WHILST many cities are trying to eradicate the nuisance of loved-up couples weighing down famous landmarks with locks, Matfen Hall has announced its love of the new-fangled custom.

In a clever marketing ploy, the hotel has announced it wants to bring “a touch of Paris” to the North-East by encouraging newly-weds and past Matfen-married couples
to leave “love locks” on the estate.

Inspired by the famous Pont Des Arts lock bridge in Paris, couples who have had their special day at Matfen are being invited back to the place they said “I do” to place their own engraved lock on the historic bridge in the picturesque hotel grounds. And Sir Hugh and Lady Anna Blackett, owners of the hall and Matfen estate, are amongst the first to have sealed their 36-year marriage with a love lock.

Lady Blackett said: “Although we didn’t get married at Matfen, we thought this was a really lovely idea for couples to come back and do something to remember their wedding day.

“I’ve seen love locks all over the world and it’s something that I think will capture the imagination of people who choose to get married here.”

Attaching a love lock on to the Pont des Arts before throwing the key into the River Seine beneath grew into a tourist tradition in the city.

But in 2014 when part of the bridge’s railings collapsed under the weight, close to one million locks – weighing 45 tonnes – had to be cut off.

But it’s a craze that’s gone worldwide. Brooklyn Bridge in New York and Dublin’s Ha’penny Bridge over the River Liffey have also had locks removed. Even on Tyneside young couples have been locking up the High Level Bridge, although, so far it has not threatened the Grade I listed structure.

Matfen recently unveiled a £250,000 refurbishment to its wedding offering which sparked the plan.