Over the past few years, passers-by have placed thousands of locks on the railings of the Weir Footbridge in Bakewell, Derbyshire, England, to document their love and other deep feelings.
We know this on a large scale from Cologne, for example: thousands upon thousands of love locks – here attached to the railing of the Weir footbridge in Bakewell. But then … (Photo: Facebook)
The result is a monument that completely reverses the purely utilitarian purpose of the bridge. People no longer just walk across the River Wye, they celebrate it. The image that emerges is without a doubt impressive.
But now the bridge has been ordered to undergo a general renovation. And with it, the approximately 40,000 locks that are now attached to it are to be removed. The original plan was actually to melt the tokens of love into a lump of steel. How unloving.
The protests against this were of course not long in coming. And they were successful, it seems, because a solution is now on the table that will keep the monument – just in a different location.
“I fought for this for three years and now we have finally achieved something”
The rescue is thanks to the owner of a nearby mansion. According to media reports, after the sometimes loud disagreements, she agreed to permanently display the love locks on her property.
Richard Young, founder of the group Save the Love Locks at Bakewell, said: “It was a huge relief, like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I’ve been fighting for this for three years and now we’ve finally achieved something.”
In 2021, the municipality announced that it wanted to remove the locks without warning – and this upset the people of the region. Many of the locks were also installed in memory of the deceased. Outrage spread, and understandably so.
“These are not just rusty padlocks, they are memories. They are very dear to people’s hearts. Many come back every year to remember their loved one or stillborn child, their wedding or their engagement,” says Young.
At Thornbridge Hall, the castles are to receive “a forever home”
With maintenance work scheduled to begin on September 16, the locks will now be moved to the grounds of nearby Thornbridge Hall, where they will find a “forever home,” according to the owner.
Owner Emma Harrison has offered to display the locks on a fence structure on the grounds of her mansion. They will be accessible there all year round. Not quite the character of the bridge, but at least they won’t end up as a lump of steel.
“I saw how much the monument means to the people here,” she said in a Interview withShe will “take care of the castles” and ensure that “people can always visit them”.
In the weeks of uncertainty preceding it, it seems that many people had removed their locks from the bridge. They are also welcome to reattach their iron memories to the new location. Space is also being created for new locks.
One wonders: Why not do it like this from the start?
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