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Feature: Finding love and romance in Britain's castles and seaside

Xinhua, February 12, 2017 Adjust font size:

As the universal day for lovers approaches on Feb. 14, a poll in England has found more than a third of people consider castles, seaside piers and promenades, the most romantic places.

But the famous British pub is still the most favored meeting place for a first date for half of romance seekers, the survey by Britain's online pollsters YouGov discovered.

YouGov was commissioned to conduct a poll for the government cultural agency Historic England, to discover where the British are to find their love this forthcoming Valentine's Day.

The results showed in the report entitled "Who Said the English Aren't Romantic?" reveals that nearly one in every five think of castles (18 percent), seaside piers and promenades (18 percent) as England's most romantic places. Yet the British living rooms are the most common locations for proposals and the household kitchen is the top place where couples part company.

England's public houses are the most selected setting for a first date, according to the survey, with almost half (49 percent) having had a first date in a pub, closely followed by cinemas and theaters (38 percent).

People in England are also most likely to meet a partner for the first time in the pub (38 percent) and head outside for a kiss; one in seven couples enjoy their first kiss in a public park (14 percent).

Historic England's Celia Richardson said: "From historic pubs to listed seaside shelters, from the club under the railway arches to the Victorian park, our research shows just how closely England's places are tied to our own personal histories."

"It can be no surprise that pubs and public parks are the places England falls in and out of love. They are so central to our lives," Richardson added.

Poet Bridget Minamore has created an ode to love in England's historic places for the nation, celebrating the buildings and places where Britain falls in love.

Minamore said, "The historic environment is precious and very romantic..., from now on I'll be a lot more aware of the buildings and the spaces around me and the history behind them." Endi