Eastern lovelocks

Hundreds of padlocks, attached to a strip of fence close to Shoreditch High Street rail station to the east of the city of London. This isn’t my first brush with lovelocks, permanent little emblems of relationships left in public places. Each lock tells a story – or at least hints at one – and are intriguing to take as individual, close-up photographs. A whole swathe of these brings delicious focusing to the fore and an explosion of colour.

As a contrast to the intimacy of the lovelocks, I took a photograph of the view from the fence – the urban grit of the Braithwaite Street tunnel and a host of pedestrians. Who knows, maybe a pair of them had snapped on a lock just minutes before…

Click first image to view the gallery

Tags: Amy and Gareth, Braithwaite Street, Fuji, Isobell and Christoph, London, lovelocks, macro, padlock fence, padlocks, photography, Shoreditch, urban grit

10 thoughts on “Eastern lovelocks”

Anonymous on December 7, 2015 at 11:00 said:

A strong image Mike and a fan of lovelocks. It seems like a good idea having them on a random Shoreditch fence, bit is it random after all someone must have chosen this spot for the first padlock…but it certainly better than on some permanent piece of street furniture

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- mikeosbornphoto on December 10, 2015 at 08:16 said:
  
  James I’m deducing this is you as your name didn’t come up for some reason…Yes, I wonder who started it all off here? There’s always the first lock…
  
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mvaden1948 on November 30, 2015 at 22:47 said:

They have banned them from the bridges in Venice, Italy but people still do it anyway.
They have to be cut off with bolt cutters to avoid damaging the bridges. And those metal keys thrown into the canals don’t help either. I’m sure it’s the same everywhere they try this.
Yes, it is a very romantic gesture, I’m sure and I’m all for romance but very much against environmental damage.

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- mikeosbornphoto on December 2, 2015 at 21:58 said:
  
  Yes, Misha, it’s certainly a serious problem in some spots. I’m quite a fan of this London lovelock hotspot – it’s a dull piece of fence and be removed lock, stock and barrel if need be. A much better idea than attachments to bridges and other permanent fixtures.
  
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  - mvaden1948 on December 3, 2015 at 04:10 said:
    
    I was a fan of some of the really lovely ones in Venice until I understood the damage they cause. An old fence that doesn’t require repair would not be a problem.
    I do appreciate the sentiments they are trying to express and they can make great photos.
    
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    - mikeosbornphoto on December 3, 2015 at 21:22 said:
      
      Perhaps they need a little more management like the Shoreditch fence…
      
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ckponderings on November 29, 2015 at 11:39 said:

Lovely images; given that padlocks are usually limited to bridges in glamorous locations, I’m intrigued why they turn up in an East London backwater, lol… :)

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- mikeosbornphoto on November 29, 2015 at 11:50 said:
  
  Oh I think it’s a hipster lurve spot. But granted, it does seem a bit random.
  
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Noeline Smith on November 29, 2015 at 09:49 said:

They make a great subject; not only aesthetically but for all the stories that they hold.

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- mikeosbornphoto on November 29, 2015 at 09:59 said:
  
  Agreed totally. I noticed these several weeks ago and just had to go back to dip into the stories and enjoy the effect they create. I’m hoping to discover the other ‘lovelock stations’ around the capital.
  
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