish poet with a statue in George Square to be taken down. We don't keep Victorian shop fronts, so why keep statues that are no longer culturally relevant?"

There is also the question of when is an appropriate time to erect a statue. When Edinburgh City Council revealed its intention to commission statues of JK Rowling and Sean Connery in 2004, it met with a mixed reaction from residents.

While statues of the living are uncommon, one lady who ensured her image was on show was Queen Victoria. Robert Leslie, head guide at Edinburgh Bus tours, explains: "There is only one statue of Queen Victoria and the reason is that she sent Edinburgh a statue of herself which she didn't like. It was done by Sir John Steell, a Scottish sculptor whom she had knighted for doing a statue of her husband. He did a statue of her for Buckingham Palace forecourt but she didn't like it so she sent it to us. We stuck it above the Royal Scottish Academy but we had to strengthen the roof of the RSA to put it there. She gifted it to us but it was a bit of a poisoned gift in that it cost us a bloody fortune to put it where she wanted it to go."

One period of Edinburgh's history that was woefully under-represented until fairly recently was that of the Scottish Enlightenment. There were no statues of any of the movement's leading figures until 1995 when a statue of the philosopher and economist David Hume was unveiled. Situated on the Royal Mile, the figure was the creation of Edinburgh-born sculptor Sandy Stoddart.

At the time, Nigel Bruce of the Saltire Society remarked: "Hume was without doubt one of the most influential thinkers of all time. More than 200 years after his death it is surely time that we had a statue to the man."

But who are the other stone and bronze figures who watch over us?Among the cast of thousands are: Joseph McIver Paisley Close, Royal Mile, Edinburgh l After the New Town was built, much of Edinburgh's Old Town fell into disrepair. Early one morning in November 1861, a 250-year-old tenement in High Street collapsed, trapping many in the debris. After 48 hours, rescuers had almost given up hope when they heard a shout: "Heave awa' lads, I'm no deid yet." Joseph McIver's face now adorns the wall of the rebuilt tenement.

Hutcheson brothers Philanthropists 158 Ingram Street, Merchant City, Glasgow l Glasgow's oldest statues depict George and Thomas Hutcheson. The brothers. founded Hutchesons' Hospital in 1639 and Hutchesons' Grammar School in 1639 and 1641 respectively.

Andrew Gray Morocco Land, Royal Mile l Morocco Land takes its name from the figure of a Moor on the building. It is said to be Andrew Gray, who was given a death sentence for rioting and fled to Morocco. After making his fortune, he returned to visit his cousin in her Canongate tenement and discovered her suffering from the plague. According to legend, Gray nursed her back to health and the pair married and lived together in the same house.

Thomas Campbell Scottish poet (1777-1844) George Square, Glasgow l The Glasgow-born poet was a contemporary of Sir Walter Scott and beat Scott to become Lord Rector of Glasgow University, where he had also been a student. He is known for his sentimental poetry as well as several patriotic war poems.

Dolores Ibarruri Spanish political activist Carlton House Quay, Glasgow l An eyecatching statue with outstretched arms has stood on the edge of the Clyde since 1977. It is one of only a handful of memorials in the country to the Scots who went to Spain to join the International Brigades. The figure is of Dolores Ibarruri, known as La Pasionaria, a fiery female politician who was a popular figure in the Republic and was known internationally for her rousing speeches.

William Collins Publisher Glasgow Green l Although not strictly a statue, the fountain, built in 1881, bears a stone carving of Sir William Collins of the famous publishing house. Collins was a member of the temperance movement which constructed many fountains around the city in a bid to encourage people to meet there for a glass of water instead of going to the pub.

  • Is there a statue in Scotland that you feel has been unjustly forgotten? Is there one that is long overdue for being pulled down? Email features@theherald and we will publish the best responses.