If you’ve never considered London as a place to propose marriage, you’re missing out. Yes, there’s diesel in the air and chewing gum littering the streets. But London’s history, from Dickens through to Oscar Wilde and the Bloomsbury set, mark it out as a place where beauty springs up from its sheer variety of weird and wonderful people and places. As actress Rachel Weisz said,
“I think London’s sexy because it’s full of eccentrics.”
Of course, I’m biased. I chose to move here almost twenty years ago, and love the place. But if you’re looking for an unusual spot to pop the question, then you can’t beat London. Here are some suggestions of quirky places to propose marriage.
Standing on a glass floor: at the Shard, or on Tower Bridge
If you’d like to make your marriage proposal a doubly stomach-churning experience, why not do it over a glass floor? The Shard‘s viewing platform – an ear-popping 244 metres above street level and the highest in Europe – has an area with a see-through floor. If you look down, you can see the tiny red buses, black cabs and miniscule matchstick people scurrying around, all the way down through acres of sky. Heart in your mouth? Well, why not boost the adrenaline rush by popping the question at the same time?
You can read more about the view from the Shard in this post by the Family Adventure Project. But if the whole thing sounds a little too terrifying, there’s also a glass floor at Tower Bridge, (that’s the pretty, ornate one that tourists often think is called London Bridge). Tower Bridge’s walkways used to be a haunt for prostitutes and pickpockets, back in the day. Now they hold in place (snugly, we hope) an 11-metre long glass floor, where you can declare your undying love a grand 42 metres above the level of the bridge below. Read more about visiting Tower Bridge in this post by Actually Mummy.
At Columbia Road Flower Market
What could be more romantic than grabbing a bouquet and dropping down on one knee, in the middle of a bustling London street? The flower market at East London’s Columbia Road runs down a street of shops dating back to the 1860s, and is the capital’s most popular place to buy flowers. On a springtime Sunday it’s teeming with the floral scent of roses and lillies; and with florists picking out a bargain, or doe-eyed hip young things buying floral decor for their loft apartments. If you propose marriage in the middle of Columbia Road, you’ll be sure to draw a crowd. And any flush of embarrassment on the cheeks of your loved one, will be offset by the vivid, festive colours around you.
Over the Meridian Line, at Greenwich Royal Observatory
At Greenwich’s Royal Observatory you’ll find the Prime Meridian of the world. The Meridian is marked by a metal line set into the ground in exactly the spot where the world is divided into two halves: north, and south. So if you stand with a foot straddling either side of the line when you propose, you can literally declare your love on both sides of the planet. When the sun crosses the sky over the Prime Meridian, Greenwich Mean Time begins – and, as GMT’s the zero point for time systems all over the world, you could claim your proposal was made at the dawn of all time……
(Ok, that may be stretching the point a little. But if you’re interested to find out more about Greenwich – and what you can do if you take any future children there – check out this post by Family Travel Times)
At Hampstead Heath’s bathing ponds
Hampstead, a leafy north London suburb that’s home to such dignitaries as Emma Thompson and Ridley Scott, is also blessed with 320 hectares of ancient parkland. As well as butterflies, dog walkers and picnicking locals, on Hampstead Heath you’ll also find three bathing ponds, two of which are open all year round. Even at the height of summer, it’s possible to find a quiet nook by the side of one of the ponds, where you can propose over a post-dip pork pie and bubbly. The ponds are segregated into men’s, women’s, and mixed, so depending on whether your union is same-sex, or with someone of the opposite gender, you’ll find a pond that floats your boat.
In a hide at the London Wetland Centre, Barnes
Picture the scene. You’re snuggled up, in a small cosy hide overlooking a glistening expanse of water. As you sip your flasks of hot chocolate, you spot the bright green flashes on the outstretched wings of an airborne teal. It lands in the water, and then paddles over to the group of gently mottled golden-brown pintail ducks that are clustered around the reeds.
Turning to your love, you pull out of a pocket an emerald ring to match the wings of the teal, and whisper the words you’ve been reheasing in your head for weeks…..
The London Wetland Centre, an award-winning nature reserve in Barnes near Hammersmith, records 180 species of vistors and residents each year. Winter – or Valentine’s Day – is the best time to see rare ducks there. And as well as birds like kingfishers, sand martins and herons, the place is a haven for other creatures, like butterflies, lizards, frogs and even otters.
So, after you’ve created an unparalleled moment of romance in one of the centre’s six hides, there will be plenty to keep your growing family happy when you return. Just ask Mums Do Travel, who posted about it here. Or Mummy Travels, who loves the Wetland Centre so much she’s visited it three times.
Whereever you decide to do it, good luck with your marriage proposal. May the ghosts of old London town be on your side.
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