Last weekend I was in Shoreditch and I was pleasantly surprised it just shows you that you should never judge a book by it cover when it comes to areas of London. London is constant reinventing itself and regenerating its what London does. So stepping out of Shoreditch High Street tube I was greeted by this site, at first I was suspicious and I am sorry to say my mind began to go into overdrive and thought what I was seeing had some sort of slightly sinister over and under tones.
This I learnt was the Shoreditch Love fence which has far from a Gangsta street mentality about it, it has a far reaching significance. It is in fact a custom wheruopn couples inscribe a message or their initials on a padlock and affix it to a fence or any other structure that is permanent. So as the couples are bound to each other physically and emotionally the fixing of a lock furthers the bond.
There is an assortment of padlocks in different shapes and sizes, and the red, blue, yellow and green wool and twine woven in and out of the diamond mesh fence in the shape of hearts, is an art work in progress.
Where did it all start ?
An ancient custom, which is believed to have originated in China, where lovers lock a padlock on a chain or gate and then throw away the key, symbolically locking their love forever. Around the world cities from Moscow to Rome are filled with fences, gates, and poles adorned with padlocks. These engraved padlocks are an expression of hope and humanity, connecting people around the world with the one thing that unites us all: LOVE.
And why not visit a special site dedicated to Love Locks.
This I learnt was the Shoreditch Love fence which has far from a Gangsta street mentality about it, it has a far reaching significance. It is in fact a custom wheruopn couples inscribe a message or their initials on a padlock and affix it to a fence or any other structure that is permanent. So as the couples are bound to each other physically and emotionally the fixing of a lock furthers the bond.
There is an assortment of padlocks in different shapes and sizes, and the red, blue, yellow and green wool and twine woven in and out of the diamond mesh fence in the shape of hearts, is an art work in progress.
Where did it all start ?
An ancient custom, which is believed to have originated in China, where lovers lock a padlock on a chain or gate and then throw away the key, symbolically locking their love forever. Around the world cities from Moscow to Rome are filled with fences, gates, and poles adorned with padlocks. These engraved padlocks are an expression of hope and humanity, connecting people around the world with the one thing that unites us all: LOVE.
And why not visit a special site dedicated to Love Locks.
