The Love Lock Bridge
Latest News: 16/1/25
Things are moving very quickly at Thornbridge, the new home for the Bakewell love locks, the new structure which has been named 'The Love Locker' has been designed and materials are being delivered to the site. All permissions and safety procedures have been put in place so the work can begin shortly.
All the bags have now been put in order ready for the army of volunteers to start threading the love locks on ready for installing onto the love locker.
Keep up to date by visiting the Facebook page here.
The launch date is planned for the 14th February, Valentines Day.
Please check out the event Love Locker Launch Weekend to keep abreast of what is happening over the weekend.
Love Lock Bridge Closed
16th September 2024
The love lock bridge at Bakewell has now been revamp and no more love locks are allowed to be attached to the bridge.
The Save the Love Lock Campaign group and Derbyshire County Council worked closely together and all the love locks have been removed from the bridge. They were taken off in order wire by wire and bay by bay keeping to a plan and then will be reinstated in the same order at Thornbridge Hall, the locks will be eventually reattached to a new structure at the hall where people will be able to visit them once again.
Please note that no more love locks will be allowed to be attached to the bridge once the repair work has been completed.
Please keep up to date on our Facebook page
or our website at https://www.bakewelllovelocks.co.uk
PRESS RELEASE: 20/08/24
We have some encouraging news. There has been a lot of work going on behind the scenes to work out how the near 40,000 memories can be preserved. We are pleased to announce that we have found a new home for all the love locks that are on the bridge at Bakewell. Thornbridge Hall have kindly offered a forever home for the love locks within their grounds.
It is our intention to remove the padlocks bay by bay and reinstate them onto a similar structure within the grounds of the Hall, there will be enough space so that the tradition can be continued.
Dr Ceri Houlbrook, Senior Lecturer in Folklore and History at the University of Hertfordshire, will be assisting the group by attempting to record as much information she can whilst the locks are on the bridge to capture their “moment in time” before they are moved.
We appreciate that it will not be the same as the bridge at Bakewell but it will be a lasting final resting place for all to enjoy.
Thornbridge Hall, is a delightful, restored country estate with fine gardens, walks and tours and is just a couple of miles away near to the village of Ashford-in-the-Water. The Hall has free parking, a café and is easily accessed by road and path with a direct link to Bakewell via the Monsal Trail and is open 352 days of the year.
We are also hoping to place a “Love Lock” bench near to the bridge in Bakewell so that people can sit and reflect next to where they originally locked their memories away.
There is still lots to do, however this option is now on the table and is being explored and the details are being worked through with Derbyshire County Council.
Please help us and donate so a new structure can be built.
www.justgiving.com crowdfunding Bakewell love locks
Love locks started to appear on the Wye Bridge in 2012 and were the first to appear in Derbyshire, presently there are many hundreds now attached to the bridge. The love locks may be loved by some and hated by others however it does indicate that there is still some love in the world.
A love lock or love padlock, as it is sometimes known, is a padlock which is inscibed with the intials of two lovers, attached to a public fixture and the key thrown away, symbolising unbreakable and everlasting love for each other. Around the world, cities from Moscow to Rome are filled with fences, bridges, and poles adorned with padlocks.
The History of Love Locks
The tradition of love locks fastened to bridges is believed to have begun in Serbia during World War I, after a woman died of heartbreak when her lover deserted her for another woman he met at war. The local women, horrified at befalling the same fate, began to fasten padlocks on the bridge where the two lovers used to meet. Today, love lock bridges can be found all over the world. Here are some of the best known bridges for declaring your everlasting affection for your one true love. www.holidayextras.co.uk
Jenna and Ryan, a young couple from Kings Lynn have added their love lock to the bridge in Bakewell.
Engraved with both their names, it will symbolise the everlasting and unbreakable love for each other.
Bakewell love lock bridge is becoming part of the wedding day with newly weds adding there own love locks to the bridge.
Read a little more about Love locks which adorn public fixtures around the world here at The Love Lock Diaries. https://lovelockdiaries.wordpres
Bakewell Love Lock bridge is becoming quite the tourist attraction and is probably the most photographed bridge in Bakewell.
You can buy and have your lock lock engraved here in Bakewell.