Sheffield: 'I Love You Will U Marry Me' graffiti reinstated

The bridge in Sheffield once again features Jason Lowe's unconventional proposal, repainted by Urban Splash

A graffiti marriage proposal which was wiped from a city's skyline by a housing developer has been reinstated.

Jason Lowe's "I Love You Will U Marry Me" was spray-painted on a bridge at Park Hill, Sheffield, in 2001.

His unsuccessful bid to woo girlfriend Clare Middleton became a symbol of the city, inspired a track by singer Yungblud and appeared on a t-shirt worn by Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner.

The graffiti was repainted after bridge repairs, developer Urban Splash said.

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The public display of affection was removed in February 2021, with Urban Splash saying the concrete needed "essential" cleaning.

The removal sparked upset in the city and further afield, with singer Richard Hawley, Pulp drummer Nick Banks and singer Yungblud expressing anger.

Urban Splash said it had always been the intention to reinstate the graffiti, with the repair work "securing the long-term future and maintenance of the bridge and the graffiti".

The romantic gesture - overlaid with neon lights in 2008 and pictured removed in 2021 - had formed part of the city's skyline since 2001

'A quirky act of romance'

Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys sported a t-shirt bearing an image of the graffiti during gigs

Although Jason Lowe and his girlfriend never married, his romantic gesture has formed part of the city's skyline since, with many considering it an "iconic" piece of history.

In a BBC radio documentary, Mr Lowe explained how he braved his fear of heights to make a public show of proposing to Ms Middleton, who he had been dating for a year.

He said: "You used to be able to see it from the Odeon cinema. I took her there and she thought she was going to see a film.

"I said, 'I've got something to show you'. I told her to look up and she read it.

"She said, 'yeah'. She thought I was mad."

The pair split up three months later and Ms Middleton died in 2007 from cancer.

When Urban Splash started renovation of the flats in 2008, they decided to immortalise Mr Lowe's words.

Neon lights were placed over the writing and it formed part of the developer's marketing campaign.

Yungblud, real name Dominic Harrison, from Doncaster, described the graffiti as "a quirky act of romance" in his song I Love You, Will You Marry Me.

Alex Turner, lead singer of Sheffield band Arctic Monkeys, has also worn the slogan on a T-shirt during gigs.

In 2021, the famous words disappeared from view after structural issues meant a special coating needed to be added to the bridge.

In a statement to the BBC, Urban Splash said it had worked with Mr Lowe to reinstate the graffiti, with the developer repainting the now-famous Steel City graffiti in its original place.

It added that a neon version, commonly seen in promotional material in the city, would also be added.

The renovation of the Park Hill flats was one of the six short-listed projects for the 2013 RIBA Stirling Prize