Derbyshire pair design Love Lock Trees inspired by Bakewell bridge troubles
Retired engineer Ken Massingham, 68, and graphic designer Caroline, 41, have spent the past year and £20,000 designing the ‘Love Lock Tree’.
Ken said: “The idea originally came to me after hearing about the problems caused by the thousands of padlocks placed onto the Weir Bridge and the Pont des Arts in Paris.
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Hide Ad“The weight and rust from the padlocks is causing serious damage to these structures. I concluded that the ideal alternative would be a dedicated stand-alone and iconic structure that would inspire people to visit and leave their tributes.”
The resulting locally-made prototype is a five-metre stainless steel structure inspired by the shape of an evergreen tree and symbolising the ‘wonder of life’.
At its heart is a three-metre cylindrical frame which can hold up to 26,000 locks or bespoke leaves which Ken and Caroline have designed and can be engraved with a personal message.
Each tree would be listed on a website so that people and register their leaves or padlock as an online tribute as well as a physical token of affection, memory or a cherished moment in time.
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Hide AdKen and Caroline hope to see trees used as a tourist attraction on public land, or in places such as hospitals, crematoria, universities, or company headquarters.
Caroline said: “We are already in discussions with several locations across the UK, but we would really love the first to be erected in our home county.”
For more information, visit lovelocktrees.com.