Sculpted by Matthew Cotes Wyatt, it was the largest equestrian statue in Britain when it was unveiled at its original location on the Wellington Arch at Hyde Park Corner in 1846.

Much of the bronze in the statue is derived from French cannon captured at Waterloo and remelted in Wyatt's foundry.

The model was on a turntable 20 feet (6.1 m) in diameter and the artists could reach all parts of it by means of an adjustable stage that could be raised and lowered.

It was transported on a huge, low carriage with wheels 10 feet (3.0 m) in diameter, constructed by H.M. Dockyards at Woolwich.

The carriage was hauled by a hundred men of the Scots Fusilier Guards; as it emerged on to the road, it was greeted by enthusiastic cheers from the crowd of sightseers.

In 1883 the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII, suggested that it should be moved to Aldershot Military Town, "where it will be highly regarded by the Army".

However, it was successfully and ceremoniously handed to the British Army in August 1885 in front of a large crowd of onlookers.

The statue fell into a poor condition in the latter half of the twentieth century, being largely hidden behind overgrown trees and bushes on Round Hill.